conference 2007

Sponsored by The Brain Injury Associate of Oregon

Living with Brain Injury:

Building Bridges

The 5th Annual Pacific Northwest

Brain Injury Conference 2007

Holiday Inn Airport Hotel 

Portland, Oregon

October 5 & 6, 2007

Featuring:

Keynote Speaker Friday– Harriett Zeiner, PhD - Neuropsychologist, Palo Alto Medical Center, Polytrauma Level 1

Keynote Speaker Saturday—Marie Therese Gass - TBI caregiver, Author of

The Caregiver's Tale: The True Story of  A Woman, Her Husband Who Fell Off the Roof,

and Traumatic Brain Injury

Highlights

7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.

Atrium
                  Registration and Check-in - Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Room  A & B

Welcome to BIA Conference 2007—Wayne Eklund, President Brain Injury Association of Oregon

Opening with Traditional Tribal Ceremony

Ramona Ahto, WA, Bell Ceremony

Keynote Speaker

Harriet Zeiner, PhD - Neuropsychologist, TBI and the war in Iraq: What it means for families and the nation.

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.  Atrium—Break   

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Track 1: Room  A

PTSD & TBI  - Round Table:  Dr. Harriet Zeiner, VA, CA; Major Jim Sardo, PhD, VA, OR; Dan Storzbach, PhD, WA    

Moderator:  Andy Ellis, PhD

Track 2:  Room  B

Utilization of Neuropsychological Evaluation Results in Development of Treatment Plans -   Mary Pepping, Ph.D., UW    

Moderator: Dr. Janet  Mott      Assistant: Zack Bayer

Track 3:  Room  D

Managing the funding crisis in cognitive rehabilitation: Practical tips and advocacy- Kathy de Domingo, Progressive Rehabilitation Associates, Laurie Ehlhardt, PhD, The Teaching Research Institute-Eugene, Julia Greenfield, JD, Oregon Advocacy Center, Jan Johnson, Community Rehabilitation Services of Oregon

Moderator:  Jeri Cohen

Track 4: Mt Bachelor

Rehab Alternatives: Using the BIRK in rural areas - Martin Russo   

Moderator: Wayne Eklund

 10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.  Atrium—Break   

 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Track 1: Room  A

Suicide after a Brain Injury—Lisa Millet, MA, OR Dept of Epidemiology; Robert Tell, LCSW, VA suicide prevention coordinator    Moderator: Bruce McLean

Track 2:  Room  B

Sleep Problems in TBI: Diagnosis and Management - Eilis A. Boudreau, MD  

Moderator: Paul Cordo, PhD Assistant: Diane Vinson

Track 3:  Room  D

TBI Caregiver Curriculum: A collaboration in progress  -  Traci Adair, TBI/MH Program Manager and TBI Grant Director

Washington State Aging and Disability Services Administration;  Cheryl Sanders, Executive Director, Oregon Home Care Commission;

Leah Eskenazi, California Family Caregiver Resource Center

Moderator: Curtis Brown

Track 4:  Mt.  Bachelor

Leveraging Community Resources: How to Get What Your Client Really Needs —Dorothy Cronin, ED BIAW, WY

Moderator:  Kristi Schaefer

12 noon - 1:00 p.m.   Atrium—Lunch

 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Track 1: Room  A

Rating decisions for veterans with TBI: Kevin Kalama, Service Center Manager, Brenda Gordon, Dept of Veterans Affairs, Portland Oregon Regional Office

Moderator:  Andy Ellis, PhD

Track 2:  Room  B

What It Takes to Be A TBI Lawyer: On Being a TBI Lawyer; Case Selection; Using DVD to enhance case value - David Kracke, JD, OR; Tim Titolo, JD, NV

Moderator: Frank Bocci

Track 3:  Room  D

Caregiver Training and Education - OR, and WA continued

1:45 p.m. - 2:00  p.m.   Atrium—Break   

2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Track 1: Room   A

Craniosacral Therapy- Sandra Stafford, LMT  

Moderator: Diane Vinson

Track 2:  Room  B

What It Takes to Be A TBI Lawyer:  cont.

Track 3:  Room  D

Practical Strategies for Serving Students with TBI in the Schools - McKay Moore Sohlberg, PhD, UO; Bryan Ness, UO

Moderator:  Laurie Ehlhardt, PhD

2:45 p.m. - 3:00  p.m.   Atrium—Break   

3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Track 1: Room  A

Returning Military: Life Care Planning, What Is It?  Why It Is Important.   Janet Mott, PhD, WA

Moderator:  Frank Bocci

Track 2:  Room  B

Methamphetamine and TBI– Rob Bovett, JD, OR Narcotics Enforcement Assoc

Moderator: Dave Kracke

Track 3:  Room  D

Pediatric Brain Injury Rehab: A New Standard of Care - Bob Butler, Ph.D., ABPP

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD

3:45 p.m. - 4:00  p.m.   Atrium—Break   

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Track 1: Room  A

Substance Abuse and TBI – James Sardo, PhD, and Adam Nelson, PhD

Moderator: Bruce McLean

Track 2:  Room  B

Methamphetamine and TBI– Rob Bovett, JD—cont.

Track 3:  Room  D

Long-Term Psychosocial Outcomes for TBI Survivors in Relationship to Different Treatment Methods- Mary Pepping, Ph.D., UW

Moderator:  Dr. Janet Mott

5:00 p.m.  Atrium — Reception featuring Thom Dudley   Hosted by Day -Timer^®   Jam Session to Follow

Saturday, October 6 2007

7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.  Atrium

Registration and Check-in

Continental Breakfast

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. 

Room  A & B

Meeting of the Members

8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Room  A & B

Welcome to BIA Conference 2007—Wayne Eklund, President Brain Injury Association of Oregon

Opening with Traditional Tribal Ceremony

Ramona Ahto, WA, Bell Ceremony

Keynote Speaker - Marie Therese Gass, Author of The Caregiver's Tale:  The True Story of A Woman, Her Husband Who Fell Off the Roof, And Traumatic Brain Injury. 

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.  Atrium—Break Sponsored by Swanson, Thomas and Coon

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Track 1: Room  A

Stop the Spinning:  Dizziness After Brain Injury – Kevi Ames, Progressive Rehabilitation Associates

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD

Track 2:  Room  B

Structured Settlements – Security for Healing   -  Kayla Aalberg Eklund, Linda Rask, Lee Rask 

Moderator: Wayne Eklund

Track 3:  Room  D

Brain Injury Recovery Kit – How to use the BIRK with mentors: The New Mexico Model – Martin Russo, Daytimer and Clara Holguin, Executive Director, Brain Injury Association of New Mexico

         Moderator: Zach Bayer    

Track 4: Mt Bachelor

TBI Needs and the Challenges in Recovery Among Native Americans –Ramona Ahto, WA

Moderator:  Dr. Janet Mott

10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.  Atrium—Break Sponsored by Swanson, Thomas and Coon

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.

Track 1: Room  A

Methamphetamine and TBI– Rob Bovett - Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Assoc

Moderator: Dave Kracke

Track 2:  Room  B

Idaho’s TBI Virtual Program Center - Russ Spearman, M. Ed - Idaho TBI Project Director, former Executive director for the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Moderator: Bruce McLean 

Track 3:  Room  D

Practical Coping Skills for Survivors and Their Supporters - Will Levin, PhD

Moderator: Zach Bayer

 Track 4: Mt Bachelor

Native People and Health Prevention Activities - Beverly Francisco James, Brain Injury Association of New Mexico

Moderator:   Sherry Stock

12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.   Atrium—Lunch

1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Track 1: Room  A   Neuro-toxin exposure and Brain Injury/TBI for a Practitioner— Rob Johnson, DC 

Moderator:  Wayne Eklund

Track 2: Room  B

Families Need Care Too - Muriel B. Lezak, PhD—OR

Moderator:  Tom Boyd, PhD

Track 3: Room  D

Panel: Getting people with TBI back to work- Bruce McLean MA CRC, private practice, worker’s compensation voc. Rehab; Guy Goode MS, CRC, state voc. rehab. OR VRD, Sara Kendall, Project Manager, Oregon Competitive Employment Project; Celia Wren, VA voc. rehab.

Moderator:  Zach Bayer

1:45 p.m.. - 2:00 p.m.  Atrium—Break Sponsored by Swanson, Thomas and Coon

2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Track 1: Room  A

Stroke and TBI physical retraining of brain – neuro plasticity – Paul Cordo, PhD

Moderator: Diane Vinson        Assistant:  Zach Bayer

Track 2:  Room  B

Family Support Issues for returning military - Harriet Zeiner , PhD

 Moderator:  Wayne Eklund

Track 3:  Room  D

Creating a Successful Support Group—Curtis Brown and Steve Wright

Moderator:  Jeri Cohen

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.   Atrium—Break Sponsored by Swanson, Thomas and Coon

3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Track 1: Room  A

Using Interactive Self-Help Homework For Emotional Wellness – Will Levin, PhD

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD        

Track 2:  Room  B

TBI Caregiver Curriculum: A collaboration in progress  -  Traci Adair, TBI/MH Program Manager and TBI Grant Director

Washington State Aging and Disability Services Administration;  Cheryl Sanders, Executive Director, Oregon Home Care Commission;

Leah Eskenazi, California Family Caregiver Resource Center

Moderator: Zach Bayer

Track 3:  Room  D

Leveraging Community Resources—Dorothy Cronin, ED BIAW, WY

Moderator:  Sherry Stock

3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.   Atrium—Break Sponsored by Swanson, Thomas and Coon

4:00 p.m. - 5:00  p.m.

Track 1:  Room  A

Children and Brain Injury - A Road Map - Aleyna Reed, PMHNT, MS, Psy.D,

Moderator:  Wayne Eklund   Assistant:  Zach Bayer

Track 2: Room  B

TBI Caregiver Curriculum: A collaboration in progress  -  continued

Track 3: Room  D 

Advocacy Training - How to Keep the Momentum going - Tootie Smith, BIAOR; Gene van den Bosch, MA, ED, BIAWA; Sherry Stock, MA, CBIS, ED, BIAOR; Clara Holguin, ED, BIANM; Dorothy Cronin, CBIS, ED, BIAWY

Ramona Ahto, is an elder of the 14 Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation. She works as a youth drug and alcohol counselor at the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation.  She has led many training sessions for health care professionals related to healing rituals as well as the cultural traditions of her people.

Kevi Ames, PT, received her degree in Physical Therapy from Boston University in 1991, and her Advanced Vestibular Competency from Emory University in 2001.  Her career has focused primarily in adult neurology and vestibular evaluation and treatment.  She currently practices at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center at Progressive Rehabilitation Associates, as well as teaches nationally for Great Lakes Seminars and NeuroCom International.  She is active in the American Physical Therapy Association as a "Member Mentoring Members" and is pursuing her DPT through Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions.

Eilis A. Boudreau, MD, is an assistant professor in OHSU’s Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology. She also holds appointments in OHSU’s Department of Neurology and at the Portland VA Medical Center as a Sleep Physician. She is interested in how circadian rhythms and the genes that control these rhythms impact the expression of alcohol traits. Further understanding of these interactions may help improve our understanding and treatment of alcoholism. She is interested in using both computational techniques such as quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) for her studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Syracuse University and an M.D. from the SUNY Health Science University at Syracuse.

Rob Bovet, JD, has been Assistant County Counsel for Lincoln County, since 1992. His clients include the Sheriff’s Office, Health Department, Children’s Advocacy Center, and the Lincoln Interagency Narcotics Team. He has been Legal Counsel for the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association since 2000. He is the author of Oregon’s meth lab chemical control laws and helped author federal laws to control international diversion of meth lab chemicals.  He is a member of the Oregon Governor’s Meth Task Force, Oregon Medical Association’s Amphetamine Task Force, and a number of community prevention coalitions. He participates in the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and the National Methamphetamine and Chemicals Initiative.  He is Co-founder and President of the Oregon Alliance for Drug Endangered Children; creator of the Lincoln County Meth Initiative, focusing on prevention, enforcement, and treatment; authored a law review article entitled Meth Epidemic Solutions, 82 North Dakota Law Review 1195 (2007); has provided over 300 presentations regarding meth epidemic solutions, and has appeared on numerous programs and special reports about meth, such as Good Morning America, National Public Radio, KATU Town Hall, The Oregonian, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and PBS NewsHour and FRONTLINE.  Rob is married and has two kids in college and one in high school – so Rob is aging a bit faster than normal.

Robert W. Butler, Ph.D., ABPP, has been associate professor pediatrics and psychiatry at OHSU since 1995. He conducts seminars in neuropsychological testing for the residents in child and adolescent psychiatry.  He received an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of West Florida in 1975, an M.A. in clinical psychology at the University of Alabama in 1981, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Ohio State University in 1985, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at UCLA in 1987.  Prior to coming to OHSU, Butler held positions on the clinical faculties at University of California, San Diego Medical Center, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University Medical College in New York.  Clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology are his research specialty areas. Dr. Butler has been awarded a three-year grant by the National Cancer Institute for his project, "Cognitive Remediation for Childhood Cancer Survivors," in collaboration with investigators at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Rochester, Children's Hospital at Los Angeles, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Children' Hospital Medical Center at Cincinnati, and the AMC Cancer Research Center.

Paul Cordo, PhD, is the Director of the  Neurological Sciences Institute at Oregon Health Sciences University.  Paul Cordo, PhD, earned his graduate degree from the State University of New York. He continued his education in physiology and bioengineering as a postdoctoral fellow at OHSU’s Neurological Sciences Institute and was recruited to the NSI faculty in 1982.  Dr. Cordo has led the effort to develop the resources needed to build a new state-of-the-art research facility on the west campus and to double the size of the NSI research faculty. He is the founding president of the Oregon Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.  Dr. Cordo studies the proprioceptive coordination of voluntary movements in humans. One approach is to investigate sensory strategies for activating muscles during movement by examining motor performance, biomechanics, kinematics and muscle activity. Another approach is to investigate the coding of proprioceptive information by recording electrophysiologically from individual sensory receptors during the performance of motor tasks. His clinical research focuses on potential roles of proprioception and motor activity in TBI/stroke rehabilitation.

Kathy de Domingo, MS, CCC-SLP is the Director of Performance Improvement at Progressive Rehabilitation Associates, and a surveyor for the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.  She has been providing Speech Therapy services to adults with acquired brain injury for more than 15 years.

Laurie Ehlhardt, PhD, is an assistant fellow with the Teaching Research Institute-Eugene and a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years experience serving individuals with cognitive disabilities due to acquired brain injury.

Kayla Aalberg Eklund began her career with Selective Settlements in 2001 after over 25 years as a paralegal.  Her legal experience has enhanced her ability to effectively resolve cases and assure that all documentation is completed to the highest standards in the industry.  She was responsible for the management of Selective Settlements national network of structured settlement consultants and is now a partner in Selective Settlements of Oregon, LLC.  She is a member of the NSSTA.

Marie Therese Gass, is an emigree from Canada, Ms. Gass grew up in Oregon and taught high school core subjects to students who formerly hated school.  She has done post-graduate work in art, writing, French, and psychology, and starred in community theatre the first year she retired from teaching.  Ms. Gass's interests are eclectic, though she had focused on teaching and exhibiting visual arts, on writing books, and on landscaping until her husband fell off the roof 7 years ago.  Since then, she has read and extensively studied books about brain injury, spoken online to many tbi survivors and caregivers, and written her third publicly available book:  The Caregiver's Tale:  The True Story of A Woman, Her Husband Who Fell Off the Roof, And Traumatic Brain Injury.  The Foreward is written by the renowned William Winslade, with endorsement by Professor Emeritus of Nursing (OHSU and Dean of Southern Oregon University), Esther Halvorson-Hill.  Pre-publication copies have been printed especially for this conference.

Guy Goode is a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Specialist/Lead Worker with the office of Vocation Rehabilitation Services and is out-stationed at Salem Hospital Regional Rehabilitation Center.  He has been a Rehabilitation Counselor since 1977 and received his Master’s Degree in Rehab. Counseling in 1985 from the University of South Alabama.  Over the years, he has worked in a variety of settings, both in the private and public sectors.  Currently, his specialty area is in Rehabilitation

Julia Greenfield, JD, is a staff attorney with the Oregon Advocacy Center, a statewide non-profit law office providing free legal advice and representation to Oregonians with disabilities in a wide range of disability-related legal matters. Her practice focuses on representation of people with Traumatic Brain Injury and people with developmental disabilities, primarily in the area of access to Medicaid-funded benefits and services.

Jan Johnson, is a former board member for BIAOR, and served on the advisory committee for 3 years. She is the owner and director of Community Rehabilitation Services of Oregon.

Sara Kendall has supported people with disabilities in achieving their work goals for 17 years. She  worked as a Job Developer and private provider in Oregon for over a decade, and was the program manager for vocational services for people with developmental disabilities for the State of Louisiana. Currently she is the Project Manager for Oregon's Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, the Competitive Employment Project. The Project's mission is to enhance the quality of life in Oregon by achieving, maintaining and advancing the competitive and inclusive employment of persons with disabilities. The Project has just started a no-cost benefits and work incentive planning system, the Work Incentive Network, which can provide one-on-one assistance to people who receive Social Security or other benefits in planning to return to work, or advance in their current job.

David Kracke, JD, since 1998, David has practiced with Nichols and Associates, a well respected Portland law firm.  His practice focuses on the representation of individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury, general business litigation, personal injury representation and various probate matters.  His ability to apply diverse case law into specific fact patterns has resulted in two Oregon Supreme Court decisions of first impression, which decisions have expanded the scope of plaintiff’s rights in the State of Oregon.  He also spearheaded the effort to change a portion of Oregon law that was detrimental to victims of carjacking.   In addition to his legal expertise, Mr. Kracke’s strong knowledge of medical issues enhances his ability to represent injured individuals.  Mr. Kracke sits on the board of directors of the Brain Injury Association of Oregon. He is recognized by his peers as an expert in the representation of brain injured individuals and has successfully represented many TBI sufferers and their families.  His firm has recovered numerous six and seven figure verdicts and settlements on behalf of victims of TBI.  He also writes a column for the Headliner, the newsletter of the Brain Injury Association of Oregon.  Those columns can be found at www.biaoregon.org.

Will Levin, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who has worked with brain injured survivors in Eugene since 1980.  He was a founding partner and currently is Consulting Psychologist at Community Rehabilitation Services of Oregon, a private agency dedicated to assisting brain injured individuals achieve their optimal quality of life.  As Co-Founder of mPower, a Eugene behavioral research company, he has directed the design, development and evaluation of the Wellness Workshop, an interactive multimedia educational program for teaching self-help skills for coping with stress and emotional distress.

Muriel D. Lezak, Ph.D., ABPP, obtained a doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 1960.  In 1966 she joined the staff of the Veterans Administration Medical Venter in Portland, OR where she worked with brain damaged patients on both the acute wards and in rehabilitation, including injured Viet Nam veterans just returning from that war.  This led to a VA funded research project in which an initial interest in cognitive aspects of brain injury evolved into a broader study of the emotional and psychosocial consequences of head trauma.  This study engendered the on-line 28-item Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory for documenting functioning in the three areas which, together, cover the totality of significant behaviors and activities of brain damaged person: Ability, Adjustment, Participation (www.tbims.org/combi/mpai/M2Pi.pdf).

In the late 1960’s Dr. Lezak began an open-ended group for family members of brain damaged patients which continued for 20 years.  Veterans’ and their families’ experiences were the source for her many articles and lectures on family issues and the psychosocial consequences of brain damage.  She authored Neuropsychological assessment (NY: Oxford University Press), first published in 1976’ the fourth edition (M.D. Lezak with D.B. Howieson, & D.W. Loring) was published in 2004.  She also edited Assessment of the behavioral consequences of head trauma (AR Liss, 1989).  She was book review editor of the Journal of International Neuropsychological Society  (1995-2004).

Dr. Lezak is Professor Emerita of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University.  She has been on many teaching faculties including the University of Oregon (Eugene), The West China University of Medical Sciences (Chengdu, Sichuan Province), and the Cape Cod Institute of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine .  She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology in both Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association , and a past president of the international Neuropsychological Society.

Bruce McLean, MA, CRC, CDMS, CBIS, has worked for the last 25 years as a private vocational rehabilitation counselor in southern Oregon.  He is published in the Journal of Cognitive Rehabilitation (1989).  He is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Level I-Basic.  Most of his practice involves him working with individuals who have been injured on the job and who are eligible for vocational rehabilitation services through the Oregon worker’s compensation system. 

Lisa Millet, MA, is currently the Injury and Violence Epidemiology section manager in the Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology in Oregon’s Department of Human Services.  She received a master’s degree in Health Science at the University of North Florida.  She has received training in injury prevention at the University of Alabama Injury Control Research Center and the Harborview Injury Control Research Center.  Ms. Millet has worked in the field of injury prevention for ten years on the state and local level.   She  has experience working in both mental health and public health. Her work in behavioral health led her to a career in public health. She has worked as a therapist at a state hospital, manager of outpatient behavioral health, coordinator of HIV community planning and now as a manager of injury and violence prevention programs. She oversees a variety of programs with a focus on suicide prevention including Youth Suicide Prevention, Elder Suicide Prevention Planning, Violent Death Reporting, an attempt follow-up demonstration project and Child Fatality Review. She is an advisor to the Northwest Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the vice chair of the Governor's Council on Domestic Violence and an executive board member of the State & Territorial Injury Director's Association.  Ms. Millet is also involved in lobbying efforts to increase funding for suicide prevention through her work with the Injury Coalition.

Janet Hart Mott, Ph.D., is a practicing rehabilitation counselor, case manager, and life care planner. Since the first public meeting of the Brain Injury Association of Washington in the early 1980’s she has maintained an active interest in the needs of individuals of all ages who have experienced brain injuries, their caregivers, and their families.  As a child she experienced a mild brain injury. As a rehabilitation professional, she has served individuals with brain injuries since 1960. Currently she has family members who have sustained head injuries.

Adam Nelson, PhD, received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in Fresno, California, in 2005, and completed a two-year post-doctoral residency in Neuropsychology at the VA Northern California Health Care System in Martinez. He is a staff member of the Neuropsychology Service at the Portland VA Medical Center, and has been focusing the majority of his time on evaluating the neuropsychological functioning of veterans returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He has been actively involved in coordinating Mental Health services for brain injured veterans at the PVAMC, and will continue to be involved in clinical and research efforts relating to rehabilitation services for veterans with TBI.

Mary Pepping, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist with 27 years of experience evaluating and treating individuals with brain injury, working with their families, and with teams of interdisciplinary clinicians. She joined the UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine faculty in November 1999 as Director of the Neuropsychology Evaluation Service, and the outpatient Neuro-Rehabilitation Program (NRP). Her primary areas of clinical interest include the neuropsychological assessment of adults with all forms of acquired brain injury (e.g., TBI, MS, brain tumors, CVA, anoxia) along with the development and delivery of interdisciplinary treatment programs that include a strong emphasis upon cognitive rehabilitation and individual and group psychotherapies. Her research interests include long term outcome studies of evaluation and treatment factors associated with return to work after brain injury, interdisciplinary team function, and the role of pre-morbid personality factors in psychosocial adjustment.

Lee M. Rask started Selective Settlements in 1978 as one of the first structured settlements companies in the nation.  Lee is an original founder of the National Structured Settlement Trade Association.  He has worked successfully with defense and plaintiff representatives and received his designation as a Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC) from Notre Dame University.  He is a partner in Selective Settlements of Oregon, LLC.

Linda Rask  has been in the structured settlement industry since 1998, then as Director of Marketing for Selective Settlements International.  Linda has worked as a consultant in the insurance industry with various clients on market strategies and database development and worked with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon in product development and special projects.  After receiving her degree in political science from Portland State University, Linda served as a legislative assistant in Washington DC to Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon.  Linda is a partner in Selective Settlements of Oregon, LLC.

Aleyna Reed, PMHNT, MS, Psy.D, attended OSHU where she completed her undergraduate degree in nursing in 1977, and her MS in 1991. She recently completed the clinical psychology program at PU. Her has worked in a variety of medical and psychiatric settings with children and adults over a period of 35 years.  For the past 10 years she has maintained a private mental health practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in the Salem area, focusing primarily on children with emotional and behavioral needs.

Martin D. Russo is the Healthcare Relationship Manager for Day-Timers, Inc.  By the time he was 17 years old Martin had suffered through four sports related concussions, the last one leading to an amnesiac episode.  Fortunately Martin has not had another occurrence in the last 30 years.  He considers himself to be one of the lucky survivors of traumatic brain injury, especially since he has not had any known lasting effects of the multiple concussions other than a “forgotten” 18 hour period.  Little did Martin realize that 26 years after his last TBI he’d find himself face-to-face with this silent epidemic once again – this time with an opportunity to assist the TBI community by helping to develop a life changing product.  In 2003 Martin was approached by Lisa Keller, and Sandra Knutson – creators of the Brain Injury Recovery Kit^® (BIRK).  As the Healthcare Relationship Manager for Day-Timers, Inc, Martin was asked by Keller and Knutson to help further develop their Kit by sourcing, producing, and marketing this one-of-a-kind product.  It took only a single visit by the energetic Lisa Keller to convince Martin that the Brain Injury Recovery Kit was not only a great product, it was a new positive approach which helped not only those who suffered a TBI, but their families too.  According to Martin, “I am thrilled to be a part of the successful healing process used by individuals in managing life after sustaining a brain injury”.

In 2005, Martin had to once again face the devastating outcomes of TBI when his younger brother suffered a massive stroke which greatly affected his planning and memory functions, caused tremendous mood swings, and greatly decreased motor skills on his left side.  Thanks to the use of the Brain Injury Recovery Kit, Martin was able to work with his parents and 5 siblings to better understand what was happening to their son and brother and how they could assist in his recovery.  Martin also worked with his brother through some of the exercises in the BIRK, albeit on a limited basis due to geographical constraints.  “I truly believe that my family and my brother were better prepared to go through the recovery process because of the BIRK”, stated Martin.  Never did he ever think he would need to use the tools in the Brain Injury Recovery Kit, but as Martin mentioned, “life is funny that way, just when you least expect it, it smacks you square in the jaw…thank goodness I met Lisa Keller and Sandy Knutson, not only did they help cushion life’s blow, they taught my family to fight back.”

Cheryl Sanders, Executive Director of the Oregon Home Care Commission, has a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from San Diego State University.  She has worked with seniors and people with disabilities for 7 years and has worked directly with homecare workers for 3 years.  The Oregon Home Care Commission provides 30-35 trainings statewide for homecare workers.  The Oregon Home Care Commission also has collaborated with the State Independent Living Council to provide training for consumers of in-home services and the Commission is presently rolling out a statewide internet-based Registry and Referral System to match consumers of in-home services with homecare workers.

James Sardo, PhD, received his Ph.D. from SUNY Binghamton in 1998 and completed advanced training in PTSD at the Portland VAMC in 1999. As the Program Director for the Substance Abuse Treatment Program and the PTSD Clinical Team, he is engaged in administrative duties and in the provision of individual and group services for the treatment of both Posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders. Dr. Sardo’s recent clinical and administrative focus has been on ensuring a seamless transition for returning Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. His research interests include both the etiology and treatment of Alcohol Dependence and the efficacy of skill-based management of PTSD. Dr. Sardo is a Major in the United States Air Force Reserve as a member of the Mental Health Rapid Response Team attached to the 446 ASTS at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington. Dr. Sardo recently completed his second deployment to Iraq where he provided a range of mental health services while attached to 332nd EMDG including the neuropsychological screening given to soldiers and Marines exposed to blast wave injuries from IED’s.

McKay Moore Sohlberg, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Communication Disorders and Sciences at the University of Oregon. She is widely known for her pioneering work in the field of cognitive rehabilitation. She has worked as a clinician, researcher, and administrator in the development of programs to assist individuals with brain injury to reintegrate into the community at maximal levels of independence. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of methods to manage acquired deficits in attention, memory, and executive functions. She is supported by a number of federal grants to develop and evaluate assistive technology to assist individuals with cognitive impairment. Dr. Sohlberg coordinates the master's and Ph.D. training programs in Communication Disorders and Sciences program.   Dr. Sohlberg has been active at the state and national level serving as an advocate for persons with brain injury and their families.

Sandra Stafford is a Licensed Massage Thearapist practicting in Molalla,OR. Her training begain in Silverton, OR and has extended as far away as Florida.  She is Nationally certified in Therapuetic Massage / Bodywork and Medical Massage.  She also holds a certification in Complex Decogestive Therapy/Lymph Drainage Therapy and in CranioSacral Therapy I & II through The Unpledger Institute, Inc. 

Daniel Storzbach, Ph.D., s a Clinical Research Psychologist and Head of the Neuropsychology Section at the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC) and a Postdoctoral Fellow at CROET in the Behavioral and Psychological Assessment Laboratory. He received his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and received his postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at the PVAMC. His clinical research background primarily is in the assessment and treatment of neuropsychological dysfunction in various clinically impaired populations. The main focus of his research work at CROET has been consultation, planning, and execution of epidemiologic field research investigating possible neuropsychological effects of various toxic exposures of such groups as Gulf War veterans, orchard workers, and migrant workers and families. Dr. Storzbach has additionally participated in the development and validation of computerized assessment systems, including the Behavioral Assessment and Research System (BARS), a computerized test system for use in toxicology research, and the Health Screening System (HSS), a computerized questionnaire system.  He has recently become increasingly involved in piloting and planning for implementation of additional neuroscientific technologies such as EEG and MRI in behavioral neurotoxicology research at CROET.

Robert Tell was an undergraduate and then a graduate student at the University of Chicago. After earning his Masters degree in Social Work he worked first as the crisis coordinator at a community mental health center in Chicago and then as an outpatient therapist at the University of Chicago Hospitals. He came to Portland nearly 5 years ago and has worked at the Portland VA Medical center as part of the Mood Disorders research team, in the mental health clinic, and as a DBT therapist. He currently is the Portland VA Medical Center's Suicide Prevention Coordinator.

Tim Titolo, JD, focuses exclusively on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases, particularly those involving traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury and nerve damage.  He practices in Federal and State court. He holds memberships with many legal associations and actively participates in and lectures for continuing legal education. He is a frequent speaker for the Brain Injury Association and other Brain Injury Organizations throughout the world, including the International Brain Injury Association. He has published several articles.  Admitted to practice in all Nevada state courts since 1988, Mr. Titolo is a member of the Clark County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Nevada (Executive Lieutenant Governor, 1986-1987); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Nevada Trial Lawyers Association; National Lawyers Association; the Nevada Inns of Court and the Rutherford Institute.  His injury specialization memberships include the National Head Injury Foundation; National Brain Injury Association; Nevada Head Injury Association; International Brain Injury Association; North American Brain Injury Society; and the Spinal Cord Injury Association.

Gene van den Bosch, MA, is the Executive Director, Brain Injury Association of Washington.  Before his appointment as Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Washington in October 2006, Mr. van den Bosch served as an association executive, college and judicial educator, and director of offices for public policy and government affairs, financial development, and public relations.  He directed the Brain Injury Association of Arizona, Arizona Head Start Association, Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Chicago, Epilepsy Society of Arizona, and the Arizona Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.  As adjunct faculty, Mr. van den Bosch taught Communication and Leadership courses at universities and colleges - most recently at The Evergreen State College. He was Senior Educator for the Washington Courts where he developed curriculum guidelines for the training of Washington's certified professional guardians. He has trained several groups in areas such as inter-cultural communication, developing collaborations, and strategic planning. He also wrote feature articles for The Arizona Republic.  Mr. van den Bosch achieved an M.A. in Speech Communication from Northern Illinois University and an M.P.A in Public Administration from Arizona State University.

Harriet Zeiner, PhD, has been a clinical neuropsychologist with the Palo Alto VA, one of four leading national sites treating active duty personnel injured in Afghanistan and Iraq.  She has been the lead neuropsychologist on Palo Alto VA's inpatient polytrauma unit for the past several years. "Polytrauma" is a term designating multiple systems trauma including brain injury; it is the signature wound category from improvised explosive devices (IED) found in current combat theaters.  With her extensive experience in the continuum of care required for adults with brain injury, Dr. Zeiner has established outpatient centers for brain injury treatment in both the U.S. and Denmark.  She is a highly visible spokesperson for service personnel returning home with “hidden head trauma” and has appeared on NPR, California Connected, and the McNeil-Lehrer report. Her work has also been covered in Rolling Stone, the New York Sunday Times, National Geographic and the Ladies Home Journal. Dr. Zeiner is a graduate of USC with a doctorate from UC Berkeley and is one of the authors of the Veterans Health Initiative on Traumatic Brain Injury, an online CME course for physicians.  Dr. Zeiner reports that the evolution of treatment for TBI has it improved since the war on terror and the VA is treating  huge numbers of new cases.   The treatment is always "improved" by increasing experience with the wounded. The nature of medical progress is that it is always built on the backs of those injured in war, and the improvements in medicine then are transferred to the civilian sector. Remember that 100,000 civilians are head injured every year. This is true for the current conflict as well. We now know that integrating treatment for both the patient and their families, continuing treatment while signs of improvement exist (not based on whether or not they are insured), treating well into the integration into home/work and providing case management services, using current technology for memory and higher order problem solving difficulties- all of these "work". Are they a "cure", no. Function has been lost, and we are attempting to "restore" and "improve" the patient to a higher level of independence. There is no "cure" for loss of brain cells. There is treatment.