conference 2008

The 6th Annual Pacific Northwest

Brain Injury Conference 2008

Living with Brain Injury:

Emerging Partnerships

Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel 

Portland, Oregon

February 29 - March 1, 2008

Sponsored by

The Brain Injury Associations of

Oregon and Washington

This conference was sponsored in part by The Oregon Competitive Employment Project, part of the Oregon State Department of Human Services, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, which is funded through a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CFDA #11-P-92415-0/03).

Friday, February 29

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

Foyer
                 Registration and Check-in

7:00 a.m. - 8 a.m.

Mt. Hood B

                 Continental Breakfast

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

Mt. Hood A

         Welcome to BIA Conference 2008   — Frank Bocci, JD, President,  Brain Injury Association of Oregon

Sherry Stock, Executive Director, Brain Injury Association of Oregon

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

Keynote Speaker

Col. Dan Thompson, Chaplain, Oregon National Guard, Representative for Oregon Governor Kulongoski- How Oregon has pulled together for the Returning Vets.

 March was designated as Brain Injury Awareness Month by the Oregon Legislature in 2007, a critical time when the Brain Injury Association of Oregon (BIAOR) strives to build public awareness by education and training and numerous prevention educational activities. Only by raising public awareness of the "silent epidemic" of brain injury will we begin to see a decrease in the alarming number of injuries sustained every year, an increase in the number of individuals practicing preventive behaviors while at work or play, and a change in the public's attitude toward individuals with brain injury.

It has been estimated that over 60% of blast-injuries result in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), labeled the "signature injury" in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). America's armed forces are sustaining attacks by rocket-propelled grenades, improvised explosive devices, and land mines almost daily in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These injured soldiers require specialized care from providers experienced in treating traumatic brain injury.  These injuries sustained in combat are the result of explosive munitions including bombs, grenades, land mines, missiles, and mortar/artillery shells.

 Oregon created the Reintegration team in 2006 and Governor Kulongoski has made sure that every Oregon troop going to war has the Oregon Aero Helmet Liner.  Learn what Oregon is doing and what you can do to help.

9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.  Mt. Hood B—Break   

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

TBI Model Systems: An Update - Kathy Bell, MD

This presentation will discuss what the Model Systems are doing, what the Washington Model System has done, and  what are the future plans.  Lecture and DVD presentation.

Moderator: Janet Mott, PhD

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Serving Behavioral Needs after Brain Injury -  Martin J. McMorrow, MS; Director of National Business Development; The MENTOR Network

This presentation will characterize the issues faced by persons with behavioral difficulties after brain injury, their families, and others who are in a position to serve them.  Progress in the design of systems of services and supports will be highlighted, as well as gaps and challenges that appear to exist.  Areas of future collaboration will be identified.

Moderator: Aleyna Reed, PsyD

Track 3: Cascade A & B

TBI in Returning Veterans - Adam Nelson, PhD, Oregon VA

This presentation will discuss TBI and blast injury. Explosions can produce unique patterns of injury seldom seen outside combat. When they do occur, they have the potential to inflict multi-system life-threatening injuries on many persons simultaneously. The injury patterns following such events are a product of the composition and amount of the materials involved, the surrounding environment, delivery method (if a bomb), the distance between the victim and the blast, and any intervening protective barriers or environmental hazards. Because explosions are relatively infrequent, blast-related injuries can present unique triage, diagnostic, and management challenges to providers of emergency care.  Few U.S. health professionals have experience with explosive-related injuries. Vietnam era physicians are retiring, other armed conflicts have been short-lived, and until this past decade, the U.S. was largely spared of the scourge of mega-terrorist attacks.

Moderator:  Tom Boyd, PhD

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.  Mt. Hood B—Break   

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

TBI Model Systems - Kathy Bell, MD

Continued

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Neurobiofeedback and TBI - Kayle Sandberg-Lewis

Moderator: Diane Vinson

Track 3: Cascade A & B

PTSD & TBI Tom Schumacher, WA Dept of VA, Tom Mann, OR Dept of VA, Larry Knauss, Ph.D. Madigan Army Hospital, WA

Learn what Oregon and Washington are doing to help vets with TBI and PTSD., screening for TBI, mTBI and PTSD, treatments programs, and resources available.  TBI is the result of a severe or moderate force to the head, where physical portions of the brain are damaged and functioning is impaired.  PTSD is a psychological condition that affects those who have experienced a traumatizing or life-threatening event such as combat, natural disasters, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults.  Therefore, while physical tests, such as brain imaging, may be able to support a diagnosis of TBI, there are currently no comparable tools for PTSD.  The two conditions also manifest themselves differently, although there is some overlap.  Those who experience TBI may behave impulsively because of damage that removes many of the brain’s checks on the regulation of behavior.  Without the limits provided by these higher brain functions, these individuals may overreact to seemingly innocent or neutral stimuli.   The effects on individuals with TBI can vary depending on which region of the brain is injured.  The manifestations of mild TBI can mimic those of mental disorders, and individuals with TBI may have associated, co-occurring mental disorders.  TBI does, however, have a unique physical origin that sets it apart from mental illness and is best addressed by a multidisciplinary approach that includes a sensitivity to the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral manifestations of brain trauma.

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD

12 noon - 1:00 p.m.   Mt Hood B - Lunch

Lunch  Speaker:  Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State

 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

 Track 1: Mt. Hood A

What an attorney needs to know about TBI:  Brain Injury Trial Strategies and Training - Understand Brain Injury and Win Higher Awards for your clients - by Fred Langer, Esq., WA 

Moderator:  Janet Mott, PhD

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

What a Neuro chiropractor can do for a patient with a TBI—Thomas Kelly, DC

This presentation will cover collision scenarios, injuries, insurance, treatment and compensation.

Moderator:  Katherine Johnson

Track 3: Cascade A & B

Rebuilding Shattered Lives - Tri-Dimensional Rehabilitation - Jeff Snell, PhD, NE

This presentation will describe a unique post-acute rehabilitation clinical model, emphasizing the importance of integrating a sense of purpose throughout the goals and programming.

Moderator:  Tom Boyd, PhD

 1:45 p.m. - 2:00  p.m.   Mt. Hood B—Break   

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

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

What an attorney needs to know about TBI  (Continued)

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Student Transitions Post-TBI: From Hospital to School to the Community and Beyond - Robin Barbier, Don Hood, Kevin Prier, Teaching Research

Students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) face many challenges as they transition from the hospital to school and later as they continue their school career and move out into the community. These challenges have long been overlooked as external injuries heal and years pass. Emerging symptoms are often misidentified. We present several studies on TBI school- and post-secondary outcomes and some interventions we have developed to address the challenges we have identified.

Moderator: Laurie Ehlhardt, PhD

Track 3: Cascade A & B

The Assessment and Co-treatment of balance and vision impairment following acquired brain injury (ABI). - Kevi Ames, PT, and Julie Allen, OT 

Moderator: Andy Ellis, PhD

2:45 p.m. - 3:00  p.m.   Mt. Hood B—Break   

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

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

What an attorney needs to know about TBI : Herbert Gross, MD

What neuropsychiatry can do and what are the different types of tests that will help you prove your case.

Moderator: Katherine Johnson

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Serving students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the schools: Utilizing the Oregon TBI Consulting Team for education and support - Pat Sublette

Moderator: Laurie Ehlhardt, PhD

Track 3: Cascade A & B

Idaho Virtual Training Program - Russ Spearman

Telehealth reflects an efficient way to provide education to providers, state agency personnel, individuals with brain injury and family members.  Dissemination of health information via technology represents a major stride in healthcare, particularly in rural areas where providers are scarce and facilities are miles away.  This presentation will discuss the results of Idaho’s TBI virtual grand round series and the use of distance technology as a way of providing continuing education in a rural state.

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD

3:45 p.m. - 4:00  p.m.   Mt. Hood B—Break   

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

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

What an attorney needs to know about TBI: Handling Brain Injury Cases - Building the Team:  Aaron DeShaw, JD, DC

Discussion of clinical findings in a law firm handling a high percentage of brain injury claims, and how those cases are proven in litigation.

Moderator: Rob Johnson, DC

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Oregon Concussion Awareness and Management Program: Making an Impact— Michael C. Koester, MD, ATC, FAAP

Moderator: Dr. Janet  Mott

Track 3: Cascade A & B

Co-occurring disorders including substance abuse, mental illness and depression - Rebecca Curtis, State of Oregon Mental Health. 

Rebecca will discuss these disorders, how they are manifested and identified, and how to work with them.

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD

Saturday, March 1 

8:00 a.m. - 8:15a.m.      

Mt. Hood A

Welcome to BIA Conference 2008   — Frank Bocci, Esq., President,  Brain Injury Association of Oregon

Sherry Stock, Executive Director, Brain Injury Association of Oregon

8:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.      

Keynote Speaker:  Herbert Gross, MD, a Neurophysiologist and Neurophychiatrist, will share with us how the recognition and awareness of how mild to moderate Brain Injury has evolved during the past 45 years of his experience, including what is happening now. He will also share practical wisdom that he has learned through 45 years of clinical experience that may help survivors and their families. Katherine Johnson will assist with this presentation. Katherine Johnson, who along with her husband and three children, are all brain injury survivors.

Dr. Gross can always be reached by e-mail at [email protected].  Katherine Johnson can be reached at the [email protected].

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.  Mt. Hood B—Break

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

Interacting with people who experience behavioral residuals of brain injury - Martin J. McMorrow, MS; Director of National Business Development; The MENTOR Network

Interactions between people appear to be at the root of most of the “help” that individuals give and receive.  So, how do we  interact in ways that are likely to help?  This presentation is intended to (a) review a few key interactional concepts that may represent the foundation of proactive human service (e.g., reciprocity and mutual reinforcement) and (b) focus on some interactional techniques that rely on these concepts (e.g., the PEARL interactional style, Personal Intervention Planning, Proactive De-escalation).  In the process, we will compare and contrast these approaches to some more traditional methods that persons may be “naturally inclined” to use, and discuss the applicability of these concepts and techniques in our treatment planning processes, service delivery systems, and individual lives.

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Traumatic Brain Injury and Kids: Is There Anything New?  Sharon Stapleton

Moderator: Wayne Eklund

Track 3: Cascade A & B

WIN - Oregon's Work Incentive Network: Molly Sullivan and Sherri Rita

WIN is a benefits and work incentives planning service that helps people with disabilities:

Make informed decisions about work and their benefits; Use work incentives to achieve employment goals; Navigate the benefits systems when they begin working.

Moderator: Bruce McLean

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

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

Interacting with people who experience behavioral residuals of brain injury - Martin J. McMorrow, MS; Director of National Business Development; The MENTOR Network  (Continued)

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Feeling the Blues:  Dealing With Insurance Companies

Providers and family members, including Sue Subbot mother of Anya who sustained a brain injury playing volleyball in high school , discuss the problems working with insurance companies and possible solutions.

Moderator: Jan Johnson

Track 3: Cascade A & B

Strategies for Working Again - Kathy Moeller

Kathy Moeller, developer of the Brain Book, discusses her new program for working again.

Moderator: Janet Mott, PhD

12 p.m. -  1 p.m. Mt. Hood B— Lunch

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

 Track 1: Mt. Hood A

Depression and BI - Will Levin, PhD

Dr. Levin has developed a self-help interactive video in CD format addressing depression

Moderator: Tom Boyd, PhD

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Advocacy Training - How to make a difference to your legislator -  Senator Bill Morrisette and Former Representative Tootie Smith

Learn what you can do to make your voice heard.  Learn what legislators want to know and how to tell them about your needs effectively.

Moderator: Sherry Stock

Track 3: Cascade A & B

How to File for SSI/SSDI and get it – Attorneys Sharon Maynard and Kim Tucker

This presentation will focus on the Social Security Administration application process.  Applying for disability benefits from Social Security can be intimidating and confusing.  Learn the process, how Social Security evaluates your claim, and what you can do to increase the chances of your application being granted.

Moderator: Jeri Cohen, JD

 2 p.m. -  2:45 p.m.

 Track 1: Mt. Hood A

Children and brain injury - David Spiro, MD, OHSU, Chief, Pediatric Emergency Medicine

More than two million people visit U.S. emergency departments each year because of head trauma. Approximately 50,000 people die from head injuries every year, making it the leading cause of traumatic death in people under age 25.   Head injury occurs in infants, children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Vulnerability to head injury also transcends sex, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Causes are varied as well, ranging from blunt to penetrating trauma resulting from abuse, sports injuries, falls, and battery, to name just a few. Patient presentations may be complicated by an inability to communicate.

Equally diverse are the ways in which emergency physicians evaluate and manage the head injured patient. In the United States, computed tomography (CT) scanning has become a unifying factor; the major decision point in head trauma evaluation is whether diagnostic imaging is warranted. Certain clinical presentations seem to be universal indicators for CT imaging—for example, patients under six months old; elderly patients; patients with prolonged loss of consciousness (LOC), persistent vomiting, or neurologic deficits; and those on anticoagulant therapy. However, most patients do not fit into these clearly defined high-risk groups.

Ideally, assessment guidelines should be sensitive enough to capture all significant head injuries and specific enough to avoid unnecessary imaging. Besides the clinical concerns, there are medicolegal ramifications to missing a devastating head injury. This leads to a certain amount of “defensive” medicine.

Moderator: Aleyna Reed, PsyD

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

You can recover - a survivors story. Tyler Blitz and Charles Kilo, MD, of GreenField Health

Moderator:  Lynn Hanson

Track 3: Cascade A & B

Family Panel - Families dealing with the emotions of dealing with TBI

Rob, Katherine, Christian, Kylie and Kaellen Johnson, family of 5, each living with a brain injury, will share what their family does each day to go beyond surviving to thriving.  Jeri-anne Cohen and her daughter Andie Moon, will share their experiences.

Moderator:  Frank Bocci, JD

 3 p.m. -  3:45 p.m.

 Track 1: Mt. Hood A

Sports Concussion and Brain Injury - Bryan Andresen, MD 

Concussions can happen to any athlete—male or female—in any sport. Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by a blow or jolt to the head that can range from mild to severe and can disrupt the way the brain normally works. Coaches, athletic directors and trainers play a key role in helping to prevent concussion and in managing it properly if it occurs.  Dr. Andresen will discuss identifying concussion and what to do when you think the athlete has sustained one.

Moderator: Laurie Ehlhardt, PhD

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Brain Injury Prevention - protectyourhead.com - Magda Kapp, Brain Trust Canada Association, Canada

Brain injury is an important public health problem throughout the world.  Prevention is paramount and the most cost effective strategy in ameliorating health care costs. 

This presentation will focus on marketing strategies to reduce the incidence of brain injury in males 16-24 years of age.  Using a strategic social marketing approach, BrainTrust Canada embarked on a campaign in the fall of 2005, resulting in the development of a cutting edge audience-based program and materials.  Traditional prevention campaigns have used educational or enforcement strategies to attempt behavior change.  Educational strategies are effective only when the target audience is receptive to change.  Enforcement strategies work in a tertiary fashion (reduce incidence of recurrence - too late in the case of brain injury prevention). 

Social marketing strategies are the most effective (best practice) in creating behavior change because they incorporate five critical aspects of behavior change characteristics:

·  the change contains a relative advantage over what exists;

·  the change is compatible with social norms;

·  the change is not complex;

·  it can be “tried out”;

·  you can see another’s success.

Participants will be able to understand marketing strategies that will reduce health care costs and change risky behavior.

Moderator: Lynn Hanson

Track 3: Cascade A & B

Caregiver Training and education with interactive skits– Patty Linger and Kathy Shannon, Master Trainers from Legacy Caregiver Services 

This presentation will present an excerpt on managing stress from the Powerful Tools for Caregivers education series. Powerful Tools is a six week class for family caregivers that has been shown to have a positive impact on caregiver health and the management of difficult emotions  as well as  to increase the caregivers sense of confidence and their utilization of community resources.  Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) was developed by Legacy Caregiver Services in response to research that showed a high mortality rate for caregivers of those with chronic illnesses. It teaches caregivers to use community resources, manage their stress, communicate effectively with friends, family, and healthcare providers and to cope with difficult emotions. This presentation will give an overview of the Powerful Tools for Caregivers six-week education program developed by Legacy Caregiver Services for family and friends caring for older adults who have stroke, brain injury, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease or similar long-term conditions. The class provides family caregivers with the skills and confidence to better care for themselves while caring for others. Many caregivers have found the class beneficial, including: those caring for a spouse or partner and adult children caring for parents. The program has been replicated in communities throughout the United States.

Moderator: Jeri Cohen, JD

4 p.m. -  5:00 p.m.

Track 1: Mt. Hood A

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

The Application of Guided Learning Techniques to Create Successful Daily Routines.  - Dawn Hiesler, PhD

This presentation will cover the concept of guided learning, the differentiation of explicit and implicit learning, as well as the reasons implicit learning is often a successful means to promote learning with individuals with memory and frontal executive deficits.  Case examples of successful implementation of guided learning will be provided.

Moderator:  Tom Boyd, PhD

Track 2: Mt. Hood C

Understanding the Brain -Wendy Williams, Director Community Development with BrainTrust Canada

A major role of all clinical professionals is to educate individuals with brain injury, family members and fellow professionals on the outcomes of brain injury and possible sequelae.  Understanding cognitive outcomes and behavior after injury can be confusing.  Using the “Thinking Company” analogy Wendy will outline executive functions and cognition such as memory and attention.  She will also review possible compensatory strategies.  Participants will have a strong understanding of how the brain controls behavior and a concrete tool to use to assist with rehabilitation and education. 

Moderator: Lynn Hanson

Track 3: Cascade A & B

Caregiver Training and education with interactive skits– Legacy

Conference Speakers (Alphabetical Order)

Julie Allen, OTR/L has been a licensed occupational therapist since 1998 and has specialized in the evaluation and treatment of vision and visual perceptual performance issues for adults with acquired brain injury.  She is currently enrolled in the Graduate Certificate Program for Low Vision Rehabilitation at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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.

 Bryan Andresen, MD, practices Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in Eugene, Oregon. Dr. Bryan Andresen, graduated from the OR Health Science University School of Med with an MD and has been in the profession for 22 years.   Dr. Bryan Andresen heads the Oregon Rehabilitation Center at Sacred Heart Medical Center and states, "The reduction of major head injuries and brain injuries is on the order of 80 to 90-percent of wearing a helmet, versus not, when involved in a collision, typically with another car."

Robin Barbier has been a member of many research teams including the Environmental Protection Agency, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.  Her research has included water quality monitoring, aquatic habitat assessments, and meteorological effects on background radiation.  By fluke or by fate her career shifted into social services and she spent the last 6 years working extensively with at risk teens and families. She has recently joined TRI as the Project Coordinator for the Back to School study, where she is responsible for both quantitative and qualitative data collection and management.

 Kathleen R. Bell, M.D, Project Director, Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS), is an Associate Professor Rehabilitation Physician Medical Director, Rehabilitation Medicine Ambulatory Care Medical Director, and Brain Injury Rehabilitation at the University of Washington.  Dr. Bell is The Project Director of the University of Washington Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, and a member of the Academic Affairs Committee. Dr. Bell is active in the AAPMR Brain Injury SIG and is the associate editor of The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. She is the Chair of the Self-Assessment Subcommittee and a member of the Medical Education Committee for AAPMR.  Dr. Bell was honored as one of the best doctors in Washington State for 2002.   Dr. Bell earned a B.S.N. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.D. from Temple University. She completed her residency and fellowship in PM&R at the University of Washington.   Dr. Bell's clinical interests include traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic headache, minimally responsive state, brain tumor, stroke, and anoxic brain injury. “My goal in working with persons who have had an injury of any kind to their brain is to empower them to assume a productive life through medicine, therapy and mentoring.” Her research areas are post-acute models of care for brain injury, exercise and depression after brain injury, sleep disorders after brain injury, and medical education.

 Tyler Blitz works for Kryptiq Corporation, a leading provider of interoperability and workflow connectivity solutions for healthcare.  Mr. Blitz has played a variety of roles in the course of the company’s first six years, including director of marketing, director of industry partnerships, and vice president of sales.  He taught mathematics at Jesuit High School and coached the school's downhill ski racing program.  He has held positions in process engineering at TriQuint Semiconductor, and in marketing at Tazo Tea, Inc.  He received his BSE at Duke University in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering.

 Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State,  is the state's second-highest-ranking constitutional officer.  His duties including auditing the public accounts, acting as chief elections officer, and managing the state's official legislative and executive records.  Bill Bradbury chairs the Oregon State Land Board (which also includes Oregon's Governor and Treasurer), and was appointed by the Governor to chair the Oregon Sustainability Board.  Bill Bradbury was born and raised in Chicago. He graduated from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH in 1960. He moved to Bandon, Oregon, in 1971, remarking that it was "the most beautiful place he could imagine living." He set up a small business in Bandon before making steps into politics. For 14 years Bradbury served in the Oregon Legislature, representing districts in the southern part of the Oregon Coast, and achieving the leadership post of Senate President. He also went on to direct a local non-profit organization.  Bill has long coped with the effects of multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system. "For me, the challenge is always to make sure I pay attention to taking care of myself," he has said. "As long as I do that, I can be a full participant in public life. It is a continual challenge, one all of us face every day. But it is clearer to me because the consequences of not taking care of myself are not pretty."

 Rebecca Curtis, MS, State of Oregon Mental Health, Addictions and Mental Health (AMH), works with patients in the state hospital. Rebecca and Mike Moore, who is also part of the older adult psychiatric unit, have been meeting with counties to try to promote collaboration between the Seniors and People with Disabilities and the county mental health departments.

 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.

 Aaron DeShaw, JD DC. is a trial lawyer from Portland, Oregon.  He has obtained settlements and verdicts for his clients in excess of $350 million.  He is perhaps the best known expert in the U.S. on the subject of Colossus, the computer assessment program used by most auto insurance companies for evaluating personal injury claims.  He is author of three books on auto injuries and insurance. He is a frequent resource for national media such as CNN, MSNBC, BusinessWeek and others on the topic of insurance.  He has lectured for both physician and legal professionals including at ATLA, AAJ, the Spine Research Institute of San Diego, and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, as well as private seminars before the nation’s top insurance bad faith lawyers.  Aaron handles serious personal injury cases including brain injury cases, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death claims.  He works with Rick Friedman, a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, a by-invitation-only society of the Top 100 plaintiff lawyers in the United States.  Friedman, a Harvard Law graduate, and author of two best selling legal textbooks, has obtained over $300 million in jury verdicts.  The two lawyers handle cases nationally, with offices in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.  You can reach DeShaw at [email protected] or by calling toll free (866) THE-FIRM.

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.

 Herbert  Gross, MS, MD, a neurophysiologist and neuropsychiatrist, has been interested in brain injury since he suffered a prolonged headache after a boxing match at age 13.  From 1954 through 1957 he studied the effects of changes in blood brain flow and in 1958 had a fellowship at Sloan-Kettering Institute in NYC to study the effects of brain cancer.  At a fellowship at Letchworth Village for the Mentally Retarded (NY) in 1962 and later while surveying and lecturing at Atascadaro State Hospital for the Criminally Insane (CA) in 1982, he raised the issue of mild to moderate brain injury as a cause or co-cause of certain problems; he was bewildered when no active interest was shown.  This led him to push forward as new technologies became available to attempt to show that the thinking, feeling, and suffering of certain individuals could be functionally demonstrated by computer-assisted EEG and by SPECT & PET brain scanning.  He was the first physician to successfully introduce PET studies in brain injury trials in Southern California.  He encouraged neuropsychologists to develop and use more mature standardized tests to meaningfully assess higher order brain functioning, so that subtle but very frustrating reduction in everyday brain efficiency would no longer be overlooked, or worse, rationalized as a personality problem.  Although his focus has remained on trauma as a cause, during the past three years his interest and study of the immunologic effects of mold protein and toxins on brain functioning has expanded.

 Dawn Heisler, PhD, is a Post-Doctoral Psychology Resident at Quality Living, Inc., a residential post-acute brain injury and spinal cord injury rehabilitation program in Omaha, Nebraska.  She completed her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at Seattle University, and her pre-doctoral internship at QLI with a specialization in brain injury rehabilitation and neuropsychology.  Dawn works as part of the Psychology Department at QLI.  Dawn’s position involves conducting neuropsychological evaluations and assisting in the development and implementation of client-center rehabilitation programming.  She also works with residents and their families on their behavioral and emotional reactions to injury and is conducting original data collection and research on the topic of family’s relations to the trauma of brain injury.

 Donald Hood has worked in the field of behavioral research since 1986. Mr. Hood developed a training program for families with an adult survivor of brain injury, the Family Advocacy Skills Training (FAST) program and wrote a booklet for the BIA’s “Living with Brain Injury” series, “Preparing for Life after High School: The Next Steps”. He has directed media and school-based components in a community intervention to prevent adolescent tobacco use and is an experienced focus group leader and meeting facilitator with a background in education and adult learning.

 Jan Johnson, MS, 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.

 Thomas Kelly, DC, DIBCN,  is a neuro-chiropractor in private practice in Vancouver, WA.  Tom is a board certified Chiropractic Neurologist, Diplomate of the International Board of Chiropractic Neurology and Certified in Impairment Rating and Disability Evaluation by the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians.

 Charles M. Kilo, MD, MPH is the CEO of GreenField Health - an innovative 9 physician medical group. He also serves as the executive director of The Trust for Healthcare Excellence, a Portland-based non-for-profit organization focused on improving healthcare services. Chuck practices internal medicine at GreenField Health’s Barnes Road clinic. GreenField has been recognized both locally and nationally for its innovations in patient service, information technology use to enhance patient care, and patient engagement in their care. In addition to traditional medical office visits, the physicians at GreenField Health use email and telephone care extensively to emphasis their care and relationships that they develop with their patients. They continually work to engage and empower patients in their health and healthcare.  Chuck attended Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis where he also completed his internal medicine training. He subsequently completed an infectious diseases fellowship and Master of Public Health at Harvard University. [email protected]

 Michael C. Koester, MD, ATC, FAAP, is a Sports Medicine Physician, Slocum Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center, and  Director of the  Slocum Sports Concussion Program in Eugene.

 Larry Knauss, Ph.D. is a research and clinical psychologist at Madigan Army Hospital in Washington.

 Governor Ted Kulongoski has been the Governor of Oregon since 2000.  In 1974, Ted was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives, and four years later to the Oregon Senate. In the Legislature, Ted continued to be a voice for the people and values of Oregon. He used his proven ability to bring people together to strengthen Oregon´s economy, attract new jobs and preserve Oregon´s unique quality of life. In 1992, the people of Oregon elected Ted Attorney General with the highest vote total for any statewide candidate. As Attorney General, Ted worked to steer kids away from crime and toward the values that had made his own life a success - education, accountability, discipline and hard work. Ted joined children´s advocates and community leaders to rebuild Oregon´s juvenile justice system - a system many thought was broken but that Ted turned into a national model that is both fair and effective. Ted also went after corporate polluters - enforcing laws and regulations, and making sure that the polluters, not the taxpayers, pay the bill for cleaning up our air and water.  In 1996, Ted was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court, where he served with distinction for 4 1/2 years. Ted´s service on the Court made him one of a rare few who have served in all three branches of government. Every challenge Oregon faces, Ted has worked to solve as a legislator, executive and judge.

Frederick P. Langer, JD RN, is both a practicing attorney and RN, Frederick P. Langer brings a powerful combination of skills to Nelson Langer Nelson PLLC.  Based on his clinical expertise, Mr. Langer has the ability to assess his clients' long-term care needs and the legal wherewithal to recover fair compensation for the harm they have suffered.  Mr. Langer is a board member at the Brain Injury Association of Washington, is commissioner and board president of Stevens Hospital, and belongs to the Washington State and King County Nurses Associations.  He is also a Washington State Trial Lawyers Association Eagle member, a member of the American Association for Justice, and a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.

 Legacy Caregiver Alliance Services won a National Family Caregiving Award in the "Education" category for its "Powerful Tools for Caregivers" program, which provides family caregivers with the skills and confidence they need to better care for themselves while caring for someone with a chronic illness. The award was sponsored by the National Alliance for Caregiving. Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) was developed by Legacy Caregiver Services in response to research that showed a high mortality rate for caregivers of those with chronic illnesses. It teaches caregivers to use community resources, manage their stress, communicate effectively with friends, family, and healthcare providers and to cope with difficult emotions. The program has been replicated in communities throughout the United States.

 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.

 Sharon Maynard, JD, with Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan, Portland, OR, was born in Ashland, WI, and grew up in California.  She obtained her bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 1984. Sharon worked as a researcher and consultant for the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, and as a secretary and office manager. She received her J.D. degree in 1992 from Albany Law School in New York. A citizen of Oregon since 1992, she worked over 8 years for the Metropolitan Public Defender (MPD) handling both felony and misdemeanor criminal matters.  Her last year and a half at MPD, Sharon represented allegedly mentally ill persons in civil commitment proceedings, an experience which kindled a strong interest in representing disabled people.  In 2001, Sharon changed her practice from criminal to Social Security Disability law focusing her entire practice on representing claimants who have been denied benefits at all stages of the appeals process including Federal Court.

Martin J. (Marty) McMorrow obtained his MS degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and is currently Director of National Business Development for the MENTOR Network.  He has over 35 years experience in program design and delivery of human services with many different clinical groups and in many different capacities from researcher to administrator to friend.  In that time, he has tried to share what he has learned in more than 65 professional papers, several books and training programs, and in presentations to family, professional, and advocacy groups.  Marty co-developed the social skills training program Stacking the Deck, the language training program Looking for the Words, and numerous other behavioral clinical interventions with his colleagues at the Department of Treatment Development, which was supported by the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.  He also designed, implemented, and evaluated the Personal Intervention Neurobehavioral Program at the Center for Comprehensive Services in Carbondale, Illinois, which is now a part of the MENTOR Network.  Marty’s primary interest is in advocacy and translating behavioral technology into proactive and applicable programs that will make a difference in the lives of persons being helped, as well as the persons doing the helping.  This is the subject matter of his new books entitled, Getting Ready to Help: A Primer on Interacting in Human Service, which is available from Paul Brookes Publishing (2003) and The Helping Exchange: PEARL, which is now available from Lash Publishing (2005).

 *Marty is also proud to have participated in the creation of Nashia’s Neurobehavioral Issues Whitepaper (2006), HRSA’s webcast on reducing restraint and seclusion (2006), and BIAA’s Behavioral Challenges after Brain Injury Awareness Pamphlet (2007). 

 Kathy Moeller, author, lecturer, inventor, and compensatory skills trainer, began teaching compensation skills to persons with brain injury and other cognitive impairments in 1993.  She is co-founder of BRAIN BOOK ™ Company, LLC, a Medford-based company that produces and distributes the BRAIN BOOK System’s Work Manager, Life Manager and Trainer Training Series.  See BRAIN BOOK System’s web site at www.brainbook.com, and the advice column the University of Missouri commissioned her to write in 1997 at www.tbimo.org.  Kathy was injured in a head-on collision with a commercial bus and diagnosed with a moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in 1990. 

 Senator Bill Morrisette is the former mayor of Springfield (1989-1999). He taught Social Studies at Springfield High School for 28 years until retiring in 1990. He earned a bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from Carroll College in Helena, Mont. and a master's degree in Education from the University of Oregon. Sen. Morrisette and his wife, Janice, have eight children, 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In addition to being mayor of Springfield, Sen. Morrisette has served on the Springfield City Council and the Lane County Council of Governments. He has also sat on the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority, the Metropolitan Waste Water Commission and the Metropolitan Policy Committee. He also worked as a Municipal Prosecutor and an Assistant District Attorney.  His governmental experience includes the Oregon House of Representatives; Eugene Police Commission; Oregon Law Commission; University of Oregon Student Conduct Hearings Officer; Precinct Committeeperson; BLM Timber Sale Advisory Board.  Sen. Morrisette currently serves as chair of the Senate Human Services Committee and also serves on the Senate Health Policy and Education Committees, as well as the Joint Ways & Means Subcommittee on General Government. He chaired the Senate Education Committee in the 2003 session, and was a member of the House Education Committee in the 2001 session, and sponsored numerous education-improvement bills in all three sessions.

Among other bills, he sponsored one in the 2003 session and again in the current session to require schools to phase out sales of junk food to kids in school. In the 2003 session he was one of the leaders in a successful effort to establish health education standards for Oregon, and he is backing a current bill to set minimum requirements for physical education in elementary and middle schools. In February of 2005, he was one of three Oregon citizens and the only legislator to be named a School Health Champion by the Healthy Kids Learn Better Coalition.  Sen. Morrisette has been the recipient of numerous other awards and honors. He was Springfield Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 1997, Oregon Mayor of the Year in 1994 and Lane County Elected Official of the Year in 1992.  In 2007 he was named as the President of the Northwest Territories on the television series Jericho. 

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.

Kevin Prier is the project coordinator for the School Transition & re-Entry Program (STEP) at the Teaching Research Institute. He is trained in neurophysiology and has many years of experience in research design and implementation, and data collection and analysis from the University of Oregon, University of Basel, Switzerland, and the University of Montana. His research has ranged from single neuron development to sensory networks to environmental monitoring with honey bees. He comes to TRI from the Oregon Center for Applied Science, where he was the project coordinator for their diversity training project.

Sherri Rita acts as the co-lead for the WIN project. Sherri has worked as a disability rights and child/youth advocate for the past eight years in California as a legal fellow with Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund in Berkeley; an Associate Managing Attorney with California’s Protection and Advocacy agency; and as Deputy Director of the Yolo Family Resource Center.  She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University Of San Francisco School Of Law and is licensed to practice in California and Oregon.

Jeff Snell, PhD, is a Clinical Neuropsychologist at Quality Living, Inc. (QLI), Omaha, Nebraska, having originally joined the staff at QLI in 1998.  Jeff completed his doctoral training in clinical Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi, and his pre-doctoral internship and his post-doctoral training were completed at QLI with a specialization in brain injury rehabilitation. Jeff is licensed as a psychologist in Nebraska and in Iowa, and in addition to provision of clinical services in QLI’s inpatient and outpatient programs, Jeff is also the coordinator for research at QLI, head of the QLI Psychology/Neuropsychology Department, and a member of the QLI Cabinet.

 Kayle Sandberg-Lewis holds a master’s degree in Behavioral Medicine from Goddard College. Hers is an interdisciplinary degree combining Health Psychology, Psychophysiology (stress management and self-regulation techniques), Learning Theory & Curriculum Design. For her thesis practicum, she created a Health Psychology based curriculum in Behavioral Medicine/Stress Management for medical schools.  Kayle has a private practice providing various forms of biofeedback, including neurofeedback, for a wide range of physical and emotional issues.   In addition, she and her husband, Steven Sandberg-Lewis, ND, co-supervise student physicians once a week at Natural Health Clinic-First Avenue, the primary teaching clinic for National College of Natural Medicine. They offer, at reduced fees, applied psychophysiology techniques including neurofeedback to address traumatic brain injuries and their sequelae.  Most recently, Kayle and Noël Thomas, ND, have established a free neurofeedback clinic for Veterans with TBI. It is also once a week and at the Natural Health Clinic-First Avenue.  Kayle, herself a survivor of multiple “mild” TBIs, has found that many of her most memorable and rewarding cases have been survivors of traumatic brain injury.

Russell C. Spearman M.Ed. is the TBI Project Director at the Institute of Rural Health. Idaho State University.  Russ was responsible for developing and implementing all aspects related to Idaho's 1915 C Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waiver for adults with a traumatic brain injury, and is the former Executive Director for Idaho's Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities that serves as the interdepartmental and interagency planning and advisory body for the departments and agencies of the State for programs affecting persons with a developmental disability. The council has produced several publications specifically for people with disabilities and their families entitled Journey to Success, and serves as a reference about vocational choices for individuals with disabilities and their families.  [email protected]

David Spiro, MD,  OHSU, Chief, Pediatric Emergency Medicine; Children and brain injury.

Sharon Stapleton RN, BSN, CCRN, is the  former OHSU-Outreach Educator for Doernbecher, Portland.

Molly Sullivan acts as the lead for the WIN project with the Oregon Department of Human Services' Competitive Employment Project and is a national consultant on employment and benefits planning issues for Griffin-Hammis Associates.  Molly has been assisting people with disabilities in employment for over a decade as a job developer, program manager and benefits planner. Prior to coming to work for the Competitive Employment Project, Ms. Sullivan worked for 3 years for the Oregon Advocacy Center as a Social Security Administration certified Community Work Incentives Coordinator.

Kimberly K. Tucker, JD,  was born in Springfield, Oregon in 1970. After graduating from high school, she lived in Hawaii and LA before moving back to Oregon. Kim returned to school full time in 1995 and received her B.S. in psychology in 1998, the first in her family to obtain a college degree. She continued on to the University of Oregon School of Law, where she served as the Executive Editor of the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation and represented victims of domestic violence in clinical practice before receiving her J.D. in 2001. Kim¹s pre-law school jobs included secretary, customer service representative, assistant statistical analyst, and psychology research assistant.  After law school, Kim served as the Social Security judicial clerk for the U.S. District Court in Portland. She has been in private practice since 2003 and focuses on representing Social Security disability claimants at administrative hearings and in federal court. She is admitted to the Oregon State Bar as well as the bars of the U.S. District Court of Oregon and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is also a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, Oregon Women Lawyers and Oregon Social Security Claimants Representatives.

Wendy Williams is Director Community Development with BrainTrust Canada.  Wendy’s career in rehabilitation spans more than 18 years providing support and rehabilitation services persons with acquired brain injury.  Wendy’s previous position with the Alberta Hospital, Ponoka, Canada, allowed her to develop specific expertise in cognitive rehabilitation focusing on memory and compensatory strategies.  Wendy’s published work is regularly cited in leading texts relating to cognitive rehabilitation following brain injury.  In Wendy’s 13 years with BrainTrust Canada she has developed an expertise in continuing education and community based training that has led to teaching sessions on acquired brain injury to several discipline streams at the College level.  Wendy has also developed several highly successful public education programs focused at bringing knowledge regarding brain injury to the public’s attention.