BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF OREGON   Brain Injury Association of Oregon (BIAOR) PO Box 549, Molalla OR 97038 Phone: 503.740.3155 or Outside the local area: 1.800.544.5243 Fax: 503.961.8730 /  e-Mail: [email protected] Mission: "Creating a better future through brain injury prevention, research, education, and advocacy."

SPEAKERS

 

Legislative Welcome Friday, March 5

Keynote Friday, March 5

Frederick G. Flynn, DO, FAAN, presently serves as the Medical Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program at Madigan Army Medical Center, Ft. Lewis, WA. He also serves as the Chief of Neurobehavior at Madigan.  In addition he is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Washington, School of Medicine. Dr. Flynn is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Certified in Neurology), and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He has served as a subject matter expert on issues regarding TBI with work groups of the Office of the Surgeon General, the Defense Center of Excellence, and the Secretary of Defense’s TBI Family Caregiver panel.

Dr. Flynn has given many national presentations on a variety of neurological topics, has published in peer reviewed journals, written book chapters, and is actively engaged in clinical research and medical education. He has served on a number of national committees including the position of Chairman of the Examination Subcommittee for the American Academy of Neurology. He has also served as an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Prior to his present job, Dr. Flynn served for 30 years as a career US Army Medical Corps officer, retiring at the rank of Colonel. His most recent positions prior to his retirement included the Chief of Neurology and the Neurology Residency Program Director at Madigan, as well as the Neurology Consultant to the Army Surgeon General. While on active duty, Dr. Flynn also served as a member of the DVBIC Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Flynn received his BS from Gannon University with a major in Science and a minor in Philosophy; his MS from the Medical College of Virginia-VCU in Human Anatomy/Neuroanatomy; and his DO degree from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Flynn performed his internship and Neurology residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and his Neurobehavioral Fellowship at the UCLA School of Medicine.  

 

Keynote Saturday Morning, March 6

Joan Ryan

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist and author. She recently completed her third book, The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son and Their Second Chance, published by Simon & Schuster in September 2009.  The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son and Their Second Chance (Simon & Schuster, 2009), chronicles her experiences caring for her son following a traumatic skate boarding accident.

Joan was a pioneer in sports journalism, becoming one of the first female sports columnists in the country. She covered every major sporting event from the Super Bowl and the World Series to the Olympics and championship fights. Her sports columns and features earned 13 Associated Press Sports Editors Awards, the National Headliner Award and the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Journalism Award, among other honors. She has been awarded the Fabulous Feminist Award by the San Francisco chapter of the National Organization for Women and was named A Woman Who Could Be President by the San Francisco League of Women Voters.

Her newspaper work spans 25 years, the last 22 in San Francisco. When she left sports, she wrote columns for the Style section, the Op-Ed pages and the Metro section. She left the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007 to pursue book projects and other opportunities.

Her first book, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters (1995, Doubleday) was a controversial, ground-breaking expose that Sports Illustrated named one of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time. It was one of the Top 50 Sports Books of All Time in the Guardian newspaper in London. The Sporting News chose it as one of the top three sports books of 1995.

The book and Joan were featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, Nightline, the Today Show, People magazine, The New Yorker, the New York Times, Time magazine and other media around the country. The book was published in Great Britain, Canada and Japan and excerpted in Redbook magazine. The paperback version was published in 1996 (Warner) and an updated version was reissued in 2000.

Little Girls changed the sport of gymnastics. Responding to the media attention prompted by the book, USA Gymnastics developed a handbook for parents informing them about the potential pitfalls of the sport on the elite level, such as eating disorders, serious injuries and abusive coaches. It also developed, for the first time, a training and credentialing program for coaches. The book was made into a movie by Lifetime in 1997 starring Swoozie Kurtz as the mother of an elite gymnast. “Little Girls” has been widely used in sports sociology classes at colleges and universities.

 

Presenters

RICHARD H. ADLER is an honors graduate of Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1980. He was called to the Bar in Washington State that same year.

Mr. Adler is the founding principal for the law offices of Adler Giersch ps, which is exclusively dedicated to representing victims of traumatic brain, spinal, and musculoskeletal injuries.

Mr. Adler volunteers his time with the Brain Injury Association of Washington having served as its President (2006-2009) and current serves as its Chairman of the Executive Board. He is credited with turning around the BIAWA’s organization with initiatives to implement BIAWA’s mission of prevention, education, support, and advocacy for brain injury survivors and their caregivers. In 2009 he organized a powerful coalition of healthcare, businesses, and community partners to enact the “Zackery Lystedt Law,” names after this client, that requires medical clearance before a young athlete can return to competition or practice following concussion.

Mr. Adler has authored many publications on traumatic injuries for attorneys, healthcare providers, and the injured. His most recent book, Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Survivors and Families (2006) joins prior top-rated writings, The Medical-Legal Aspects of Soft Tissue Injuries, and Spinal Trauma and the Personal Injury Case. He is currently writing From Injury to Action: Navigating Your Personal Injury Claim, scheduled for release in the latter part of 2009.

Mr. Adler has co-produced several educational and instructional videos for doctors on testifying at deposition and trial. Also, he writes and edits the law firm’s monthly newsletter, “The Advocate,” which focuses on various medical-legal-insurance aspects of personal injury claims. Frequently, he lectures on traumatic brain injury, personal injury and insurance law to attorneys, medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and psychologists.

Mr. Adler and the law firm of Adler Giersch PS are “AV” rated, the highest rating available, as established in a confidential survey of other attorney conducted by Martindale-Hubbell. In 2005, Mr. Adler was inducted into the Million Dollar Advocate Forum, an organization of the top trial lawyers in America. He has also received the Pro Bono Award from the Washington State Bar Association for his commitment and leadership in providing legal services to those in need every year since 2003. In 2008, Mr. Adler received the President’s Award from the American Massage Therapy Association, an award that is reserved for those who have advanced the profession of massage therapy statewide. In 2009, he received an award from the American College of Sports Medicine for “protecting the health and safety of young athletes,” in establishing the “Zackery Lystedt Law.”

Mr. Adler is licensed to practice law in federal court and all jurisdictions in the State of Washington. He is a participating member of the Washington Bar Association, Washington State Association of Justice (Eagle Status), American Association for Justice, and Brain Injury Association of Washington.

Sharon Allen coordinates interpreting and transcribing services at Portland Community College.  She has a BA in Psychology from Bethel College in Minnesota, and a MA in Teaching and Learning from the University of California, San Diego.  She has been a TypeWell transcriber since 2003, and has coordinated interpreters and transcribers at the college level since 2001.  She has presented on TypeWell at various regional and national conferences.

Gavin Attwood, Executive Director, Brain Injury Association of Colorado.

Zach Bayer is currently a student at Pacific University working on his doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology, with a specific focus in Neuropsychology. He is originally from NW Florida, where his parents and 2 of 3 siblings still reside. Zach’s older brother, Eric, survived a severe brain injury 17 years ago and continues to motivate Zach’s drive to contribute professionally to the community of individuals with traumatic brain injuries. However, he is eternally grateful for the valuable lessons that he has learned from individuals with TBI. 

Debra Braunling-McMorrow, Ph.D. is Vice President of ABI Service Diversification for The MENTOR Network, a position that allows her to bring services to more people with brain injury across the United States. She served as Vice President of Quality Assurance for the Mentor ABI Group, as well as lead operations for the Center for Comprehensive Services for 12 years, a member of The MENTOR Network. She has designed and continues to direct the Mentor ABI Group’s outcome and quality measurement systems. She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and has her master’s degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy. Dr. McMorrow is a CARF surveyor for Medical Rehabilitation Programs and has served on the Brain Injury Association of America’s board of executive directors as the Vice-Chair for Program Outcomes. She is the past chair of the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists AACBIS. Additionally, Dr. McMorrow has served on several national committees and editorial boards as well as on a number of Peer Review Panels including for the U.S. Department of Education NIDRR and the Department of Health and Human Services HRSA. Dr. McMorrow has published in numerous journals and books and has presented extensively in the field of brain injury rehabilitation.

Brooks Cooper graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bradley University in 1990. He received his JD from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College in 1993. He is a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bar Associations. He has a wide variety of experience with his practice focused on litigation of probate, trust, conservatorship, guardianship and other matters involving issues of legal capacity.

Caleb Burns, PhD, psychologist and Support Group Facilitator, Toastmaster's Support Group of Portland.

Ann Clarkson, PhD, psychologist, presenting with Toastmaster's Support Group of Portland.  Ann assists Caleb Burns, PhD with the support group.

Penny Condoll leads a large support group (family) in Tacoma Washington. They meet twice a month and have about 20-30 people who attend regularly. They are strong advocates for other's with TBI and care deeply about this issue. Penny is a member of the Governor's TBI Advisory Council that was establish in 2007 with the goal of advising the Governor, the legislature and DSHS on issues around TBI. Penny serves on various National TBI committees. Penny's TBI happened 5 years ago. At the time, she was a manager of Care Management Services at a local Hospital and worked as an Emergency room social worker for years. Penny says that "while I still miss my job and my past life, I love the new person I am now and have found new ways to use my new and old skills I have."

Danielle Erb, MD, is the Medical Director for The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center (BIRC) at PRA.  PRA and BIRC provide comprehensive rehabilitation for adults with acquired brain injuries. BIRC is a CARF accredited program and has been a leading provider of rehabilitation services for adults with brain injuries since 1986. The BIRC program is multidisciplinary and offers a wide range of services.

Kathy de Domingo, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and Director of Performance Improvement at Progressive Rehabilitation Associates. She has worked with adults with acquired brain injury and their families for over 20 years, with her current work emphasizing regulatory and quality of care issues impacting rehabilitation.

Laurie Ehlhardt, PhD, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and Assistant Fellow with the Teaching Research Institute-Eugene, a division of Western Oregon University. She has worked with survivors of acquired brain injury and their family members for over 20 years. Her research focuses on best practice instruction applied to assistive technology.

Chris Frost, JD, graduated from the University of Kansas in 1985. In 1992, Chris graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law, where she was a founding member of the Oregon Law Students’ Public Interest Fund, participated on Law Review, and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Trial Practice. Chris has had a variety of jobs including work as a waitress, nanny, hummingbird-feeder assembler (!), and grocery clerk. After college, she was the circulation manager of a weekly newspaper in Denver before going to law school. Since joining the Oregon State Bar in 1993, Chris has practiced personal injury law and has worked as a community organizer on Fair Trade issues and health-care reform. Chris found her niche in 2003, when she began representing injured workers in workers’ compensation cases and at last found a place where her passion for justice, commitment to the law, and desire to help people came together. She is a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Oregon State Bar. She was a staff attorney for the Workers’ Compensation Board for two years beore joining the firm. Chris and her family live in Southeast Portland where their lives revolve around her two girls’ soccer schedules, school, and church events. e-mail: [email protected]  http://stc-law.com.

     Ron Grigsby, is a traumatic brain injury survivor. He works with The Backup Training Corporation, a Xe Company. He is actively involved with the Brain Injury Association of Washington’s Spokane chapter, as well as a member of the North Idaho Brain Injury Foundation. On March 21, 2007, while working as an independent contractor for Blackwater in the Middle East, the convoy he was riding in was hit. The explosion threw him more than 40 feet, with an impact estimated at 13 g. His helmet was caved in 1½” and was found several feet away. He was LifeFlighted to Germany, and spent months in hospitals in the Middle East, Idaho and Washington. The injury resulted in a devastating traumatic brain injury (TBI) and broken neck. Family, friends, good doctors, support groups, training and the strength to drive on have made this tough journey to recovery a much easier path. After many difficult months of recovery, he is proud—and lucky—to be working again.  

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and TBI are life-altering conditions that greatly impact our military and first responders, as well as our communities. Throughout his lifetime, Ron has overcome many obstacles and has surely beaten the odds. It is his goal now to educate society on the effects of TBI and PTSD. With knowledge and discussion, we can begin to help survivors rebuild their lives.  

"Never Surrender”
Know you are not alone and nobody will be left behind!
Ron “Bulldog” Grigsby TBI/PTSD Survivor 3/21/07 

Jacek (Jack) A. Haciak, Psy.D.. is a licensed psychologist practicing in Oregon at Oregon State Hospital (OSH) and as a psychologist consultant in the community. His training and experience in cognitive rehabilitation and the related neuropsychological practices first began with Dr. McKay Moore-Sohlberg and Dr. Catherine Mateer at the Center for Cognitive Rehabilitation in Washinton State, and he is currently developing a set of cognitive rehabilitation services at OSH. Dr. Haciak also provides services to individuals experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and has provided outpatient services to returning veterans and their families through a contract with the Veterans Administration.  

Eane Huff has experienced two head injuries, graduated with a Master's Degree in Diversity Education k and is a researcher of brain injury recovery and rehabilitation.  His writing and research enable him to find the link between the behavioral challenges of head injury and the actions of success.   His first book, HEADS UP, is a behavioral approach to brain injury that uses proven techniques from different disciplines of study to increase optimal recovery outcomes.  Eane's book is an essential step for survivors, family members, therapist and doctors, in helping survivors of head injury achieve their goals and find their potential.

Andrea Ingrid Karl MD completed medical school at OHSU followed by residency at the University of Washington Medical Center and is a board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She has worked in this community as a physiatrist at Kaiser Permanente with a focus on neurologic rehabilitation and spasticity management. Currently, she is the director of the Portland VA Polytrauma program, whose mission is to care for returning service members with brain and other impairing traumatic injuries.  

Ellen Kessi is the Social Work Case Manager for the Polytrauma Support Clinic Team at the Portland VAMC. She has been in this position for 2 years, and prior to that, was a social worker on the inpatient units at the Portland VA Medical Center, working on the neurology, neurosurgery, medicine and oncology teams for 10 years. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree with a major in Psychology from the University of Portland, and her Masters Degree in Social Work at Portland State University. Ellen’s current role on the polytrauma team at the Portland VAMC includes meeting with the returning soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars; providing intensive case management to the seriously injured service members, assisting them with referrals to community, VA and military resources; providing advocacy and support to the veterans and their family members throughout the polytrauma system of care.  

David King, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota since 2008. David has had 29 years in the nonprofi t sector, King with 15 years as Executive Vice President for AccessAbility, and Courage Center prior to that. 

Scott R. Laker, M.D, is a UW clinical assistant professor and practices Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in Seattle, Washington. His clinical interests include sports medicine, spine epidural steroid injections, facet injections, medial branch blocks, joint injections, EMG, and nerve conduction studies. Dr. Laker's research interests lie in epidural steroid injections. Dr. Laker education includes a Fellowship at the University of Colorado, medical degree in 2003 from the Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and residency at Univ. of Colorado H.S.C. (Rehabilitation Medicine). Publications Gonzalez P, Laker SR, Sullivan W, Harwood JE, Akuthota V "The effects of epidural betamethasone on blood glucose in patients with diabetes mellitus." PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation 2009 Apr; 1; 4; 340-5 • Laker SR, Saint-Phard D, Tyburski M, Van Dorsten B "Stress fractures in elite cross-country athletes." Orthopedics 2007 Apr; 30; 4; 313-5  

Judge Kristena A. LaMar is a senior judge, who recently retired after serving 25 years as a circuit court judge in Multnomah County, Oregon.  For the last 23 1/2 years of her tenure, she conducted settlement conferences (mediations) in over 15,000 lawsuits.  Approximately half of those conferences involved civil claims between individuals, individuals and business entities, and business entities and other businesses.  She was a member of the facility at the National Judicial College, a frequent speaker and teacher at law schools and universities, and a regular contributor to various professional publications.  She is the current chair of the Multnomah County Mediation Commission, a former chair of the Oregon State Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, and the recipient of the Sid Lezak Award of Merit in 2000.

Marsha Lang is President of the Greater Persons Toastmasters Club in Portland, OR. She worked for 11 years in information technology including the design and quality assurance of web sites. Marsha has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Computer Information Systems from Idaho State University. 

Ruth McKenna is a Counselor for Disability Services at the Rock Creek Campus of Portland Community College.  She has a BA in Social and Behavioral Studies from the University of South Florida in Tampa and a MA in Counseling Psychology from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.  She has provided TypeWell accommodations to students with auditory processing disorders, including brain injuries, since 2004

Jeff Merrick, since 1984, has been an attorney whose specialty is civil litigation. Until 1992, he typically defended against injury and employment claims. Since 1992, Jeff has represented people filing lawsuits for injury and employment law claims.

Jeff has a special interest in helping children and adults suffering from brain injuries.

Jeff earned his Bachelors Degree from Stanford University. He earned his Juris Doctor degree, with Honors from the University of Minnesota School of law, and a Master of Laws, with honors, from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College.

Jeff has serve on numerous professional committees over the years, and currently serves on the Safe Kids Public Policy & Education Committee, a group of safety professionals dedicated to child injury prevention through education and legislation.  

Jeff Merrick is a Injury & Employment Attorney and he can be reached at 503-665-4234 or www.JeffMerrick.com.

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.

Erin Nolan, PT DPT, is a pediatric therapist at Forward Stride treating children 2 years and up with a wide range of orthopedic and neurological diagnoses. She is passionate about children and especially enjoys working with children with special needs. Erin has a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Creighton University and is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association. Erin comes to Forward Stride from All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Katherine Noonan, PhD, received her Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego, California, in 2004, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. She is a psychologist with the Post Deployment Health and Polytrauma Clinics spending a majority of her clinical time working with returning OIF/OEF veterans.

Lee Pfeiffer, R.N., B.S., former trauma, ICU, CCU, rehabilitation nurse, Pendleton Chiropractic Clinic provides a team approach to comprehensive examination, diagnosis, and treatment of neuro-musculo-skeletal conditions, as well as many internal disorders.

Robert Pfeiffer,DC, DADCO, graduated from Western States Chiropractic College in 1956. Also attended: Multnomah College. Additional degrees: Diplomat American Board of Chiropractic Orthopedist.

Katie Rinehart is a physical therapist who enjoys working with neurological, orthopedic, and vestibular patients.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends, working in her yard and hiking.

Nolan Robinson is a structured settlement consultant with Ringler Associates, the nation’s oldest and largest structured settlement firm. During the past eight years, Nolan has successfully structured cases involving a wide array of injuries and claims. Nolan is a member of the National Structured Settlement Trade Association and the National Association of Medicare Set Aside Professionals. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Nolan is married and has two wonderful children.

Laurie Schick, Physical Therapist, is a certified therapeutic riding instructor, a licensed physical therapist and Forward Stride’s hippotherapy coordinator. She is a member of, and the state representative for, the American Hippotherapy Association and a registered therapist with NARHA. She has been practicing physical therapy for over 11 years with her primary focus being orthopedics.

Larry Sherman, PhD, is Senior Scientist in the Division of Neuroscience and an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and in the Neuroscience Graduate Program and the Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the OHSU School of Medicine. He received a B.A. in 1986 and an M.A. in 1987, both in Biology from Reed College, then went on to receive a Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Anatomy from OHSU in 1993. He conducted post-doctoral research at the Institut für Genetik at the Forschungszentrum in Karlsruhe, Germany, then became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine in 1998. He joined the center in 2002. He serves on a number of national grant review boards, is on the editorial board of the journal GLIA, and is the President of the Oregon Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.

Key Publications

Back, S., Tuohy, T., Chen, H., Wallingford, N., Craig, A., Struve, J., Luo, N., Banine, F., Liu, Y., Chang, A., Trapp, B., Bebo, B., Rao, M. and Sherman, L. (2005). Hyaluronan accumulates in demyelinated lesions and inhibits oligodendrocyte progenitor maturation. Nature Med.11:966-972.

Matsumoto, S., Banine, F., Struve, J., Adams, C., Liu, Y., Metzger, D., Chambon, P., Rao, M. and Sherman, L. (2006). Brg1 is required for murine neural stem cell differentiation and gliogenesis. Dev. Biol. 289:372-383.

Su, W., Xing, R., Guha, A., Gutmann, D. and Sherman, L.(2007). Mice with GFAP-targeted loss of neurofibromin demonstrate increased axonal MET expression with aging. Glia. 55:723-733.

Back, S. and Sherman, L.(2008). A GAG reflex prevents repair of the damaged CNS. Trends in Neurosci.31:44-52.

Russell C. Spearman M.Ed. is the Project Director for Idaho's Traumatic Brain Injury Partnership Implementation grant from the Health Resources Services Administration, Maternal and Children's Health Bureau. Since August 2000 Russ has been employed by the Institute of Rural Health at Idaho State University- Boise. Prior to this 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. He is the former Executive Director for Idaho's Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities. He is the lead author of "The Use of Medicaid Waivers and Their Impact on Services". Russ was instrumental in developing and transitioning Idaho's nationally recognized Home of Your Own Initiative, a single family secondary mortgage program, that today has assisted over 75 people with disabilities realize their dream of home ownership and received national recognition for his vision and leadership in this area in 1997. Russ received his undergraduate degree from Manhattan College and his Master's degree from the College of Idaho. He is married with two children, one who experienced a traumatic brain injury in 1993. Russ was recognized by the National Association of Social Workers - Idaho Chapter in 2002 as the public citizen of the year for his work with people with disabilities. For the past twenty two years Russ along with his wife Terry, have served as adult family home providers to a gentleman with a developmental disability who is competitively employed.

Tricia Strombom, RN BSN is the OEF/OIF Polytrauma Nurse Case Manager for the Portland VA TBI Polytrauma Unit.

Patricia Sublette, PhD, is the Oregon TBI Education Coordinator. Formerly, she worked as a regular, special education and consulting teacher and school psychologist. Pat has been instrumental in writing the content for the website www.TBIED.org and is the co-author of book chapters in the Handbook of School Neuropsychology and the Handbook of School Psychology on identification, eligibility and interventions when working with students with brain injury.

Michael Sullivan, PhD, completed his graduate studies in speech-language pathology and cognitive psychology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Following this, he completed a post-doc at the Wheeler Cognitive Neuropsychology Laboratory at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon. His research has focused on understanding the processes underlying selective attention and spoken language processing. He currently is a Staff Speech-language Pathologist at the Portland VA Medical Center where he specializes in cognitive rehabilitation, and an Assistant Professor in the Neurology Department at Oregon Health and Science University.

Bill Thornton, MPT, specializes in spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, Clinical Director, Co-Owner of Level Eleven Physical Therapy, Holly, MI. and Director of Physical Therapy at Irvine Head Injury Clinic.  Bill Thornton, a medically trained professional is two credits shy of a doctorate at Wayne State University.  

Level Eleven Physical Therapy offers neurological, orthopedic, physical, occupational and speech therapies. The facility promotes improvements by providing a positive, enriched environment for clients. The facility touts whole body vibration therapies, all-terrain ambulation and crawling, and sensory-evoked neuromuscular stimulation. Upon entering the 26,000-square-facility, people are greeted by bright blue decor, basketball nets and natural light from large windows. Workout equipment throughout the gym allows clients to practice everything from boxing to basketball. Level Eleven takes pride in removing the stigma that goes along with physical thereby being monotonous and medical. “Our clinic is really designed to move beyond what has always been known as a dry environment,” partner Brian Sheridan said. “If you’re going somewhere where you feel like an athlete, it makes you more energized,” he said. “If you can make it feel like it’s not even therapy, then you found the magic’‘. That fun approach promotes clients with the ability to continue their progress once treatment has completed.

Kimberly K. Tucker 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.  

Craig R. Warden, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Medical Director, Clackamas Fire District # 1, Clackamas, Oregon, Principal Investigator, Progesterone for Traumatic Brain Injury: Experimental Clinical Treatment (ProTECT™)

Dr. Warden works in the Emergency Department at OHSU and is a Neurological Emergency Treatment Trials (NETT™) investigator. NETT is a multicenter consortium of academic research centers and community hospitals dedicated to finding treatments for common neurological emergencies including traumatic brain injuries. Current research trials include investigations of the use of albumin as a neuroprotectant for strokes and the comparison of midazolam and lorazepam for seizures in the prehospital venue. The ProTECT study will evaluate the efficacy of a 96 hour progesterone infusion for patients with traumatic brain injury that are admitted to OHSU.

Dr. Warden is also the medical director for a large fire district in the Portland metropolitan area and serves as medical director for the Clackamas County 9-1-1 Dispatch center. He is also a member of the Area Trauma Advisory Board (ATAB-1) that serves the Portland metropolitan area counties.

Rose Wellman has been serving District 7 Toastmasters in many roles since joining in 2007. She is the District web team leader; she also serves as the Area 75 Governor and previously served as the President of Babble-On Toastmasters club.

She originally joined Toastmasters to improve her presentation skills, work on non-technical presentations, and to enhance her listening skills. What she gained was more than she could have ever imagined! Toastmasters has enabled her to expand her horizons in many different areas. Most of all, she feels blessed to be surrounded by such great people in Toastmasters.

One of her favorite quotes is "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." -George Bernard Shaw.

Rose lives every day by this, and believes we all have something share with each other and learn from each other.

Gil Winkelman, ND, MA, received his B.A. in Genetics from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.A. in Counseling from JFK University, and his N.D. from the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland. His work as a licensed Naturopathic physician utilizes his unique educational background by allowing him to address both the genetic and psychological aspects impacting the health of his patients. Dr. Winkelman’s focus is on understanding each of his patients’ personal traits and health history to customize treatments, lifestyle changes, and exercise routines that have the maximum possible impact. With a focus on neurological (brain) health, he uses a combination of neurofeedback and natural treatments to help patients with a variety of conditions including, but not limited to: migraines, Crohn's disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, arthritis, Asperger’s, OCD, and autism. Dr. Winkelman was trained in Neurofeedback by BCIA certified practitioners and utilizes the most up-to-date equipment in his practice. He has worked with Gulf-War Veterans with traumatic head injury. Dr. Winkelman is co-owner with his wife, Dr. Christie Winkelman, of the family medical clinic in Multnomah Village: Insights To Health. Together they also created and own iCaduceus: The Clinician's Alternative, the premiere web-based alternative medical resource.

 

 

 

                                            

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