U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary visits VCU Traumatic Brain Injury Model System researchers

By Sathya Achia Abraham

John H. Hager, assistant secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services recently met with Virginia Commonwealth University traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury researchers and had the opportunity to explore VCU’s medical facilities and rehabilitation centers.

Through the VCU Traumatic Brain Injury Model System of Care, or TBI MS, faculty and staff of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation are dramatically advancing rehabilitation research to better serve their patients suffering from traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury.

The TBI MS provides comprehensive, coordinated inpatient and outpatient care for individuals with TBI. The system includes emergency medical services, early intensive and acute medical care, comprehensive rehabilitation services and long-term rehabilitation follow-up.

Hager learned about VCU’s interdisciplinary approach to care and about the TBI MS’s comprehensive research program that focuses on improving care and the quality of life for people living with traumatic brain injury and their families. Other areas of research include the benefits of family support and education, identification and treatment of depression, and effectiveness of early rehabilitation.