Congressional Brain Injury Task Force brings representatives to Capitol Hill for BIA Day

On Wednesday, March 21, the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force brings representatives from the brain injury community to Capitol Hill for Brain Injury Awareness (BIA) Day. The day starts with the BIA Fair, where attendees share information on policy issues, research, diagnosis and screening and care and rehabilitation. The afternoon features a briefing on "The Impact of Brain Injury: Any Time, Any One, Any Age."

William A.B. Ditto, MSW, LSW, past president & chair of Public Policy, National Association of State Head Injury Administrators, will moderate the discussion, focusing on how federal policy can help improve services and promote research that improves rehabilitation and treatment outcomes. Task Force co-chairs Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-08 ) and Todd Russell Platts (PA-19) will preside over the panel of experts from the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Veterans Administration, National Association of States United for Aging & Disability, and Kessler Foundation.

Panelist Jordan Grafman, PhD, is director of TBI Research at Kessler Foundation. Dr. Grafman's investigation of brain function and behavior contributes to advances in medicine, rehabilitation, and psychology, and informs ethics, law, philosophy, and health policy. His expertise includes the scope of challenges faced during recovery, including behavioral changes like aggression, late sequelae such as seizures, and the impact of TBI on family life and employment, and legal implications.

Prior to his current position, Dr. Grafman served as chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. During his Air Force career, he served at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as neuropsychology chief of the Vietnam Head Injury Project, a long-term study of more than 500 soldiers with serious injuries of the head and brain. He is the leading expert on the long-term effects of penetrating brain injuries in military personnel.

The BIA Fair is held in the Rayburn House Office Building from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; the briefing is at the Capitol Visitors Center Congressional Meeting Room North from 2:30 to 4:00 pm. A reception celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the Rayburn Building.