Appendix C
Information Sources and Methods
The committee was tasked with examining the landscape of traumatic brain injury (TBI) research and care, from acute care through rehabilitation and recovery. The committee was asked to produce a report identifying major barriers and knowledge gaps that are impeding progress in the field, highlighting opportunities for collaborative action that could accelerate progress in TBI research and care, and providing a roadmap for advancing research and clinical care to help guide the field over the next decade.
COMMITTEE COMPOSITION
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine appointed a committee of 18 experts to carry out the statement of task for this study. The committee members brought expertise in basic, translational, and clinical research on TBI; epidemiology; neurotrauma; systems of care for TBI, from acute emergency medicine and trauma care through rehabilitation and community reintegration; neuropsychology and mental health; and health sciences and health care policy. Appendix B provides biographical information for each committee member.
MEETINGS AND INFORMATION-GATHERING ACTIVITIES
The committee deliberated from approximately December 2020 to January 2022 to conduct its assessment and prepare its final report. To address its task, the committee analyzed information obtained from a review of the available literature and other publicly available resources and undertook information-gathering activities that included inviting stakeholders to share perspectives during virtual public workshop sessions, holding webinars, and soliciting public input online.
Literature Review
Several strategies were used to identify literature relevant to the committee’s charge. A search of bibliographic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest Research Library, Medline, and LexisNexis, was conducted to obtain articles from peer-reviewed journals that addressed clinical care and research associated with TBI. Staff reviewed recent news and literature to identify articles relevant to the committee’s charge and created a database of references. In addition, committee members, speakers, sponsors, and other interested parties submitted articles, reports, and statements on these topics. The committee’s database included several hundred relevant articles and reports, and was updated throughout the study process.
Public Meetings and Webinars
Sessions at meetings and webinars held over the course of the study enabled the committee to obtain input from a range of stakeholders and members of the public. The committee’s first meeting, held virtually in December 2020, provided an opportunity for the committee to discuss its statement of task with the sponsoring organization.
The committee held a series of virtual public workshop sessions over 4 days—March 16, March 18, March 30, and April 1, 2021. Day 1 explored patient and family experiences with TBI care and needs for improvement. Day 2 examined provider and researcher perspectives on TBI acute and post-acute care, along with research needed to address current gaps. Day 3 explored systems issues for TBI care and research, and highlighted opportunities to learn from systems of care in other diseases, such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, Day 4 identified actions with the potential to help bring an improved vision of TBI care and research to fruition.
In May and June 2021, the committee held additional public webinars on the state of care and research in the areas of disorders of consciousness and TBI rehabilitation care and research. Speakers who provided input to the committee in its meeting and webinar sessions are listed below.
Recordings from these workshop and webinar sessions are available from the study website. Direct links are:
- Workshop March 16: https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/03-16-2021/accelerating-progress-in-traumatic-brain-injury-research-and-care-virtual-workshop-day-1
- Workshop March 18: https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/03-18-2021/accelerating-progress-in-traumatic-brain-injury-research-and-care-virtual-workshop-day-2
- Workshop March 30: https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/03-30-2021/accelerating-progress-in-traumatic-brain-injury-research-and-care-virtual-workshop-day-3
- Workshop April 1: https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/04-01-2021/accelerating-progress-in-traumatic-brain-injury-research-and-care-virtual-workshop-day-4
- Webinar on Disorders of Consciousness: https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/05-24-2021/accelerating-progress-in-traumatic-brain-injury-research-andcare-webinar-on-disorders-of-consciousness
- Webinar on Rehabilitation Care and Research: https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/06-15-2021/accelerating-progress-in-traumatic-brain-injury-research-andcare-webinar-on-rehabilitation-care-and-research
Public Comments
The committee’s information-gathering sessions provided opportunities to interact with a variety of stakeholders. The virtual public workshop session on March 16 also included a public comment period, in which the committee invited input from any interested party.
The committee worked to make its activities as transparent and accessible as possible. The study website, hosted by the National Academies, was updated regularly to reflect recent and planned committee activities. Study outreach included a study-specific email address for comments and questions. A subscription to email updates was available for sharing further information and providing additional comments and input to the committee.
Live video streams with closed captioning were provided during the information-gathering sessions. Information provided to the committee from outside sources or through online comments is available by request through the National Academies’ Public Access Records Office.
Consulted Experts
The following individuals were invited speakers at the committee’s information-gathering sessions.
Gregory Albers
Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences and Director, Stanford Stroke Center
Stanford University
Jandel Allen-Davis
President and Chief Executive Officer
Craig Hospital
Rinad Beidas
Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Director, Penn Implementation Science Center
University of Pennsylvania
Patrick Bellgowan
Deputy Associate Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Lisa Brandt
Individual Testimony
David Brody
Director of Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
David Cifu
Senior TBI Specialist, Veterans Health Administration, and Associate Dean of Innovation and Systems Integration and Chair, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Virginia Commonwealth University
Susan Connors
President and Chief Executive Officer
Brain Injury Association of America
John Corrigan
Emeritus Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Director, Ohio Valley Center for Brain Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
The Ohio State University
Ramon Diaz-Arrastia
Director, Traumatic Brain Injury Clinical Research Center, and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair
University of Pennsylvania
Alberto Esquenazi
Chief Medical Officer and Chairman, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
MossRehab, Einstein Healthcare Network
Kimberly Frey
Director of Speech-Language Pathology
Craig Hospital
Kelli Williams Gary
Assistant Professor and Dissemination Coordinator for VCU TBI Model Systems, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Virginia Commonwealth University
Joseph Giacino
Director of Rehabilitation Neuropsychology, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Neuropsychologist, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Yael Goverover
Post-Professional Program Director and Professor of Occupational Therapy, Stein-hardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
New York University
Magali Haas
Chief Executive Officer and President
Cohen Veterans Bioscience
Scott Hamilton
Individual Testimony
Flora Hammond
Chair, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Indiana University School of Medicine
Ramona Hicks
Director of Science and Technology
One Mind
Julia Iyasere
Executive Director, Dalio Center for Health Justice
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Katherine Lee
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Department of Defense
Roger Lewis
Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Monica Lichi
Director, Ohio Brain Injury Program, and Director, Ohio Valley Center for Brain Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation
The Ohio State University
Kedar Mate
President and Chief Executive Officer
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Thomas Mayer
Medical Director
NFL Players Association
Joe McCannon
Co-Founder and Coach
Billions Institute
Karen McCulloch
Professor and Director, Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Karen McQuillan
Clinical Nurse Specialist
University of Maryland
Bruce Miller
Director, Memory and Aging Center, and Co-Director, Global Brain Health Institute
University of California, San Francisco
Megan Moore
Sidney Miller Endowed Associate Professor in Direct Practice
University of Washington
Risa Nakase-Richardson
Clinical Neuropsychologist, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Associate Professor. Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Section, University of South Florida
Department of Veterans Affairs
David Okonkwo
Professor and Director, Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center
University of Pittsburgh
Paul Perrin
Associate Professor and Director, Health Psychology Doctoral Program
Virginia Commonwealth University
Terri Pogoda
Center for Healthcare Organization & Implementation Research, VA Boston Healthcare System and Research
Associate Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
Department of Veterans Affairs
Travis Polk
Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program
Department of Defense
Dorothy R. Porcello
Supervisor, Outpatient Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Department of Neuro Occupational Therapy
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Keith Primeau
Individual Testimony
Aemon Purser
Individual Testimony
James Robinson
Senior Director of Resident Risk Management, Safety, and Preparedness
Spectrum Retirement Communities
Elizabeth Rotenberry
Fellows Program Manager and Dole Caregiver Fellow Alumna
Elizabeth Dole Foundation
Angelle Sander
Director, Division of Clinical Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology
Baylor College of Medicine
Joel Scholten
Associate Chief of Staff for Rehabilitation Services for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Veterans Health Administration
Richard Sidwell
Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care
The Iowa Clinic
Deborah Stein
Professor and Chief of Surgery, Zuckerberg San Francisco General and Vice Chair of Trauma and Critical Care Surgery
University of California, San Francisco
Pimjai Sudsawad
Knowledge Translation Program Coordinator National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation
Research
Kristine Swift
Individual Testimony
Hilaire Thompson
Joanne Montgomery Endowed Professor and Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Personnel
University of Washington School of Nursing
Jeffrey Upperman
Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatric Surgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Mary Voegeli
Nurse Practitioner, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedert Hospital
John Whyte
Former Director, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute and Founding Director, TBI Rehabilitation Research Laboratory
Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
David Wright
Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Emory University
Kristine Yaffe
Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Epidemiology, Roy and Marie Scola Endowed Chair, and Vice Chair of Research in Psychiatry
University of California, San Francisco
