BI-ISIG Moving Ahead Highlights

A Publication of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group

Vol 24, No 1 - 2009

Message From The Chair
J. Preston Harley, PhD, FACRM

Greetings:

I am pleased to have been elected Chair of the Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Please accept my gratitude for allowing me to once again serve in this position. The incredibly committed and enduring membership of the BI-ISIG has made invaluable clinical and research contributions to the continued growth and development of brain injury rehabilitation. The visionary leadership of Phil Morse and the Executive Committee have been critical in fueling enthusiasm and increasing membership, while advancing our know-ledge and understanding of brain injury rehabilitation.

It is a pleasure to announce that Ron Seel is BI-ISIG Chair-Elect and that other Executive Officers are Vanessa Walsh, Secretary and Mike Mozzoni, Treasurer.

The 85th annual ACRM meeting, in conjunction with the 15th annual meeting of the American Society of Neurorehabilitation (ASNR), was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in October. There was an array of nationally and internationally recognized speakers and a host of wonderful collegial interactions and exchanges with the Ontario Rehabilitation Research Network (ORRAN). An engaging play, After the Crash, was featured after the ACRM awards and recognition ceremony at the historic Hart House. I offer hearty congratulations to Dr. Keith Cicerone, Chair of the Cognitive Rehabilitation Task Force. He was the recipient of the prestigious Gold Key Award, the highest honor given by ACRM, in recognition of his extraordinary service to the cause of rehabilitation.

The Mitchell Rosenthal Memorial Lecture, “…and they lived happily ever after. Myths and facts about families and marriage after brain injury,” was presented by Dr. Jeffrey S. Kreutzer, a close collaborator, colleague, and friend of Mitch.

Dr. Joseph Marcantuono organized the Sheldon Berrol Chautauqua. “What it takes to implement a family-based rehabilitation program for children,” by Dr. Lucia Braga and colleagues, was held this year in honor of the late Dr. Doug Harrington. Doug was a past Chair of the BI-ISIG and, as a psychologist, was involved in the determination of the efficacy of pediatric and adolescent neurorehabilitation.

The task forces remain dedicated and highly productive. Current task forces include: Assistive Technology (Marcia Scherer and Tamara Bushnik, Co-Chairs), Cognitive Rehabilitation (Keith Cicerone, Chair), Community-Based Treatment (Nina Geier and Ann Marie McLaughlin, Co-Chairs), Disorders of Consciousness (Ron Seel, Chair), Long-Term Issues (Tina Trudel and Austin Errico, Co-Chairs), Mild TBI (Irene Parisi and Andrea Laborde, Co-Chairs), Pediatric/Adolescence (Linda Laatsch, Chair), Prognosis after TBI (Rose Biester, Chair) and Treatment Theory (Tessa Hart and Janet Powell, Co-Chairs). Task Force members are actively communicating via conference calls and email, aiming to make even more progress on their various projects by the mid-year meeting.

At our October business meeting, two main sites were considered for the 2009 Mid-year Meeting – Boston and Indianapolis. After polling task force chairs, it was determined that having the meeting in Boston would result in maximal member participation. Dates for the Mid-year BI-ISIG Meeting are March 20-21, 2009. Specific hotel information appears in this issue of Moving Ahead. The schedule follows the format of the previous mid-year meeting, starting at 1pm on Friday until we break for dinner and continuing from 8am - 5pm on Saturday.

Phil Morse, with Steve Page, initiated a Stroke Networking Group, and the National Stroke Association sponsored the first meeting in Toronto. Present plans are to hold a working session of the group during the BI-ISIG Mid-year Meeting.

There will be a focus this year to develop and submit task force products to ACRM. These ‘branded’ materials will be considered for distribution to professionals, organizations and the public. A number of products are currently available and others are nearing completion.

Mary Pat Murphy, in collaboration with Judy Reuter at ACRM headquarters, is currently reviewing the BI-ISIG section of the ACRM website and exploring what materials will be made generally available and what other information (e.g., minutes, forms, draft documents, etc.) can be accessed by “members only.” Efforts are underway to make information more accessible via the website.

Once again, it is privilege to serve as Chair of the BI-ISIG and to assist in the advancement of the field of brain injury rehabilitation through the substantive contributions of the task forces and the noteworthy professional vibrancy of the membership.

Sincerely,
J. Preston Harley, PhD, FACRM
BI-ISIG Chair

Also in this issue:

• Message from the Chair
• Letter from the Editor
• Annual Business Meeting Minutes
• Task Force Updates
• New BI-ISIG Members in 2008
• BI-ISIG News Briefs
• BI-ISIG Members Receive Awards at 2008 Conference
• 2008 Sheldon Berrol Memorial Chautauqua
• 2009 Mid-Year Meeting Registration Form
  

If you are a member of the BI-ISIG, a pdf version of this newsletter can be found in the BI-ISIG - Members Only Area of this website.