We collaborated with The Columbia Neuroscience Society in early March and put together a panel of both TBI victims along with a rehabilitation therapist who works with brain and spinal cord injury patients for students at Columbia. http://columbia-prehealth.blogspot.com/2009/03/columbia-neuroscience-society-event.html
After brief speeches from each person on the panel, students were free to ask any question they wanted to each of the panelists. The questions ran the gamut on many different topics but many were focused on recovery and different treatment methods in rehab centers. It was fantastic to hear about what students (mostly pre-med) were interested in with regards to brain injury and to try to answer their questions as best as possible on each individuals experience with TBI, be it enduring or treating it.

While we are appreciative of the entire Columbia Neuroscience Society for collaborating with us in putting the event together, special thanks goes to Shamsa Magalji. After a miraculous recovery from TBI last year, Shamsa is a freshman at Barnard College and was the one responsible for introducing CMF to the CNS. We hope to continue to collaborate with students at Columbia in the future and could not be more grateful for your help Shamsa.

An article from the Associated Press today explains that wartime brain injuries could be as high as 360,000. While it’s already be dubbed the “Signature Injury of the war in Iraq” the number of victims sadly continues to rise. The article also mentions that The Army alone spent over $240 Million last year for staff, facilities and programs to serve troops with brain injuries.

Although the majority of these injuries are reported to be mainly “mild TBI” or concussion & many are able to heal without treatment, according to Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, the head of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, an estimated 45,000 to 90,000 troops have suffered more severe and lasting symptoms.

Wartime brain injuries could reach 360,000