Brain Injury Awareness Month is held each March by the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) to increase awareness and education around these serious and life-changing diagnoses. This year’s theme, My Brain Injury Journey, encourages anyone affected to share their individual experiences with brain injuries and how their lives have changed.

Currently, there are more than 5.3 million people in the United States—one in every 60 people—living with a permanent brain injury-related disability. Additionally, at least 2.8 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year, according to the BIAA. Despite the large numbers impacted, each brain injury is highly unique and requires highly individualized treatment.

Supporting the brain injury journeys of seriously injured workers
To meet the substantial care demands of seriously injured workers with brain injuries, Paradigm is proud to collaborate with top clinicians in this field. Staying at the forefront of treatment and medical research is essential to consistently delivering the best possible outcomes. This includes fostering close relationships with leading clinical research groups in the field of brain injury study.

Another key component of Paradigm’s acquired brain injury care management model is Paradigm Medical Directors. These world-renowned experts in catastrophic injury work with the top practitioners and research organizations in their respective fields and interface directly with Paradigm Management Teams to ensure optimal treatment outcomes. For Brain Injury Awareness Month, we spoke with two Paradigm Medical Directors specializing in brain injury and gained their perspectives on caring for these complex injuries, as well as their ongoing research and advocacy in this area.

Dr. Ford Vox
Ford Vox, MD, is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and has spent much of his career guiding patients with brain injuries back to health and functionality, including Paradigm Hero Alexander Borges. As the first Medical Director for the Disorders of Consciousness (DOC) program at the prestigious Shepherd Center in Atlanta, he is an expert in the study of how the brain is affected by trauma and its amazing capacity for recovery.

According to Dr. Vox, a primary treatment priority in the DOC phase, which includes comas and minimally conscious states, is the ability to respond as quickly as possible. “It’s so important to do everything we can to keep the body healthy in these situations and prevent any further medical complications. We are in a desperate push in those initial weeks to ensure progress, because typically, the sooner they regain consciousness, the less disability there is long term.”

Dr. Vox emphasizes the many research efforts underway to improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries from the DOC phase and beyond. “Brain injury research can be very challenging due to how different the structure and function of the brain is. It requires a lot of creativity and a willingness to work with and educate families on the available evidence and try different approaches when it’s warranted.”

Having spent over a decade working as a physician journalist, he also strongly believes in brain injury advocacy outside of the purely clinical realm. “Throughout my career, I’ve stayed engaged in multiple advocacy, public education, and journalistic efforts, particularly ethical issues related to disability and access to health care. One important piece of work was a study published in JAMA in 2018 on crowdfunding scams, many of which target brain injury survivors.”

The challenges with behavioral control, regulation, and mood that make these patients a vulnerable population also have an impact on families and communities. “These aftereffects can be some of the most distressing things for the patient and the family,” says Dr. Vox. “Fortunately, there are effective interventions in the form of behavioral training and other techniques that help with reintegration into the home and community.”

He believes the key to success with these often-difficult cases is a team-driven philosophy conducted by people who know where to keep the focus, “Having committed people who really get the mission and spend the time with the patients and their families is so important. I think people can really tell when providers are engaged and caring.” In both previous external work with Paradigm and now internally as a Paradigm Medical Director, he is proud to be at a place that reflects those values: “Paradigm has been such a supportive organization for many injured workers most affected by brain injuries. It has impressed me so much and I’m glad to now work with the furthering of that mission.”

Dr. Agnes Wallbom
Specializing in traumatic rehabilitation, Agnes Wallbom, MD, MS, practices in academic medical centers as a board-certified physiatrist and has worked with Paradigm since 2009. As a clinician, researcher, and educator, Dr. Wallbom is proud to have published and presented on a wide range of topics in journals, including the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. She has also participated as a researcher in the Veteran Administration’s Million Veteran Program, a national endeavor examining how genes, lifestyle, military experiences, and exposures affect health and wellness in veterans.

More recently, Dr. Wallbom has begun serving as the inaugural chair for the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science: “I’m honored to be part of the first physical medicine and rehabilitation program in a historically Black graduate learning institution, and am excited for both the educational and treatment opportunities this creates.” One of the first of these opportunities is applying for a new physical medicine and rehabilitation residency in coordination with the Long Beach, California, Veterans Administration.

As a longtime practitioner and advocate for physical medicine and rehabilitation, Dr. Wallbom is passionate about the positive impact the discipline can have on brain injuries: “It really helps both patients and families reimagine the possibilities for maximizing quality of life, while encouraging a nurturing environment where they can heal after such a catastrophic event.” She stresses that severe brain injuries present a very unique challenge in rehabilitation that requires special understanding and attention: “There’s a dichotomy where they may have the strength, but they may not have the awareness in their brain to carry out what they would normally do automatically.”

Dr. Wallbom believes that a consistent and safe environment is fundamental for patients who can so often be disoriented and confused about their surroundings. “Having a solid, consistent team makes a phenomenal difference in terms of maintaining continuity, as well as avoiding overstimulation.” She also stresses the importance of families in the process and is committed to Paradigm’s whole-person, whole-family model of brain injury care. “Families, friends, and any other support groups are truly an extension of all the clinical rehabilitation approaches, interventions, and educational efforts.” She adds, “We know that patient outcomes and their quality of life are truly tied to the strength and support that they have. Families are a patient’s secret weapon in recovery.”

Help Paradigm increase awareness and education around brain injury all month long
Throughout March, the BIAA invites participants to use #MyBrainInjuryJourney and share stories to educate others on life with a traumatic brain injury. Paradigm will be raising awareness on our social media channels. Please support us by liking and sharing our posts.

Learn more about Paradigm’s clinical collaborations across the full spectrum of our clinical subspecialties, and how to refer a case today.