UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center hosted the 18th annual Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) Leadership Forum April 15–17, welcoming rehabilitation professionals from across the country to share expertise and strengthen collaboration in traumatic brain injury care.
Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and rehabilitation nurses from TBIMS centers nationwide participated in the forum, which focused on advancing evidence-based rehabilitation practices and improving patient outcomes.
Participating institutions included Spain Rehabilitation Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Craig Hospital in Denver, and Shepherd Center in Atlanta.
Facilitated by Wesley Hyde, manager of therapy operations for the UAB Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program, the TBIMS Leadership Forum provides a national platform for therapy and nursing leaders in brain injury rehabilitation to discuss clinical care and operations, research initiatives, and compliance. Sessions addressed best practices, staff training and education, health care reform, emerging technologies, and program development.
“The conference gave us a great opportunity to showcase our new, state-of-the-art facility and strengthened our collaborative network with some of the top rehabilitation centers in the country,” Hyde said. “Learning how other facilities tackle similar challenges helps Spain Rehab deliver high-quality TBI care in a rapidly evolving health care environment. There’s truly no other conference like it.”
By encouraging year-to-year participation, the forum promotes continuity, strengthens professional networks, and supports progress toward shared goals in TBI rehabilitation.
Forum highlights included:
- A keynote address by Scott Powell of the Alabama Head Injury Foundation
- Networking events, including a visit to Vulcan Park and Museum
- Patient care roundtable discussions
- Updates on the use of artificial intelligence in rehabilitation
- Educational sessions relevant to TBI care
- Group reviews of standards of care, equipment, products, and emerging technology
- Research presentations
- A tour of UAB’s new Rehabilitation Pavilion, followed by a reception overlooking downtown Birmingham
About the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems
The Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems program is a federally funded initiative established in 1987 to deliver comprehensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitation services and conduct longitudinal, patient-centered research. The program focuses on improving outcomes for individuals with traumatic brain injury by generating evidence-based knowledge and accessible informational resources.
Sixteen nationally designated TBIMS centers contribute data to the world’s largest longitudinal TBI database, with an emphasis on rehabilitation outcomes, community reintegration, and quality of life across the lifespan.
The UAB Traumatic Brain Injury Model System was first funded in 1998 within UAB’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Novack. Today, the program is led by project director Dr. Robert Brunner and project co-director Jenny Marwitz, MA, and is funded through 2027 by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.
“Hosting the TBIMS Leadership Forum at Spain Rehabilitation Center allows us to bring together leaders from across the country to learn from one another, strengthen rehabilitation teams, and share best practices that directly improve patient outcomes,” Brunner said. “Fostering collaboration and exchanging knowledge are essential to advancing evidence-based care and supporting long-term recovery for individuals with traumatic brain injury.”
Throughout its history, the UAB TBIMS program has sponsored and participated in research addressing functional outcomes after TBI, therapeutic and pharmaceutical interventions, scale development, and program innovation.
Resource: Visit the UAB-TBIMS Information Network to find educational materials and information on research activities of the UAB-TBIMS.