Dr. Monica Vavilala: A Roadmap for Accelerating Progress

Keeping the brain injury community connected during the coronavirus outbreak: Executive Director Deborah Crawley and President (and client) Allison Mollner share what BIAWA is doing to keep the entire community connected and coping with the coronavirus outbreak. They offer helpful information and resources as well as comfort and s by Brain Injury Today

22 min listen

Keeping connected in self-quarantine with support group leader Michele Kauffman: Brain injury survivor and support group leader Michele Kauffman joins Deborah Crawley to offer her experience and advice for folks trying to manage their lives and keep connected during the ongoing coronavirus-imposed quarantines. Michelle brings joy, la by Brain Injury Today

31 min listen

Helpful tips for your mental health during COVID-19 self-quarantine: In this edition of Brain Injury Today, psychotherapist and former BIAWA board member Lori Weisman joins Deborah and president Allison Mollner to offer practical advice on ways to manage your mental health and relationships during the COVID-19 self-quarant by Brain Injury Today

39 min listen

Therapist Lori Weisman Explains “Ambiguous Loss”: Coping with loss is an important part of rebuilding after traumatic brain injury, but it’s difficult to do with losses that aren’t well understood and recognized by society. Therapist Lori Weisman calls this “ambiguous loss.” by Brain Injury Today

18 min listen

From research to reality, improving outcomes for people with traumatic brain injuries: In this special episode of Brain Injury Today, host Deborah Crawley, BIAWA Executive Director, has a conversation with Jeanne Hoffman, Ph.D. Director of the University of Washington's TBI Model Systems to discuss how research is helping improve outcomes f by Brain Injury Today

34 min listen

Collaboration Across the Country– Brain Injury Leaders Sharing Ideas of Support: In this special episode, we bring you voices, solutions and inspiration from some of the brightest minds across the country in the brain injury community. by Brain Injury Today

34 min listen

Reflecting On 2020: You Are Not Alone. We Are Here.: Wow, what a year it has been. Even in the midst of all the challenges that 2020 has brought, the brain injury community has grown stronger. As we approach a new year, we’re taking some time to reflect on past episodes and how this podcast has become an integral part of how we share the stories of brain injury survivors, offer hope and knowledge, and stay connected even when we can’t be together in-person. by Brain Injury Today

14 min listen

Brandon Blake Explains the Beauty of “Bonus Time”: Brandon Blake is many things. He’s a teacher, a cyclist, musician, and more. And he is also a traumatic brain injury survivor. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Brandon speaks with host Deborah Crawley about how he has used music to practice mindfulness and stop rumination, and why he loves to share the concept of “bonus time” with fellow survivors. by Brain Injury Today

23 min listen

I’m a miracle: How ex-Husky Darin Harris has learned to live with his traumatic brain injury: In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Brain Injury Alliance of Washington Executive Director Deborah Crawley speaks with former UW football player and BIAWA board member Darin Harris about his journey following a severe brain injury that nearly killed hi by Brain Injury Today

23 min listen

Ambiguous Loss and Inner Strength: Life after a traumatic brain injury is difficult in so many ways, but rebuilding is possible. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, host Deborah Crawley speaks with therapist Lori Weisman about tapping into an inner strength that Lori calls “the warrior spirit.” by Brain Injury Today

19 min listen

Growing Up With A Brain Injury: A Caregiver And Her Niece Share Their Stories: Valarie Cooper was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus around age two. But despite all the challenges that come with brain injury, Valarie has been able to graduate high school and moved onto college with support from family members like her aunt, Tammy Woodrich. Listen to this episode to hear each of their perspectives on navigating life with a brain injury. by Brain Injury Today

22 min listen

How Brain Injury Survivors Can Use New Telemedicine Opportunities: Laura Jantos is a two-time brain injury survivor who has spent her entire career working to improve healthcare through technology. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Laura talks about how regulatory changes have expanded access to telemedicine and what it means for individuals with brain injuries and those who support them. With her unique perspective as both a patient and healthcare consultant, Laura shares her tips for having a successful telemedicine visit and more. by Brain Injury Today

29 min listen

Jason & Mo: The Story Behind BIAWA’s Brain Ride: Jason Donaldson lost his mom, Mo, to a traumatic brain injury ten years ago. Before Mo passed, Jason experienced what something many families go through: he felt like there was no information at a time when he desperately needed answers. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Jason speaks with Deborah Crawley about how he got connected to the Brain Injury Alliance of Washington and used his passion for bike riding to raise awareness about brain injury around the state and keep Mo’s memory alive. by Brain Injury Today

28 min listen

Your COVID Vaccine Questions Answered: In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Deborah Crawley speaks with Jeanne Hoffman, UW professor of Psychology and Rehabilitation Medicine and Director of UW’s TBI Model System, who answers the most commonly asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination from our community. by Brain Injury Today

28 min listen

Keeping Kids Safe Playing The Sports They Love!: Safety and participation should go hand-in-hand when it comes to sports and exercise in general. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, BIAWA Executive Director Deborah Crawley speaks with Darin Harris and Dr. Stan Herring about why it’s important to keep kids active, while also avoiding preventable injuries by building a culture of safety. Darin Harris speaks from his perspective as a former UW football player who suffered a brain injury but continues to coach youth football. And Stan Herring shares his insights as a leading sports medicine doctor who has helped pass state laws to make sports safer and continues to promote safety as the co-founder of the Sports Institute at UW Medicine. by Brain Injury Today

35 min listen

Parenting a Child with a TBI: Advocacy, Grief, and the Power of Peer Support: Karen Kaizuka’s son suffered a sports-related brain injury about ten years ago, and, like many parents, she stood by his side during each step of his recovery. She also became deeply involved in the brain injury community through her work in healthcare and as the current Chairperson of Washington’s Traumatic Brain Injury Council. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Karen speaks with BIAWA Executive Director Deborah Crawley about the unique process parents go through, finding hope amongst those who had been in her shoes, learning advocacy, and her ongoing quest to improve the support systems available to brain injury survivors and their families. by Brain Injury Today

28 min listen

Sims & Stacy: Caring For A Young Brain Injury Survivor: Sims Weymuller and Stacy Connole’s son was just four years old when he sustained a traumatic brain injury that upended their lives. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Sims and Stacy share their story so that other families can learn from it and know that they are not alone. Sims and Stacy spoke with BIAWA Executive Director Deborah Crawley about navigating the school system as their son entered kindergarten and helping his older brother cope with the trauma. They want other families to know that recovery is possible with enough time and support, and that the Brain Injury Alliance offers services to support families with fewer resources. by Brain Injury Today

53 min listen

Tracing Sports Safety Policy In Washington: The Brain Injury Alliance of Washington has been involved in improving sports safety policy for kids for over a decade. In this episode, Deborah speaks with three key players who have helped BIAWA improve sports policy in the state and across the nation: the University of Washington’s Dr. Stan Herring, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Justin Kesterson, and Richard Adler, a renowned personal injury attorney with the firm Adler Giersch. The four discuss the passage of the Lystedt Law in 2009, which was eventually adopted across the country, the Kenney Bui rule, which passed in 2020, what each policy entails and the heroic families that honored their loved ones by lending their names and sharing their stories to advocate and pass better sports safety policy in Washington and beyond. by Brain Injury Today

33 min listen

Navigating The End Of The Pandemic With Brain Injury: As more people get vaccinated and governments lift COVID restrictions, there is pressure to race back to “normal” life. But given brain injury survivors’ fatigue and overstimulation it’s important to re-build in a way that meets their needs and values. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Deborah Crawley speaks with therapist Lori Weisman about “conscious re-entry,” how to identify and prioritize your values, and becoming comfortable with saying “no” when it’s time to take care of yourself. by Brain Injury Today

35 min listen

Laughing With The Lystedts: The First Family of Brain Injury Prevention: Here at the Brain Injury Alliance, we call Zackery, Victor and Mercedes Lystedt the “first family of prevention.” Back in 2006 Zack suffered a preventable brain injury playing football. It was a long road to recovery, which is still Zack's full time job, but the family is stronger than ever and has always shared their story to help others. In fact, their advocacy has helped pass sports safety laws in all fifty states. In this episode of Brain Injury Today, Deborah Crawley speaks with Zack, his dad Victor and his mom Mercedes about their journey with brain injury and how laughter has helped get them through the toughest moments. by Brain Injury Today

45 min listen

Dr. Brian Johnston: Preventing Brain Injury In Children: As Chief of Pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center, Dr. Brian Johnston sees brain injuries in young children from all over the state and region. So there’s really no one better to talk to about how to prevent brain injury in our youngest kids! In this episode Deborah and Brian talk about how changes to the products we use and our built environment can make a huge difference in reducing common causes of brain injury in kids, such as falls, what parents can do to keep kids safe, and how his department has changed their approach to injury prevention over the years. by Brain Injury Today

37 min listen

Reflecting on 2021: 2021 has been another challenging year, but there is plenty of good to reflect on as we head into a new year full of new possibilities. In this episode, Deborah chats with BIAWA Board Member and former Board President Allison Mollner about some of their favorite Brain Injury Today episodes and the power of using personal stories to educate and build community. They also discuss their takeaways from this year that they plan to carry forward into 2022, in hopes that you’ll find a kernel of wisdom to incorporate into your life, whether you’re a survivor, caregiver, professional, family member or friend. Tell us what you’d like to hear about on the podcast in 2022 by reaching out on social media or sending an email with the subject line “Brain Injury Today” to info@biawa.org. by Brain Injury Today

17 min listen

Going Back To Work After Brain Injury: Work is one of the biggest challenges for brain injury survivors. It’s common for survivors to lose or leave jobs after a brain injury. And even those who maintain employment will likely need accommodations. In this episode Deborah speaks with Dr. Bob Fraser, a psychologist who runs the Neurological Vocational Services Unit (NVSU), a nonprofit that helps people with brain injuries and other neurological conditions find and maintain employment. Dr. Bob, as we like to call him, talks about the different challenges brain injury survivors face with work and the various resources available to help. by Brain Injury Today

28 min listen

Ableism and Brain Injury: Ableism impacts individuals with physical disabilities as well as those who are neurodiverse. In this episode, we discuss what ableism is and how it impacts those with disabilities, particularly those in the brain injury community. Sabrina speaks with Seth Barronian, a brain injury survivor with both physical disabilities and who is also neurodiverse, and Alan Barronian, his father and caregiver, about their experiences with ableism. Seth discusses how he has experienced ableism both in his personal and professional life, and Alan shares his perspective as a caregiver. They also discuss how to help those with invisible disabilities, and how to be an ally and an advocate for those with all disabilities. by Brain Injury Today

31 min listen

The Ultimate Guidebook for Brain Injury Survivors, Caregivers and Professionals (Pt. 1): This is the first of a two part episode about a groundbreaking new book called Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Survivors and Families. BIAWA Board Member Richard Adler, who authored the book, joins Deborah along with Brandon Blake and Sabrina Bonaparte, who contributed their perspectives as a survivor and caregiver, to discuss how it can serve as an invaluable resource for those navigating the difficulties of brain injury. Richard, Brandon and Sabrina discuss how they worked together to create this comprehensive, step-by-step guidebook and their hopes for getting it into the hands of as many people as possible. by Brain Injury Today

33 min listen

Dr. Monica Vavilala: A Roadmap for Accelerating Progress: The labels of “mild,” “moderate,” and “severe” to classify traumatic brain injury (TBI) are imprecise and are ineffective. Dr. Monica Vavilala is a board-certified anesthesiologist and director of Harborview's Injury Prevention and Research Center. Earlier this year Dr. Vavilala served on a task force to help update and personalize traumatic brain injuries to better guide patient care. In this conversation, Dr. Vavilala shares why this update and personalization for traumatic brain injuries is crucial for both doctors and patients. by Brain Injury Today

34 min listen

The Ultimate Guidebook for Brain Injury Survivors, Caregivers and Professionals (Pt. 2) by Brain Injury Today

38 min listen

Ableism and Brain Injury: Ableism impacts individuals with physical disabilities as well as those who are neurodiverse. In this episode, we discuss what ableism is and how it impacts those with disabilities, particularly those in the brain injury community. Sabrina speaks with Seth Barronian, a brain injury survivor with both physical disabilities and who is also neurodiverse, and Alan Barronian, his father and caregiver, about their experiences with ableism. Seth discusses how he has experienced ableism both in his personal and professional life, and Alan shares his perspective as a caregiver. They also discuss how to help those with invisible disabilities, and how to be an ally and an advocate for those with all disabilities. by Brain Injury Today

31 min listen

Building Community and Finding Support: In this episode of the Brain Injury Today Podcast, new host Sabrina Bonaparte explores the importance of finding and building a community of survivors of brain injury. Her husband, Brandon Blake suffered a traumatic brain injury 8 years ago and found a community of people whom he could relate and recover with. One of the people Brandon met in a support group is his friend, Christian Rusby. This episode explores the importance of support groups and community for both survivors of brain injury and their caregivers. by Brain Injury Today

37 min listen

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Dr. Monica Vavilala: A Roadmap for Accelerating Progress

Dr. Monica Vavilala: A Roadmap for Accelerating Progress

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