$2.2 million CDC grant to study C.O. traumatic brain injury program
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training ( CBIRT ) a 4-year, $2.2 million cooperative agreement to study a Central Oregon Return to School program for students with traumatic brain injuries.
The study will compare health, academic and social outcomes of children and youth with brain injury who are served by the Central Oregon Regional TBI team model with comparison school districts in Washington and Ohio. The project is led by CBIRT Director Ann Glang and Deanne Unruh from the College of Education.
” This research is unique in that it allows us to evaluate an existing model of support for students with brain injuries, rather than develop a new approach that may take years to translate into practice. This helps us close that research-practice gap. We look forward to working with our partners from the High Desert Educational Services District, Central Oregon schools, and medical colleagues from The Center Orthopedic & Neurosurgical Care & Research in Bend to learn more about the effects of this model on important student outcomes, ” said Glang .
According to Glang , the COR-TBI team model, operational in Oregon since 1994, incorporates all four components of an effective RTS program including:
· identification, screening, and assessment practices,
· systematic communication between medical and educational systems,
· tracking of child’s progress over time; and
· professional development for school personnel.
“Although hospitals treat children and adolescents with TBI in their initial course of recovery, it is ultimately the school system that serves as the long-term provider of services to these students,” said HDESD Special Programs Coordinator Sue Hayes, who serves as the TBI team liaison for Central Oregon.
According to Hayes, HDESD’s TBI program offers concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) resources for educators and school staff (special education teams, school nurses, school counselors) working to help students get the academic and emotional support they need along their path to recovery. HDESD also partners with health professionals and educators to identify, assess and serve students with concussion or TBI from birth to 21 years of age.
Dr. Viviane Ugalde will be a consultant on the grant, as well as continue her work as a clinician at The Center Orthopedic & Neurosurgical Care and as concussion medical director for The Center Foundation. She will educate local health care providers about the research grant and recruit people to participate.
Dr. Ugalde began treating Traumatic Brain Injury in 1990 and has become one of Oregon’s leading experts on TBI treatment. She started a concussion management program at The Center in 2010 to help coordinate care for both pediatric and adult patients. In 2014, she spearheaded the multidisciplinary concussion clinic in Central Oregon, which includes a range of specialists including physical therapists, neuropsychologists , vision specialists, and representatives from High Desert Educational School District.
“It’s exciting to have the ability to measure the work that we are doing and learn what kind of a scientific impact we are having with concussion recovery – returning kids to normal life, school, and playing sports,” says Dr. Ugalde . ” I look forward to continuing the body of work that the state of Oregon has done with return to learn and getting kids back in the classroom after a serious concussion. The team of people we are working with will continue to develop our cutting edge concussion management program in Central Oregon. ”
The CBIRT study will use a mixed method quasi-experimental design using school districts in Washington and Ohio as comparison sites. The sample will be 600 children in Central Oregon school districts served by the COR-TBI model and 600 children in the comparison school districts. The comparison school districts do not have formalized return to school programs and are well-matched with the Oregon school districts on demographic factors.
” We will utilize propensity score estimates to match the COR-TBI and treatment-as-usual (TAU) groups and examine differences between the two sites in child health, academic and social outcomes. We will include a qualitative component to assess stakeholder perceptions of the model, including personal and contextual differences that may have subtle effects on child outcomes, and other unanticipated factors that may impact effective implementation of the model.
” At the conclusion of the project, we anticipate having evidence of efficacy of the model as well as a comprehensive understanding of the barriers and facilitators to implementation, ” said Glang .
KTVZ 2019
