Joining Forces: TBI/PTSD Conference to be Held Nov. 4

(Courtesy Flickr user James)

In 2011 the White House established the Joining Forces initiative to promote the education, research and clinical care for military members with TBI and PTSD.  The Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC)  was one of the original participants in the program. This year the Medical Campus will host the Third Annual Joining Forces Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 8 a.m.-noon in Hiebert Lounge. Faculty, students and staff are invited to attend guest lectures and participate in the poster session.

Speakers at the event include internationally renowned faculty researchers at BU School of Medicine and the VA Boston Healthcare System. BU is among the leaders in research and collaborative care for concussions and PTSD. VA Boston is a national leader in clinical care and research for veterans with post-deployment disorders, including TBI, PTSD, other anxiety disorders, affective disorders and  comorbid substance abuse. VA Boston also has one of the most comprehensive mental health treatment systems in the country for veterans and is the nation’s largest recipient of VA research dollars supporting more than 150 research projects on PTSD, traumatic brain injury and other post-deployment disorders. VA Boston also is the home of the Behavioral Sciences and Women’s Health Sciences divisions of the National Center for PTSD.

Mark your calendar to learn about the cutting edge research being performed at our institutions in these fields.  Hear how advances in research may be used to identify individuals at risk for prevention, intervention and treatment.  After the formal lectures a poster session will highlight additional areas of research.

BUMC and VA Boston Joining Forces TBI/PTSD Conference

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m.-Noon
BUSM Instructional Building, Hiebert Lounge, 14th Floor

  • 8 – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast
  • 8:30 – 8:50 Introductions and Welcome (Drs. Anna Hohler and Gary Kaplan)
  • 8:50 – 9:35 “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Female OEF/OIF/OND Veterans: Overview of Recent Research Findings” by Dawne Vogt, PhD, acting deputy director, Women’s Health Sciences Division, National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System and associate professor of Psychiatry, BUSM
  • 9:35 – 9:45 Break
  • 9:45 – 10:30 “Current Concepts in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy” by Ann McKee, MD, Chief of Neuropathology, VA Boston Healthcare System, professor of Neurology and Pathology, BUSM
  • 11:15 – noon Poster Viewing