Zhilin Li is a medical student at McGill University and a research trainee at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

Alyssa Lickfeld is a Research Laboratory Technician for the Geneva Foundation and the University at Buffalo in the Departments of Oral Biology and Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Alyssa received her Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering and her Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Sciences and Psychology from the University at Buffalo. Alyssa is interested in translational research focused around improving patient outcomes in clinical settings.

Alyssa Lickfeld is a Research Laboratory Technician for the Geneva Foundation at the University at Buffalo in the Departments of Oral Biology and Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Alyssa received her Master’s degree in biomedical engineering and her Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Sciences and Psychology from the University at Buffalo. Alyssa is interested in translational research focused around improving patient outcomes in clinical settings.

Jonathan Lifshitz, PhD, leads the Neurotrauma & Social Impact research team as a joint venture between the Phoenix VA Health Care System and University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix. He is a VA Research Health Scientist and a Research Professor of Psychiatry.
Dr. Lifshitz earned a Bachelors in Neuroscience from UCLA, a PhD in Neuroscience from University of Pennsylvania, and completed fellowships at UPenn and VCU. He leads local, state, and federal funded projects, including ones on cognitive rehabilitation, cardiovascular risk factors, real-time brain imaging, neuroinflammation, and TBI during pregnancy. Currently, he is the scientific director for regional and national consortia to understand TBI arising from domestic violence. He chairs shared governance bodies at his institutions, chaired the Arizona Governor’s Council on Spinal and Head Injury, and reviews grants for national institutes. He currently serves as vice-chair for the North American Brain Injury Society.

Brian Liu is a M.A. student in Clinical Psychology at the University of British Columbia, supervised by Dr. Noah Silverberg. He completed his Honours B.A. at McGill University. His research interests surround the social determinants of clinical outcomes following concussion with the goal of reducing disparities in concussion healthcare.

Camille Livernoche Leduc, M.Sc., is a doctoral candidate in neuropsychology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, under the supervision of Professor Marie-Julie Potvin, neuropsychologist, and Professor David Williamson, pharmacist. Her research focuses on post-traumatic agitation in intensive care unit (ICU) patients who have experienced moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Camille is currently developing a comprehensive assessment tool for evaluating post-traumatic agitation in this patient population. In addition, she is exploring the effects of antipsychotics used to manage agitated behaviours in the ICU on cognitive functioning during the acute recovery phase.

Roberto Llorens graduated from the Universitat Politècnica de València (Valencia, Spain) with a major in Telecommunications Engineering. He also earned a Masters in Technology, Communication Systems and Networks and got a Doctorate Degree Cum Laude in the same institution, with an Extraordinary Doctorate Award. Dr Llorens is the group leader of the Neurorehabilitation and Brain Research Group of the Universitat Politècnica de València, which is focused on assessing and promoting the recovery of brain function after an injury, and on examining the underlying mechanisms of different brain processes. His early career was awarded with the Early Career Investigator Award of the International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation, which recognizes outstanding scientific work in the field, and with his inclusion in the Program for Talented Researchers of the Generalitat Valenciana, first as a Junior Researcher, and later as a Researcher of Excellence, which highlight the relevance of his contributions and the international projection in the initial phase of his research career. Roberto is a member of the Spanish Society of Neurorehabilitation and the Board of Governors of the International Brain Injury Association.

Sandra Goizueta graduated from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain) in 2021 in Biomedical Engineering. She also earned a Masters in Medical Imaging and Data Processing in 2022 at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany). She is currently a PhD student at the Neurorehabilitation and Brain Research Group of the Human-Tech Institute. Her research interests are focused on the use of machine and deep learning techniques to investigate brain and physiological activity in patients with disorders of consciousness.

Bradi Rai Lorenz is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus. Her research focuses on understanding brain dysfunction in women who have experienced intimate partner violence-caused brain injury. Specifically, she is looking at perturbations in balance control and circulating hormone levels including estradiol, progesterone, and cortisol following IPV-BI.

Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience

Mélanie is a PhD candidate in the field of neurosciences, with a specific focus on concussion and persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Liège, graduating in 2022.

In October 2023, Mélanie started her doctoral journey, delving into the complex neural dynamics associated with concussion and its recovery. Her research aims to deepen the understanding of the mechanisms underlying PPCS by integrating advanced neuroimaging techniques with behavioral assessments. Through this work, she hopes to contribute to more effective diagnostic tools and interventions for individuals affected by concussions.

Nicole Viola, MS, CCC-SLP is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at The Ohio State University. She earned her BA from Baylor University and her MS from The University of Texas at Dallas. Her research focuses on the long-term outcomes of children with TBI and their families.

Wendy L. Magee PhD is Professor of Music Therapy at Temple University, teaching for both the Philadelphia and Japan campuses. She has practiced in neurological rehabilitation since 1988 as a music therapy clinician, researcher, manager and trainer (Australia, Ireland, UK and USA). As a clinician, Wendy’s experience lies with adults and children with complex needs stemming from acquired neurological conditions including traumatic brain injury, stroke, degenerative neurological illness and disorders of consciousness following acquired brain injury. Her publications span music therapy, music psychology, neuroscience, medicine, rehabilitation, psychology, and health sociology. The topics of her research include evidence-based practice in neurorehabilitation including a Cochrane Review; measurement tools in rehabilitation; music therapy and identity; and music technology in health and education (practice and innovations). Her primary research topic since 2012 has been developing and validating music-based measures for disorders of consciousness, based in her clinical work from 1990. Her current research collaborations include partners in the USA, UK, Europe, South America, New Zealand and China with a focus on assessment for Disorders of Consciousness.

Wendy L. Magee PhD is Professor of Music Therapy at Temple University, teaching for both the Philadelphia and Japan campuses. She has practiced in neurological rehabilitation since 1988 as a music therapy clinician, researcher, manager and trainer (Australia, Ireland, UK and USA). As a clinician, Wendy’s experience lies with adults and children with complex needs stemming from acquired neurological conditions including traumatic brain injury, stroke, degenerative neurological illness and disorders of consciousness following acquired brain injury. Her publications span music therapy, music psychology, neuroscience, medicine, rehabilitation, psychology, and health sociology.  The topics of her research include evidence-based practice in neurorehabilitation including a Cochrane Review; measurement tools in rehabilitation; music therapy and identity; and music technology in health and education (practice and innovations). Her primary research topic since 2012 has been developing and validating music-based measures for disorders of consciousness, based in her clinical work from 1990. Her current research collaborations include partners in the USA, UK, Europe, South America, Australasia, and China with a focus on assessment for Disorders of Consciousness.

Dr. Katie Mah is a Mitacs Postdoctoral Associate in the Childhood Rehabilitation Ethics & Disability Research Lab at Western University and the Neurorehab Outcomes via Education & Learning Lab at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Her research is also funded by VOICE (Views on Interdisciplinary Childhood Ethics) at McGill University. She is a critical qualitative health researcher with a clinical background in nursing and occupational therapy. Katie’s research aims to disrupt conventional ways of thinking and knowing about concussion and young people, while challenging clinicians and researchers to (re)imagine concussion education, care, and research. For her doctoral work she was awarded a Pursuit Award by the Bloorview Research Institute (Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital) and named 2021 recipient of the highly regarded Joan Eakin Award for Methodological Excellence in a Qualitative Dissertation (Centre for Critical Qualitative Health Research, University of Toronto).

Stephanie Budd is a Speech and Language Pathologist at Craig Research and Rehabilitation Hospital in Englewood, Colorado. She has been a SLP for nine years in multiple health care settings. Her primary research interest is memory disorders following acquired brain injury.

Arielle Reindeau, MS, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst with over 10 years if experience implementing person- centered behavior analysis. Arielle has served populations with special needs, developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries in a variety of settings including home and hospital. She is currently Neurobehavioral Rehabilitation Supervisor at Craig Rehabilitation and Research Hospital in Englewood Colorado. She is responsible for the development and deployment of behavioral programing 7 days a week on both the inpatient and outpatient service lines and oversees the work of 3 BCBAs and 8 Behavioral Technicians. She also is responsible for staff training in behavioral management for both nurses and therapy staff.

Dr. Makley is a board certified neurologist with special board certification in brain injury medicine. He has over 30 years of experience providing rehabilitation care for patients with acquired brain injury. His primary areas of research interest are memory and sleep disorders after moderate to severe brain injury. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications and has been an invited speaker both nationally and internationally. He is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the Medical Director for Brain Injury Research at Craig Rehabilitation and Research Hospital in Englewood Colorado.

Mr Kit Malia BED, MPhil, CPCRT, was the first Certificated Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapist in the UK (via the International Society for Cognitive Rehabilitation), with a research degree in Neuropsychology. He initially trained as a teacher for people with learning disabilities and, following 6 years of teaching, spent three decades working as a cognitive rehabilitation therapist with adults who have acquired neurological injuries, at one of the largest brain injury rehabilitation units in the UK: The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court. His last role was Project Officer for the mild Traumatic Brain Injury Programme at Headley Court where he was responsible for managing the delivery, by the multi-disciplinary team, of the specialised programme he designed and produced. He has published scientific papers on cognitive and psychosocial rehabilitation, and clinical standards in brain injury rehabilitation. He is the primary author of Brainwave-R (an extensive collection of cognitive strategies and techniques for brain injury rehabilitation). He is the first International Chair of the International Society for Cognitive Rehabilitation. He currently works with Anne Brannagan within Brain Tree Training (braintreetraining.co.uk) as a developer and course provider, and is the Director of Life Tree Training (lifetreetraining.co.uk) - a company focused on maintaining healthy, purposeful life.

Mr Kit Malia BED, MPhil, CPCRT, was the first Certificated Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapist in the UK (via the International Society for Cognitive Rehabilitation), with a research degree in Neuropsychology. He initially trained as a teacher for people with learning disabilities and, following 6 years of teaching, spent three decades working as a cognitive rehabilitation therapist with adults who have acquired neurological injuries, at one of the largest brain injury rehabilitation units in the UK: The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court. His last role was Project Officer for the mild Traumatic Brain Injury Programme at Headley Court where he was responsible for managing the delivery, by the multi-disciplinary team, of the specialised programme he designed and produced. He has published scientific papers on cognitive and psychosocial rehabilitation, and clinical standards in brain injury rehabilitation. He is the primary author of Brainwave-R (an extensive collection of cognitive strategies and techniques for brain injury rehabilitation). He is the first International Chair of the International Society for Cognitive Rehabilitation. He currently works with Anne Brannagan within Brain Tree Training (braintreetraining.co.uk) as a developer and course provider, and is the Director of Life Tree Training (lifetreetraining.co.uk) - a company focused on maintaining healthy, purposeful life.

Dr. Abana Azariah is Assistant Professor in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School. She also serves as Clinical Chief of the Disorders of Consciousness Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Rinni Mamman is a PhD student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Rinni completed her master’s in the same program, focusing on the changes in social participation, self-awareness, and self-identity after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Currently, her doctoral work explores the public perception of traumatic brain injury. Much of Rinni’s research includes collaborations with individuals with TBI and key stakeholder groups.

Kiersten is a 4th year PhD student in Exercise Science, with the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Ivan Marinkovic (MD, PhD) is a Chief Physician of Traumatic Brain Injury Department, Neurological Rehabilitation Department, Occupational Evaluation Department and Aid-Device Unit, all being situated in Neurocenter, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. He holds an academic title adjunct professor from Helsinki University.

Dr. Marinkovic is a highly competent and experienced neurology specialist and exceptionally motivated researcher in the field of brain injury and rehabilitation. He is extensively dedicated to his work and has versatile experience in the diagnosis of neurological diseases, differential diagnostics of brain injuries, treatment and rehabilitation evaluation, multidimensional and very demanding rehabilitation and working ability assessments, as well as experience as chief of department for more than 4 years and senior physician for more than 8 years.

Dr. Marinkovic has high expertise in brain injury and work ability assessment, as well as certified special competence in rehabilitation, insurance medicine and traffic medicine. He is the chairman of the HUS Traffic Medicine Department, as well as a permanent medical member of the Supreme Insurance Court, a deputy member of the Neurology Department of the Traffic and Patient Injury Board, and an expert in neurology of the Insurance Board.

Rory A. Marshall is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Health and Social Development at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. He completed his MSc in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan and his BA at Vancouver Island University. While Marshall's primary research interests include public health, violence and exploitation, and paramedicine, he hosts an impressive academic record specifically at the intersection of intimate partner violence and paramedicine, yielding multiple international conference presentations, and peer reviewed publications. His community-engaged research hosts a variety of collaborations including emergency medical services, provincial and regional community health organizations, and hospitals to develop meaningful research outputs with implications for clinical practice. Clinically, Marshall practices as a paramedic for British Columbia Emergency Health Services. He also has international clinical experience in Central America and New Zealand. Among other appointments, Marshall is a Senior Fellow for the McNally Project for Paramedic Research, and a Researcher and Clinical Member of the Alliance Against Violence and Adversity. Academically, he is an instructor at the Justice Institute of British Columbia in the School of Paramedicine and Health Sciences, and is an expert peer reviewer for journals including Paramedicine and PLoS One. He also serves as an evidence appraiser for the Dalhousie Prehospital Evidence Based Practice Database.

Sara Marshall is a PhD student in School/Applied Child Psychology at McGill University, co-supervised by Dr. Shannon Scratch at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and Dr. Steven Shaw at McGill. She completed her Master of Arts in School/Applied Child Psychology at McGill University and Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour at McMaster University. Her doctoral research explores how to improve return-to-school experiences of youth who have experienced a brain injury.

Kylie is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the NOvEL (Neurorehab Outcomes via Education and Learning) Lab at the Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and an Occupational Therapist in the Persistent Concussion Clinic at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Christine is a second year PhD student studying at the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto. She completed a clinical Master of Health Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto in 2021. Christine is a registered Speech-Language-Pathologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario. She completed a research Master of Science degree in 2023 at the University of Toronto in Rehabilitation Science, investigating speech and language outcomes following childhood stroke.
Currently, Christine is completing her doctoral studies under the supervision of Dr. Shannon Scratch in the NOvEL lab at the Bloorview Research Institute. Her research involves the investigation and implementation of TeachABI (an online professional development module for educators) into the hospital to return to school transition pathway following acquired brain injury. As a research trainee and Speech-Language Pathologist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Christine has a strong passion for working with children and youth following acquired brain injury.

Dr. Alexander Lithopoulos works at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), where he coordinates the Living Concussion Guidelines which provides evidence-based recommendations for adult concussion healthcare providers and patients. He is also the lead methodologist for the Knowledge Translation Service Line at the Ottawa Methods Centre within OHRI, which is a service line designed to support and provide expertise to internal and external requestors seeking advice and/or evaluative activities that draw upon knowledge translation, implementation, and/or behavioural sciences.

Géraldine Martens is a licensed Physical Therapist from Belgium. She obtained her PhD at the University of Liège in 2020. Her research focused on the diagnosis and therapeutic management of patients with severe brain injury. After a post-doc at the University of Montréal, QC Canada, working on traumatic brain injury and sports-related concussions, she came back in Liège as a post-doctoral fellow, continuing work on concussion. She teaches Clinical Research Methodology at the University of Liège since 2021.

Dr. Martindale is a Research Scientist at the Salisbury VA Healthcare System in Salisbury, North Carolina and an Assistant Professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine with a background in behavioral neuroscience and advanced training in neuropsychology. Her broad area of research is traumatic brain injury among veterans, with specific focus on how characteristics of TBI acquired during deployment and blast exposure influence long-term brain health outcomes. Her research outcomes span structural and functional neuroimaging to observational behavioral work.

Jennifer Marwitz is Director of Traumatic Brain Injury Research in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has experience coordinating major research and demonstration projects and has worked with NIDILRR-funded TBI Model System centers since program inception. Ms. Marwitz has published more than seventy peer-reviewed manuscripts with many relating to rehabilitation outcome, families, return to work, return to driving, and emotional well-being. Her research interests include emotional adjustment, community reintegration, and return to work and driving after brain injury.

Dr. Maschke completed her PhD in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University, where she uses techniques of machine-learning to quantify signatures of consciousness after severe brain injury. She is currently doing a Postdoc at Harvard University and Aix-Marseille University, working on whole-brain modelling for epilepsy treatment simulation. Her work gravitates around the concept of complex dynamics as a requirement for healthy brain function and the emergence of consciousness.

Marie Matérne is an associate professor in social work. Her main research interest is rehabilitation and social work. She has several ongoing project within Brain Injury.

Jamie Mayer is an Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in neuroscience, gerontology, medical speech-language pathology, and acquired neurogenic cognitive-communicative disorders. Her primary areas of research include leveraging the arts to maximize communication and engagement for people with dementia and other acquired communication disorders (e.g., aphasia), cognitive training for adults at risk for dementia, and exploring training paradigms for students to decrease ageism and increase dementia knowledge/confidence. Dr. Mayer also serves as Chair of the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS) Evidence-Based Practice Aphasia Writing Group.

Anny Maza completed her BSc in Biomedical Engineering at Universitat Politècnica de València in 2017 and earned the related MSc at the same institution in the following year. Anny is specialized in Bioelectronics and Medical Technology. Her interest in the study of biomedical signals related to brain injury started during her master’s thesis, which she conducted in the Neurorehabilitation and Brain Research Group at Universitat Politècnica de València. Currently, Anny is finishing her PhD studies under the supervision of Dr. Roberto Llorens and Prof. Valery Naranjo in the same institution. Her research focuses on the analysis of brain activity during motor and emotion-related tasks on individuals with disorders of consciousness using non-invasive techniques such as EEG and fNIRS.

Daniel McBride MD is the 2024-25 Brain Injury Medicine fellow at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.

Deanne Unruh, Ph.D., Research Professor and Associate Vice President of Research at the University of Oregon. Dr. Unruh currently is the Co-Director of National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: the Collaborative. Her externally funded research focuses on high risk adolescents (e.g., youth with ED, juvenile justice involvement). Dr. Unruh has received external research funding from multiple entities including Office of Special Education Programs, Institute of Educational Sciences, and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs. In her role at the University of Oregon, she co-directs the Secondary Special Education and Transition (SSET) research unit. Her research expertise focuses on transition and re-entry practices for justice-involved adolescents with disabilities. A second focus is on students experiencing brain injury. Prior to coming to UO, Dr. Unruh was a teacher and administrator in alternative schools for marginalized youth in urban and under-resourced settings for more than 12 years.

With over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Michelle McDonald currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Brain Injury Canada. In this capacity, she has steered the organization toward a new strategic direction, establishing it as a trusted source of information, a knowledge mobilizer, and a dedicated advocate for the brain injury community. Michelle is the Co-Chair of the Governing Council for Neurological Health Charities Canada and is an active member of the Executive Committees for both the Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium and the Canadian Concussion Network. She also a member of the Canadian Transportation Agency’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, Praxis Spinal Cord Institute Advisory Committee and Heart and Stroke’s Cardiac Arrest National Advisory Committee.

Dr Josh McGeown is a Senior Research Fellow at Mātai Medical Research Institute supported by the Neurological Foundation First Fellowship. Josh’s passion for mTBI research comes from personal experience with the negative consequences of this injury. His work has focussed on understanding how pathophysiological consequences of mTBI underlie clinical symptoms and outcomes to identify targets for better prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation. Josh has a diverse inter-discipline skillset spanning clinical experience to advanced statistical analysis including machine learning. Josh’s work at Mātai focusses on how advanced multimodal MRI can create a complete picture of the brain’s state after mTBI and how changes in this state explain subjective symptom reports over the recovery period. This work may lead to an imaging-based clinical support tool that could transform patient-centred management of mTBI.

Dr Josh McGeown is a Senior Research Fellow at Mātai Medical Research Institute supported by the Neurological Foundation First Fellowship.  Josh’s passion for mTBI research comes from personal experience with the negative consequences of this injury. His work has focused on understanding how pathophysiological consequences of mTBI underlie clinical symptoms and outcomes to identify targets for better prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation. Josh has a diverse inter-discipline skillset spanning clinical experience to advanced statistical analysis including machine learning. Josh’s work at Mātai focusses on how advanced multimodal MRI can create a complete picture of the brain’s state after mTBI and how changes in this state explain subjective symptom reports over the recovery period. This work may lead to an imaging-based clinical support tool that could transform patient-centred management of mTBI.

Dr. Josh McGeown is a postdoctoral research fellow at Matai Medical Research Institute supported by the Neurological Foundation First Fellowship. He completed an Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology and a Masters of Science at Lakehead University in Canada. To pursue PhD, he moved to New Zealand in 2018 and finished the degree at the Auckland University of Technology.

Dr. McGeown is a subject matter expert in the study of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), with his passion coming from a personal experience of the negative consequences of this injury. His work focuses on understanding how the pathophysiological consequences of mTBI underlie clinical symptoms and outcomes to identify targets for improved prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation. He has a diverse inter-discipline skillset, from clinical experience to advanced statistical analysis to machine learning.

Dr. McGeown is working with the team from the University of Auckland and the Matai Medical Research Institute, focusing on using advanced multimodal MRI to create a complete picture of the brain's state after mTBI and how changes in this state can explain subjective symptom reports throughout recovery. The work aims to craft an imaging-based clinical support tool that could transform patient-centred management of mTBI.

Samantha McIntosh is completing her master’s in clinical neuroscience at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Chantel Debert. She received her BHSc in Biomedical Science from the University of Calgary and completed her honours project in Dr. Debert’s lab, examining sleep disturbance in adults with persistent post-concussive symptoms using wrist-worn actigraphy. Her thesis is focused on the Ready Assessment of Prognostic Indicators and Diagnostics (RAPID) for concussion in adults presenting to the emergency department.

Dr Adam McKay is Associate Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University and Head of Psychology at Epworth HealthCare, a leading providing of ABI rehabilitation services in Melbourne. Adam is a Clinical Neuropsychologist with years of experience in supporting patients with ABI and their families in acute and community settings. He is lead of the Moderate-Severe TBI research theme within the Monash Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre (MERRC) and has published widely on rehabilitation during the early and chronic stages after brain injury and concussion. He leads the Neuropsychology Rehabilitation and Concussion Clinics at the Turner Clinics, part of Monash University, which provides evidence based clinical services to clients as well as supporting research and training in neuropsychology.

Michelle McKerral, Ph.D. is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at Université de Montréal. She has been the Department’s Chair since 2018 and was previously Associate Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at the Faculty or Arts and Sciences from 2012 to 2017. Dr. McKerral was also Director of the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Neuropsychology from 2007 to 2011. She has been a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR) since 2001, where she was a Scientific Site Director from 2012 to 2016. She is also affiliated to CerebrUM and CIRCA, two scientific groups at Université de Montréal that respectively promote research and training in cognitive and computational neuroscience and neuropsychology, and on the brain and learning.
Dr. McKerral has been doing funded research work with individuals with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) for over 25 years in a multisite interdisciplinary social and vocational rehabilitation context, as well as within the community. Her main research objectives are: (1) to gain a better understanding of the complex determinants of recovery of cerebral function and global outcome after a TBI, including mild TBI; and (2) to obtain data on rehabilitation interventions for TBI to promote evidenced-based clinical practice for brain-injured individuals. More specifically, Dr. McKerral’s research focuses on enhancing TBI rehabilitation effectiveness (i.e., implementation of evidenced-based cognitive and interdisciplinary interventions and systematic outcome measurement), and monitoring recovery of cognitive function and social participation during rehabilitation and in the following years (i.e., use of mixed outcome measures: neuropsychological, brain imaging, outcomes reported by clinicians, patients, caregivers), in order to positively influence the short- and long-term outcomes of persons living with a TBI (e.g. social participation and return to work, quality of life).

Stephanie recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Biomedical sciences from the University of Montreal. She currently coordinates the KOALA: a multi-center project which aims to document long-term outcomes and abilities in young children who sustain concussion before the age of 6 years.

Dr. Meulenbroek worked as a speech-language pathologist for 22 years in the field of brain injury. He is an Assistant Professor at The Waldron College of Health and Human Services and director of the Social Communication and Cognitive Abilities (SCCA) Lab. His work examines issues with social communication in the workplace in persons with TBI.

Varun Mishra is a dedicated medical student with a strong interest in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Brain Injury Medicine. He is passionate about improving the quality of life for individuals recovering from neurological injuries, with a particular focus on innovative rehabilitation strategies. Varun’s academic journey is centered around understanding the complexities of brain injury and exploring interdisciplinary approaches to patient care. His long-term goal is to contribute to advancements in brain injury rehabilitation and enhance collaborative practices between healthcare professionals in the field.

Kathleen Monahan, D.S.W., L.C.S.W. L.M.F.T. is Associate Professor at the School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University, N.Y. Dr. Monahan is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice since 1984 specializing in the effects of Intimate Partner Violence, sexual abuse, and trauma. Her research interests are neurological outcomes of gender-based violence, adult survivors of childhood sexual violence, bereavement, the use of therapeutic humor with trauma survivors, and disability.

Dr. Martin M Monti is associate professor in the Departments of Psychology and Neurosurgery at UCLA. Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA, in 2011, he received his doctorate in Psychology and Neurosciences at Princeton University (Princeton, NJ, USA), and spent three years as a Career Development Fellow at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, UK. His research focuses on the mechanisms by which consciousness is implemented in the human brain, and why/how consciousness is lost and (sometimes) recovered after severe brain injury. Hi research is thus focused on patients in a state of Coma, in a Vegetative State or Minimally Conscious State. In addition, more recently, Dr Monti has begun exploring neurorestorative interventions for patients suffering from disorders of consciousness, employing non-invasive methods such as focused ultrasound pulsation aimed at thalamic tissue. Prof. Monti’s research has been featured in a number of international journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, Annals of Neurology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Cerebral Cortex, and Brain, among others, and has been featured in popular media outlets, including television (e.g., CNN, BBC, CBS) and print (e.g., Time Magazine, LA Times, Technology Report, Huffington Post). Dr. Monti was recognized as a “Rising Star” by the Association for Psychological Science (APS) in 2013. His work on the mechanisms of loss of consciousness in anesthesia was recognized, in 2014, with the UCLA Life Science Faculty Award for Outstanding Research Publication. See http://montilab.psych.ucla.edu

J. Bronwen Moore, B.Sc.O.T., M.A., has been working since 2002 as an occupational therapist in the field of neurological rehabilitation and pain management in Toronto, Ontario. She has a master’s degree in adult education. In her work with the Toronto Rehab Brain and Spinal Cord LEAP (Living Engaged and Actively with Pain) Service at the University Health Network, Bronwen supports clients living with acquired brain injury and other neurological conditions to learn skills to self-manage their pain. She holds an Adjunct Lecturer appointment with the University of Toronto Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. She has presented at numerous conferences about topics related to neurological rehabilitation and pain management. Bronwen’s professional interests include pain self-management, resilience, and the role of the arts in healthcare.

Dr. Nicholas Moser is a practicing chiropractic specialist currently working at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in the KITE Research clinics. Dr. Moser graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in 2011. After completing his undergraduate degree, he attended the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) and completed his degree in 2015.

Dr. Moser completed a postgraduate fellowship in Clinical Sciences at CMCC from 2015-2017. During his fellowship he evaluated the changes in blood flow in the brain and neck before and after manipulation in patients with chronic neck pain, using functional MRI technology. This work can be found in the British Medical Journal.

His clinical experience includes internships at Mount Sinai Hospital in the Rebecca MacDonald Centre for Arthritis and Autoimmune Disease and at St. Michael’s Hospital in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Dr. Moser has had the privilege of having his works published in prestigious journals such as the British Medical Journal, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, The European Spine Journal, BMC Neurology and most recently the Journal of Neurotrauma.

Dr. Moser is undertaking his PhD at the University of Toronto through the Institute of Medical Sciences. He’s currently running a randomized clinical trial which is focused on better understanding ways to facilitate healing following a concussion in those whose symptoms persist beyond normal healing times.

Dr Aoife Murray is a third-year rehabilitation medicine trainee physician and has completed her MRCPI in General Medicine.She is currently completing a year of trauma rehabilitation training in Cork University Hospital, a designated Major Trauma Centre in Ireland. She has completed two years of clinical training in the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Ireland’s only tertiary specialist centre for complex rehabilitation.
Dr Aoife Murray graduated from the School of Medicine at NUI Galway, Ireland in 2015. She holds a MSc in
Healthcare Ethics and Law from RCSI. Aoife completed the BioInnovate Fellowship programme in NUI Galway,
where she learned to combine her clinical experience, research knowledge, and her passion for problem-solving, to
develop solutions that improve patient outcomes. She co-led the successful rapid implementation of ‘ICU
Familylink,’ a bespoke video-conferencing system, during the Covid-19 pandemic which led to multiple awards and
grants from Science Foundation Ireland and Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration programme for expansion of
telemedicine research.