Every day, there are more than 611 traumatic brain injury-related hospitalizations in the United States.
Yet there are only two board-certified brain injury specialists in Nebraska — Christopher Anderson, DO, an assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) and Morgan LaHolt, MD, with Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln.
Samuel Bierner, MD, professor and PMR department chair, and Dr. Anderson are hoping to change that with the newly approved Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education brain injury fellowship.
"In the Great Plains region, there is a significant need for more people who have this area of expertise," Dr. Bierner said. "We hope to begin training the first two fellows July 1."
Dr. Bierner said most doctors do not see the range of brain injuries in patients — from sports-related concussions to more severe traumatic brain injuries — that the fellows will be exposed to and learn how to treat.
"It’s a really good opportunity for someone to get that clinical experience with the goal of becoming a specialist in this area," he said.
Fellows who apply to the year-long program will need to have completed residencies in one of three specialties — physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology or psychiatry, Dr. Anderson said.
Once they are accepted into the program, Dr. Anderson said fellows will work at both Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals in Omaha and Lincoln, as well as at Nebraska Medicine, and they will spend one month doing research.
Along with Dr. Anderson, Dr. LaHolt will teach fellows at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln.
"The fellows will have weekly continuity clinics to see patients impacted by a brain injury for follow-up care, as well as provide consults to trauma and neurosurgery," he said.
The brain injury fellowship at UNMC is the 20th program in physical medicine and rehabilitation to get approval opening the door to 28 positions now available in the United States, Dr. Anderson said.
Wonderful. Needed for the area and nationwide, great accomplishment to make this happen
Congratulations! Glad UNMC is engaging in this initiative as we truly need this type of care.
Great to see this happening! Congrats Dr. Bierner and team!
As my family was/is personally affected by TBI this makes my heart happy! Congratulations!