TRI awarded grant to develop interventions for people with traumatic brain injury

Western Oregon University’s (WOU) Teaching Research Institute (TRI) has received a three-year award from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research for $600,000 to develop and implement a program to assist those with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to generalize problem solving strategies to everyday environments. Extending the work of TRI’s Center on Brain Injury Research & Training (CBIRT), this program will employ rigorous qualitative and quantitative experimental methodologies to address the growing need for accessible, evidence-based interventions for persons with TBI. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3.2 million Americans are permanently disabled as a result of a traumatic brain injury and that approximately 1.7 million receive a brain injury yearly.

Approximately 150 adults with traumatic brain injury will be involved with the study. The program will be developed through three phases:

Phase 1—Program Development and Usability Testing will involve focus groups, structured interviews and usability testing with individuals with TBI, their family members, and professionals to inform the development of the GPS-TBI prototype.

Phase 2—Program Evaluation will involve single case and group experimental studies to evaluate the impact of the GPS-TBI.

Phase 3—Program Refinement and Dissemination will refine and disseminate the program through the CBIRT website (cbirt.org) and a national network of collaborating partners (brainline.org).

WOU’s Teaching Research Institute houses eight centers focused on informing and facilitating change in educational and human service systems to improve the quality of life for all individuals. Funded through external grants, the centers conduct programs of research, develop evidence-based interventions that are provided through technical assistance and professional development, and increase system capacity to effect change. TRI has over a 50-year history

of research and provision of technical assistance and training. This grant will continue CBIRT’s innovative line of research developing and evaluating interactive on-line training modules to support effective community integration following brain injury. For additional information about CBIRT’s projects visit the CBIRT website (http://cbirt.org).

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