Mind Your Brain @ Penn Medicine 2025

Opening Remarks

Keynote Speaker

Resource Booth Highlights

Research Panel

Workshop Session 1

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

1B. Demystifying Autonomic Dysfunction after Brain Injury: What is it and what are some non-pharmacological ways to reverse it?
Presenter: Roni Lynn Robinson, MSN, RN, CRNP-BC

Coping Autonomic dysfunction is very common after brain injury, but often goes unrecognized and is
poorly treated. Also known as dysautonomia, Autonomic dysfunction refers to a disorder of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which controls involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation. These changes can often affect how you feel every day and make it difficult to participate in your usual daily activities. This session will explore what autonomic dysfunction is and discuss non-pharmacological interventions people can take to reverse it.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

1C. Cryoneurolysis – A Novel Approach to Treating Pain Associated with Spasticity
Presenters: Stephen Hampton, MD; Randel Swanson, DO

Eighty percent of what we perceive comes through our sense of sight, but “sight” and “vision” should be looked at as two different things. Sight is the physical ability of our eyes to experience reflection of light off of objects and send signals to the brain to create images. Vision is how the brain interprets these images. Vision goes far beyond our ability to see things. It is one of the key systems used for balance, for learning new information, and for being aware of ourselves while connecting with our surroundings. Brain injury survivors often may experience some type of visual changes. This session will review common visual impairments, identify possible providers to add to the treatment team and provide tools and strategies for visual rehab as well as on available environmental adaptations and tools.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

1D. Community Integrated Services (CIS): Building an Inclusive Workforce
Presenters: Melissa Good; Angelina Bush, CESP, CPWIC

The session will discuss the following: What is the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)?, Should I apply?, How do I get started?, What services are available to me? and What is the Client Assistance Program (CAP)? This session will review what going back to work may look like for an individual. CIS will touch on funding for support employment and how an individual can get the process started. CIS will also discuss benefits counseling and how to access this service and why it is important to have benefits counseling if you are working or plan to go back to work. For personal service after the workshop please come see our Resource Table.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

Lunch/Resource Booths

Workshop Session 2

This talk will introduce the audience to the wonders of the sense of smell – a sensory system
that is commonly impacted by head trauma. This sensory system is critically important for determining the flavors of foods and beverages and serves as an early warning system for detecting such dangers as leaking natural gas and spoiled foods. In this presentation, the prevalence and nature of smell dysfunction in head trauma, as well as in other disorders and the general population, will be discussed along with evidence that the degree of its dysfunction correlates with accidents in
the home (e.g., burning foods on the stove). How clinicians measure the ability to smell will be described, as well as treatments available for persons with smell loss, ways to improve its function, and recipes to make food more enjoyable.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

2B. The Mind Body Connection and Building Resilience: Why it’s so important after Brain Injury
Presenter: Roni Lynn Robinson, MSN, RN, CRNP-BC

Having a strong mind body connection and building resilience are life skills that are important for everyone, but especially for those who have sustained a brain injury or are caring for a person who has sustained a brain injury. These skills are helpful in reducing stress and aiding in achieving emotional balance. This session will focus on the normalcy of emotional changes after TBI and methods to support resilience and emotional wellness.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

2C. Breathe Easier! Evidence-based Breathwork and Meditation for Busting Stress and Boosting Wellbeing for TBI survivors and Care Partners
Presenters: Ronnie Newman, Ed.M; Vatsav Raman, PhD; Vaibhav, Tripathi, PhD

On their road to recovery, TBI survivors often face mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. Beyond impacting quality of life, these challenges are found to hinder recovery. In care partners, high levels of stress, burnout, and mental health challenges are common. Fortunately, there are innovative, evidence-based, and self-empowering techniques that can be adopted by TBI survivors and care partners for addressing stress and mental health challenges, while simultaneously boosting resilience and psychological thriving. This session will review these techniques and teach breathing techniques and meditation that participants can take back from the conference.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

2D. Multidisciplinary Neuro Rehab: How to Initiate Services & Get the Appropriate Script
Presenters: Alyssa Tarantino, MA CCC SLP, CBIS; Samantha Mckenna, OTR/L, CBIS; Alison Radomski, PT, DPT, NCS

Given the new classification of TBI as a chronic injury by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), brain injury survivors are now able to reframe recovery. Survivors’ needs can now be addressed in phases throughout their life post-injury. Neurorehabilitative services are skilled therapies that provide a patient with the tools to access their activities of daily living (ADLs) and independent activities of daily living (IADLs) in their home, in the community, and in work settings as appropriate. This presentation will define neuro rehabilitation, identify multidisciplinary care as related to TBI recovery and adaptation, and educate on when/how/why to initiate outpatient therapy services. Survivors and caregivers will be provided with explicit instruction on how to obtain an appropriate script (doctor’s prescription for therapy), how to search for providers, and how to initiate care. They will understand the role of therapy during the lifelong phases of TBI and when to seek support. They will also understand the goals of outpatient multidisciplinary therapies and estimated timelines for length of care. Survivors and caregivers should feel knowledgeable and empowered to better manage their care within the context of chronic injury.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and Caregivers
15-minute travel time

Workshop Session 3

Getting and staying active after a brain injury is challenging but very important. Regular exercise has been linked with improved mood, cognition, and overall health. This session will focus on practical strategies to set and achieve health/wellness/fitness goals and to overcome common barriers to achieving them. Key take-aways from this session include the value of SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals, peer support, regular check-ins on accountability, the use of Fitbit, and the ability to focus on effort (versus achievement) and self-care. Resources including online tools/videos will also be featured. Participants should expect to leave this session both motivated and better equipped to tackle their goals.

Target Audience: TBI survivors

3B. Strengthening Relationships Between Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and their Caregivers Utilizing the Principles of Trauma-Informed Care.
Presenter: Sophia Wright MSN, RN, NPD-BC, AMB-BC

TBI survivors are among the bravest and most vulnerable of humankind. Those entrusted as caregivers are faced with the challenge of providing physical and emotional support while fostering a positive relationship with TBI survivors. Implementing the principles of Trauma-Informed Care can help create and nurture a trusting relationship that improves health outcomes and reduces caregiver burnout. Furthermore, Trauma-Informed Care allows the opportunity for TBI survivors to wholly engage in every aspect of their life, providing a sense of their inherent human value and worth. This session is designed to help caregivers gain an understanding of how to apply the principles of Trauma-Informed Care to create a strong and positive survivor/caregiver relationship.

Target Audience: Caregivers and TBI survivors

3C. Multidisciplinary Neuro Rehab: What to Expect in PT, OT, and Speech Therapy Sessions with Demonstrations
Presenters: Erica Ferraiolo-Shearn, MA, CCC-SLP;
Samantha Mitchell, MS, OTR/L CBIS; Danielle Stewart, PT, DPT

Survivors and caregivers are invited to learn what a physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy session would look like for a mild brain injury/concussion survivor. Be prepared for an interactive demonstration of various therapy exercises/education. The physical therapy component will focus on vestibular/ocular reflex exercises, stretching, flexibility, and balance. The occupational therapy component will focus on symptom management, sleep hygiene, and routine development. The speech therapy component will focus on exercises for attention and memory.

Target Audience: TBI survivors and caregivers

3D. Autonomic Dysfunction after Brain Injury: A Biopsychosocial and Multidisciplinary Model
Richa Aggarwal Dutta, PhD; Katelyn Lucas, MSN, CPNP-PC; Cheryl Francis, MS, BSN, RN

Evidence indicates that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can often impact an indvidual’s autonomic nervious system, including changes in cognition and memory, difficulties in cardiovascular functioning, temperature dysregulation, exercise intolerance, headache pain, and GI dysmotility. Such difficulties can significantly impact the individual’s overall quality of life and road to recovery, including difficulties maintaining physical, academic, occupational, social, and emotional functioning.

This presentation will provide an overview of autonomic dysfunction that may follow TBI, provide case conceptulizations using a biopsychosocial model considering the mind-body connection, and discuss a multidisciplinary treatment clinic that helps address these. Resources will be provided for families that need more support in the healthcare setting to address autonomic dysfunction, and several concrete strategies will be reviewed that individuals can use in their daily lives to help achieve their personal valued goals, return to living an active lifestyle, and improve overall functioning.