New UVA concussion clinic opens Jan. 17

To provide easier access to comprehensive care for patients with concussions and mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), University of Virginia Health System is opening the Brain Injury and Sports Concussion Clinic on Friday, Jan. 17.

UVA has been a national leader in research and treatments for concussions and mild TBI for years through its Brain Injury and Sports Concussion Institute. Bringing UVA’s experts together in one clinic will make it easier for patients to get streamlined access to the specialists they need to see based on their symptoms and injuries. Patients will need a referral from their primary care doctor or a specialist to be seen at the clinic, located at Fontaine Research Park.

“We look at the big picture – all of the patient’s symptoms at once – and then collaborate to determine the optimal care plan,” said neurologist Michael Jaffee, MD, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who joined UVA following a military career that included service as national director of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) and the inaugural senior TBI executive of the Defense Centers of Excellence

The multidisciplinary clinic will include adult and pediatric neurologists, neuropsychologists, physical and occupational therapists, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians and sleep medicine experts. As needed, patients will also have direct access to additional specialists, including neurosurgeons, psychiatrists and pain management experts.

“Those patients with more complex conditions will benefit greatly from the ability to see multiple specialists in one visit,” adds neuropsychologist Donna Broshek, PhD. “We are bringing specialists together in order to provide a higher level of care.”

Nationally Recognized Expertise in Concussion Care

Some of the care providers at UVA’s concussion clinic have received national attention in recent months for their work on concussions among football players.

UVA neuropsychologist Jeff Barth, PhD, is a member of the NFL Players Association’s Mackey-White Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. The recent book“League of Denial” identifies him as a pioneer in the field of concussion research who has been investigating the effects of these brain injuries since the early 1980s.

Jaffee’s work to share information on concussions between the Department of Defense and the NFL is also highlighted in “League of Denial.” During his military service, Jaffee oversaw development of practice guidelines for treating service members and veterans with concussions and assisted with the development of concussion care guidelines for several NATO allies. He also served as U.S. delegate for NATO’s mild traumatic brain injury committee.