Meet the Staff of the BIRC-MS

The photo on the opening page of this website shows the large group of professional and support staff of the BIRC-MS, plus current post-doctoral fellows. (Large as the group is, some of the BIRC-MS staff members were unavailable the day of the photo.)

Wayne A. Gordon, PhD, is the director of the BIRC-MS, as well as director of the Mount Sinai Injury Control Research Center and the New York TBI Model System. As is true for him, most of the other staff members work in all three Centers. The co-director of the BIRC-MS is Joshua Cantor, PhD. Theodore Tsaousides, PhD is director of training, while Margaret Brown, PhD is director of dissemination/outreach. In addition to these members of the staff, senior investigators include Marcel Dijkers, PhD, Lisa Spielman, PhD and Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD. The evaluators of the BIRC-MS are Drs. Dale Hesdorffer (Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University) and David Vandergoot (president, Center for Essential Management Services). The NY TBI Model System’s medical staff includes Brian Greenwald, MD and Anne Ambrose, MD. Timothy Pruce is the outreach coordinator for the Model System, Seton Melvin co-directs the Women’s Support Group and Ralph William Shields coordinates many of the Center’s advocacy activities.

Michael Nguyen is coordinator of the BIRC-MS. Research associates are several, currently including Tiffany Mitchell and Vladimira Varbanova. Chantal Brouard is administrative assistant to the director.

Current post-doctoral fellows are Drs Emily Dantonio, Shinakee Gumber and Andrew Nichols. One indicator of the success of the post-doctoral research fellowship program of the BIRC-MS is that three current members of the faculty, Drs. Cantor, Tsaousides and Dams-O’Connor, are graduates.

Many staff members have been recognized by many groups and organizations for their achievements in providing clinical care, in conducting research and in advocating for people with brain injuries. We provide a list of some of the awards and honors received by current staff of the BIRC-MS. Staff also contributes to the field through serving actively in professional organizations, as members of the board and in elective office.