The Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai (BIRC-MS) works with outside organizations that serve as other sources of research funding.
Brain Injury Association of America
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has partnered with the BIRC-MS to determine how much rehabilitation adult patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) should receive, in what setting, and at what time.
The problem identified is that individuals who sustain TBIs rarely have access to rehabilitation of sufficient timing, scope, duration, and intensity to allow them to recover to the maximum extent possible. This is because treatment decisions are controlled by payers—insurance companies and public policymakers—instead of by doctors, patients, and family caregivers. When a person’s care is delayed, discontinued, or denied altogether, the result is often increased re-hospitalization rates and greater levels of disability. This creates a cycle of joblessness, homelessness, and dependence on public programs.
BIAA and the Mount Sinai Health System are addressing this problem through the development and widespread distribution of Guidelines for the Rehabilitation and Disease Management of Adults with Moderate to Severe TBI. The goals of this project are four fold:
- Strive to identify and fully describe the continuum of care available following TBI
- Collect and evaluate the evidence for various rehabilitative treatments and, based on that evidence or expert opinion, make recommendations for treatment and management in various settings
- Create guidelines that support improvements in the quality and consistency of rehabilitation treatment
- Broadly disseminate the recommendations to payer, provider, patient, and advocacy communities in an effort to increase access to, and quality of care
Seton Brain Research Fund
The Seton Brain Research Fund supports pilot research, professional development, and outreach and education for the brain injury community. The Seton Brain Research Fund was established by Ms. Seton Melvin, a longstanding advocate for survivors of brain injury who has for many years contributed to the work of the Brain Injury Research Center (BIRC) of Mount Sinai.