Join us for the 19^th Annual Statewide Brain Injury Education Conference, “Neurological Diseases: Living with Chronic Brain Injury”.

We will be having a virtual conference this year!

This year’s conference focus will be on brain diseases and how they relate to brain injury.  This event will address encephalitis and its impact on individuals and families. Alzheimer’s Disease and the risk factor for survivors of brain injury, Epilepsy and TBI, Parkinsonism and Parkinson’s Disease, and PANDAS/PANS will also be addressed.

Doctors, lawyers, nurses, social workers, case managers, occupational therapists, and other professionals are encouraged to attend. There are 5 CEU’s available for attending this educational event.

BIARI Members receive a 10% off registration!

We have the pleasure of welcoming the following speakers:

PHILLIPPA CHAPMAN

Increased Knowledge of Encephalitis and its Impact on Individuals and Families

Phillippa Chapman – Director of Services at the Encephalitis Society has worked in the field for 8 years. As part of the Senior Leadership Team, Phillippa is responsible for all support and information resources created and provided professionals, individuals, and their families. Phillippa is the lead organizer of the Encephalitis Conference, the international ‘go-to’ conference for experts in encephalitis which hosted over 170 professionals from 27 countries in December 2019. Phillippa has helped oversee the Encephalitis Society’s transition from a small charity to a charity raising over one million in income and launched campaigns such as World Encephalitis Day which has reached over 150 million since its inception. Phillippa regularly speaks at events and has an enormous passion for encephalitis and its impact on patients.

3 Learning Objectives

1. An overview of encephalitis and its impact on patients.
2. Featuring patient and caregiver case study videos.
3. Encephalitis clinician expert content.

CHRISTINE AMABILE

PANDAS/PANS: Understanding and Working with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Christine L. Amabile, MSW, LCSW, C-SSWS is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who currently works full time in Chesterfield County Schools. Her previous work experience includes providing child and family therapy in private practice, community services board, in-home, and inpatient psychiatric hospital settings over the past 20 years.

3 Learning Objectives:

1. Have an applicable understanding of the clinicalpresentation and etiology of PANDAS/PANS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders).
2. Learn critical information regarding the history, causes, diagnosis guidance, and treatment recommendations for these disorders.
3. Learn recommended interventions to impact educational and clinical practice settings and available resources for these disorders.

SETH AARON MARGOLIS, Ph.D.

The Interplay of Brain Injury and Seizures

Seth A. Margolis, PhD is a neuropsychologist with Lifespan psychiatry and behavioral health based out of Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Margolis earned his Ph.D. from Yeshiva University and completed his neuropsychology internship at the University of California San Diego and his postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at Brown University.

He specializes in disorders of aging, epilepsy, and the impact of chronic illness on patients’ cognition and behavior. Dr. Margolis performs neuropsychological evaluations for diagnostic and treatment planning purposes and is a consulting member of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center and Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Rhode Island Hospital. He is also a principal and co-investigator on several research studies addressing neuropsychological and psychosocial aspects of health behavior, health outcomes, and functional capacities in clinical populations, as well as a cognitive rater for pharmaceutical trials investigating new therapies to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

3 Learning Objectives:

1. Learn about the risk for seizures and epilepsy following brain injury.
2. Understand thecognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial consequences of brain injury, seizures, and the combination.
3. Discuss approaches to managing cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial consequences of brain injury and seizures.

JOSEPH FREIDMAN, M.D.

Parkinsonism: Parkinson’s disease, Parkinsonism, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Dr. Friedman is a neurologist and recognized expert in Parkinson’s disease and chief of Butler Hospital’s Movement Disorders Program. He received his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his residency in neurology at the Neurological Institute of New York.

A professor and chief of the division of Movement Disorders in the Department of Neurology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and adjunct professor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Friedman is a recognized researcher in the treatment and study of Parkinson’s and related movement disorders. He is an active member of the Parkinson and the Huntington Study Groups and participates in multicenter trials sponsored by the NIH, Michael J. Fox Foundation, pharmaceutical companies, and single-center unfunded studies.

A fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, Dr. Friedman serves on the editorial board of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders and is editor in chief of Medicine & Health, Rhode Island. He was a member of the National Institute of Health‘s committees to define depression and psychosis in Parkinson’s and was chosen by the International Movement Disorders Society to help evaluate rating scales for fatigue and psychosis in the disease.

3 Learning Objectives:

1. To review the epidemiology and implications of falls, particularly in the elderly
2. To review the signs of Parkinsonism and its implications for falls and other problems
3. To discuss how and when to evaluate Parkinsonism, including in the context of head injuries

JOHN ROBINSON, Ph.D.

Traumatic Brain Injury as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease.

John Robinson is a behavioral neuroscientist who specializes in the use of rodents as models to understand human central nervous system function and dysfunction. His lab applies behavioral, biochemical, pharmacological, and neuroanatomical techniques in several lines of research that include collaborations with laboratories at the University of Rhode Island and other institutions.

3 Learning Objectives:

1. Changing the paradigm of care in neuro-rehabilitation from a segmental to a suprasegmental model – doing things for patients as opposed to doing things to patients.
2. Individualization of treatment.
3. Understanding metabolic capacity in neuro-rehabilitation.