Richard H. Adler Attorney at Law &

Adler Giersch Law Firm’s

Endowed Professorship Fund for

Traumatic Brain Injury Research 

 

Purpose: The purpose of this Endowed Professorship Fund is to provide support for efforts to find more effective evaluation and treatment protocols for those with traumatic brain injuries given the long term cognitive, behavioral, and physical consequences and impairments which may result from the underlying trauma.  This Endowed Professorship Fund honors both Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington Medical Center for evaluating and treating past and present clients of Richard H. Adler Attorney at Law and the law firm of Adler Giersch, PS who have sustained and survived a traumatic brain injury and those who lost their lives from this type of trauma.  In addition, this fund is a means for the donors of the fund to give back and ‘pay it forward’ for future clients and others with traumatic brain injuries.

Grants typically fund one-to-two-year studies with the option of no-cost extension(s).  Please note that funds must be used internally via a UW budget number.  They cannot be used to establish contracts or sub-contracts with non-UW entities.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2022 RECIPIENTS!

Nassim Matin, MD

Nassim Matin, MD will receive a 1-year award of $7,500 for her project entitled “Correlation of Brain Tissue Oxygenation with Markers of Volume Resuscitation in Traumatic Brain Injury“

Kristopher Hendershot, MD

Kristopher Hendershot, MD will receive a 2-year award of $10,000 (total of $20,000) for his project entitled “Care Trajectory for Older Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury“

 

Past Recipients

2021 

Utility of routine surveillance head computed tomography (within 24 hours) after initiating therapeutic anti-coagulation in patients with intracranial hemorrhage: Maggie McGrath, MD

The proposal from Maggie McGrath, MD: “Utility of routine surveillance head computed tomography (within 24 hours) after initiating therapeutic anticoagulation in patients with intracranial hemorrhage” was the recipient of the 2021 Adler Giersch Law Firm Endowed Fund for TBI Research. Her project is looking at the utility of routine head imaging for patients with a history of intracerebral hemorrhage who are starting on anti-coagulation therapy (blood thinning medication). The intention is to identify whether there is a select group in which this imaging is useful and to avoid over imaging the patients in which the imaging is likely to be low yield. The overall goal is to reduce costs and radiation to patients when medically appropriate and safe.

Dr. McGrath was born and raised in Missoula, MT where she attended the University of Montana and received her degree in biochemistry. She then attended the University of Washington Medical School where she graduated with honors in 2019 prior to starting a neurological surgery residency at the UW. Dr. McGrath is a currently a third year neurosurgery resident (PGY3) at the University of Washington. Her career interests are focused on critical care and vascular neurosurgery with a specific interest in using mass data to help create protocols to optimize and standardize medical treatment.

2020 

Investigating the Role of Diet in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Natasha Mehta, MD

 

The proposal from Natasha Mehta, MD “Investigating the Role of Diet in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study” was chosen to receive the 2020 Adler Giersch Law Firm Endowed Fund for TBI Research. Dr. Mehta is the 2020-21 Rehabilitation Medicine TBI Fellow. She completed her residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the esteemed Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School) before moving upstate to Rochester, New York. It was in Rochester that she treated patients rehabilitating from stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries, neuromuscular disorders, and those dealing with chronic pain.  Dr. Mehta is thrilled to have the opportunity to look at the impact diet may have on a healing brain after mild traumatic brain injury.

 

 

Primary Care Practice for Concussion Management: A Health Services Study at UW Medicine: Tracy Herring, PhD and Orli Shulein, MS, CCC-SLP

The proposal from Tracy Herring, PhD and Orli Shulein, MS, CCC-SLP, “Primary Care Practice for Concussion Management: A Health Services Study at UW Medicine”  was chosen to receive the 2020 Adler Giersch Law Firm Endowed Fund for TBI Research. Together, Dr. Herring and Ms. Shulein will investigate the extent to which UW Medicine primary care providers are following concussion practice guidelines for referral to specialty providers. It also seeks to understand if race and/or ethnicity influence referrals patterns. This project will provide valuable pilot data for health services research designed to optimize treatments for individuals who have sustained a concussion.

 

Tracy Herring, PhD, is a rehabilitation psychology postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at UW. Dr. Herring works clinically with individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Her research interests include non-pharmacological management of symptoms and enhancing quality of life.

 

 

 

 

Orli Shulein, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist pursing her PhD in Rehabilitation Science. Ms. Shulein works clinically with adults who continue to suffer persistent symptoms following concussion. Her research interests explore biopsychosocial factors that influence early concussion recovery.

 

 

Using Automated Pupilometery for Prediction of Intracranial Pressure in Severe TBI: Madeline Greil, MD

The proposal from Madeline Greil, MD entitled “Using Automated Pupilometery for Prediction of Intracranial Pressure in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury”  was chosen to receive the 2020 Adler Giersch Law Firm Endowed Fund for TBI Research. Invasive intracranial pressure monitors are inserted by neurosurgeons to measure intracranial pressure in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The automated pupillometer is a hand-held device that measures the pupillary light reflex and calculates a quantitative measure of pupil reactivity. This project aims to investigate the ability of automated pupillometry measurements to predict elevated intracranial pressure in severe TBI patients as measured on an invasive intracranial pressure monitor.

 

Dr. Greil is a fourth year neurosurgery resident at the University of Washington. She grew up in Western New York State. She attended Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio where she earned her medical degree. During medical school she gained her first exposure to the operating room and instantly knew she wanted to be a surgeon. She continued to pursue her interest in the nervous system and was happy to discover that neurosurgery fit with her career goals, allowing her to treat complex patients with acute presentations.

 

2019

Congratulations to John Williams, MD, for being the 2019 recipient of the Richard Adler Attorney at Law and Adler Giersch Law Firm Endowed Research Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury Research.

Dr. Williams’ proposal “Examination of traumatic axonal lesions on CT and MRI following severe TBI for prognostication of outcome” was chosen to receive the 2019 Adler Giersch Law Firm Endowed Fund for TBI Research. Dr. Williams is Chief Resident of Neurosurgery at UW. Initially intent on pursuing a career in public health and primary care, outstanding mentorship in neurosurgery inspired his decision to train in Seattle under Dr. Richard Ellenbogen. Dr. Williams plans to use the research grant award to look at early CT and MRI images in people who had a severe TBI. A better understanding of early injury could guide how clinicians advise families about TBI recovery.

2018

Congratulations to CJ Plummer, MD, for being the 2018 recipient of the inaugural Richard Adler Attorney at Law and Adler Giersch Law Firm Endowed Research Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury Research.

Dr. Plummer is a former TBI Fellow at Harborview Medical Center between 2017-18 and he is currently an assistant professor in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department at Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital. He practices brain injury medicine, and his clinical interests range from spasticity management, lifestyle medicine and community reintegration for patients from across the full spectrum of sustained traumatic and acquired brain injuries. Dr. Plummer plans to use the funding to expand a student-centered return-to-learn protocol for high school students who have had a concussion. This project will help identify students with concussions and provide a pathway for returning to school safely.