Expert Speakers, Opinions Highlight 2013 Bridging the Gap Concussion Conference

More than 90 people filled Sinai Hospital’s Zamoiski Auditorium as The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute hosted its third annual Bridging the Gap Concussion Conference on Friday, April 5.

More than 90 people filled Sinai Hospital’s Zamoiski Auditorium as The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute hosted its third annual Bridging the Gap Concussion Conference on Friday, April 5.

This year’s event, entitled “From Sideline to Goal Line,” featured a top-notch group of experts from throughout the country.

This included:

• Thom Mayer, M.D., medical director for the NFL Players Association, who spoke on concussions in professional sports
• Vassilis Koliatsos, M.D., director of the Neuropsychiatry Program at Sheppard Pratt Health System, who discussed neuropsychiatric disturbances following a brain injury
• Mark Lovell, Ph.D., director of the Concussion Program, Center for Sports Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who talked about the role of computerized cognitive testing following a brain injury
• Laszlo Mechtler, M.D., medical director, Neuro-oncology department and the Headache Center, Dent NeurologicInstitute, who educated the audience on the technology in imaging

LifeBridge Health was also well represented at the conference: Cynthia Smith, Ph.D., ABPP/CN, program director, division of Neuropsychology for the BSI, spoke on cognitive changes a patient experiences following a brain injury and how these changes are accommodated after a patient returns to work; and Laura Morris, P.T., NCS, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, who spoke on vestibular and balance rehabilitation.

The conference closed out with a panel discussion with experts who fielded questions from the audience.

Bridging the Gap Concussion Conference 2013

(Click to see photos)

For those in attendance, the conference was both an educational opportunity and a chance to network with other professionals.

Beth Crawford, a marketing representive with ReMed, came from the Philadelphia area to attend the conference. She said she came to the conference because of the wide variety of topics it covered.

“I thought the conference was excellent, and it offered a great overall presentation on brain injury,” she said. “Brain injury is something that affects so many of us, and it is good to hear what is going on in this field at a conference like this.”