The Collaborative Leaders
Geoffrey Manley, MD, PhD
Professor and Vice Chairman, Neurological Surgery, UCSF
Dr. Manley is Chief of Neurosurgery at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Co-Director of the UCSF Brain and Spinal Injury Center. He is Principal Investigator of the national TRACK-TBI study, which has transformed the understanding of TBI diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
Dr. Hammond is Chief of Medical Affairs at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana and Project Director of the Indiana TBI Model System, one of 16 NIH-funded centers nationally. She is a leading authority on long-term recovery after TBI and helped establish TBI as a chronic condition with ongoing recovery potential.
Flora Hammond, MD
Chair, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Indiana University School of Medicine`
Javier Cárdenas, MD
Chair of Neurology, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University
Dr. Cárdenas is a nationally recognized expert in sports neurology, concussion, and TBI. He developed the nation’s first mandated concussion education and testing tool for student athletes, now used by more than one million individuals.
Dr. Halabi founded the UCSF Neurorecovery Clinic and co-founded the UCSF Post-Acute TBI Program, among the first of their kind in the United States. Her research focuses on identifying predictors of recovery and targets for new treatments after brain injury.
Dr. Fesharaki-Zadeh is a behavioral neurologist and neuropsychiatrist specializing in traumatic brain injury, post-concussive syndrome, and the long-term neuropsychiatric sequelae of brain injury. His research focuses on developing novel treatment strategies for TBI recovery and investigating the mechanisms underlying chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Arman Fesharaki-Zadeh, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
Michael McCrea, PhD, ABPP
Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology; Vice Chair of Research, Medical College of Wisconsin
Cathra Halabi, MD
Neurologist and Neurorecovery Specialist, UCSF — Weill Neurosciences Institute
Dr. McCrea is a leading clinical neuropsychologist and national authority on concussion and TBI recovery. He is a key investigator in TRACK-TBI and co-PI of the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium, and creator of the Sideline Assessment of Concussion.
Ali Mansour, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Chicago
Dr. Mansour is a neurointensivist specializing in traumatic brain injury and neurocritical care. His research focuses on neuroimaging as a prognostic biomarker and the use of AI and informatics to improve outcomes in acute brain injury.
Dr. Sandsmark is a neurologist and neurocritical care specialist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on the care of patients with severe brain injuries. Her research centers on identifying clinical and imaging biomarkers detectable at the time of injury that predict long-term cognitive and functional outcomes after TBI.
Danielle Sandsmark, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology; Director, Neurocritical Care, University of Pennsylvania — Perelman School of Medicine
Mayur Patel, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Acute Care Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dr. Patel is a trauma surgeon-scientist whose research focuses on brain dysfunction and critical illness, including TBI and long-term cognitive outcomes. He leads a major NIH-funded research portfolio focused on critical illness survivorship.
Laura Ngwenya, MD, PhD
Director, Neurotrauma Center, University of Cincinnati — Gardner Neuroscience Institute
Dr. Ngwenya is a neurosurgeon-scientist and TRACK-TBI investigator leading clinical trials focused on improving cognitive recovery after TBI. Her work spans both clinical research and laboratory studies of brain injury and recovery.
John Kanter, MD
Neurosurgeon and Neurointensivist, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
Dr. Kanter specializes in traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and neurocritical care. His work focuses on precision medicine approaches and optimizing long-term functional recovery.
Jamie Bradbury, MD
Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine
Dr. Bradbury is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in neurotrauma, critical care, and complex spine surgery. He is part of the neurotrauma team at IU Health Methodist Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center.
Mark Bayley, MD
Physiatrist-in-Chief, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network / University of Toronto
Dr. Bayley is Program Medical Director at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and a leader in brain injury rehabilitation. He directs the Hull-Ellis Concussion and Research Clinic and has played a central role in developing national evidence-based guidelines for concussion and TBI care across Canada.
Dr. Grant is a clinician-scientist specializing in brain tumors, epilepsy, and concussion. His research focuses on the blood–brain barrier and its role in both tumor therapy and recovery after brain injury.
Gerald (Gerry) Grant, MD
Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center
David Okonkwo, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
Dr. Okonkwo is Director of the Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center at UPMC and a principal investigator in the TRACK-TBI network. His research focuses on biomarkers, advanced neuroimaging, and novel therapeutic interventions for brain and spinal cord injury.
Scott W. Hamilton
Executive Director, TBI Post-Acute Care Collaborative
Founder, Brain Care Catalyst Foundation
Mr. Hamilton is a social entrepreneur and policy leader who has led large-scale program-building initiatives in education and public service, including growing the KIPP school network from two schools to nearly 300. His commitment to transforming TBI care is grounded in his own lived experience of recovering from a traumatic brain injury.