Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is a key component of the U.S. military health system. Specifically, it functions as the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) operational component of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE). Founded in 1992 by Congress, DVBIC’s responsibilities have grown as its multi-site network comprising clinical research, education/outreach and care coordination/treatment has expanded to 11 military treatment facilities and 5 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. DVBIC’s mission is to assist the Department of Defense (DOD) and VA in optimizing care for  active duty military, their beneficiaries, and veterans who have sustained a TBI at home and in the deployed setting, through state-of-the-art clinical care, innovative clinical research initiatives, educational programs, and support for force health protection services.

DVBIC Clinical Investigative Research

DVBIC Palo Alto’s clinical investigative research program works in tandem with VAPAHCS, Stanford University and other national DVBIC sites. The unique collaboration developed by DVBIC has made possible the implementation of both local and multi-center TBI studies, in active duty and veteran groups.  http://dvbic.dcoe.mil/location/palo-alto-ca DVBIC Palo Alto’s research goals are to conduct long-term, clinical-based studies that contribute to the development of evidence-based guidelines in the prevention, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of TBI.  This commenced with the introduction of a TBI Registry in 1993 that gathered demographic and injury data for 11 years. This was followed by several collaborative research studies over the years, including the multi-site Rehabilitation Treatment Trial which ran from 1996 – 2003.; this core study evaluated rehabilitation strategies and medication uses to find optimal care strategies for patients with TBI.

DVBIC Program Highlights to Date

DVBIC Palo Alto has made a significant impact in each of the core program areas it fosters: Clinical Research, Care Coordination and Education and Outreach. With a focus on impact, the DVBIC Team has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, served on Editorial Boards, presented at national and international conferences and authored many care algorithms/guidelines related to TBI. In the realm of Education and Outreach, the DVBIC Team has an extensive reach locally, regionally and nationally, involving the veterans, their families and caretakers and key stakeholders. A robust Education curriculum, including annual forums and workshops are among its credits.