Welcome to the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, the headquarters of the Defense Intrepid Network for Traumatic Brain Injury and Brain Health (Defense Intrepid Network).
We are dedicated to improving the lives of patients and families affected by traumatic brain injury through collaborative efforts with patients, families, referring providers, and researchers. Since opening on June 24, 2010, in Bethesda, Maryland, we've established a reputation for excellence in TBI and brain health clinical care, research, and education.
NICoE and the Defense Intrepid Network are central to TBI care and innovation across the Military Health System, which ensures patients have:
- A point of entry to the care system
- A clear path through diagnosis, treatment, and reintegration
- Consistent access to high quality TBI treatment, research, and education
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Video
March 23, 2022
Adrienne Stamper, an art therapist at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), provides a window into the process of healing through art therapy.
Art therapists are master’s-level behavioral health professionals who are trained to use art as a vehicle for non-verbal thoughts, emotions, and experiences. At NICoE, the service members have ...
Video
March 16, 2022
Liz Freeman, lead dance/movement therapist; and Kristine Keliiki, dance/movement therapist at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), discuss the many ways they use dance movement therapy (DMT) to help patients at the NICoE. DMT is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical parts of a person ...
Video
March 16, 2022
Nate McLaughlan is a board-certified music therapist at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). In this video, he discusses the many way music therapy can help patients at the NICoE. He explains that music therapy uses music-based experiences to address identified symptoms and goals with a music therapist who is trained to use elements of ...
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Last Updated: October 02, 2026