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Be a Brain Warrior: Protect. Treat. Optimize.

The Department of Defense leads in the treatment and research of brain-related injuries and is committed to identifying breakthroughs to improve the lives of individuals who have sustained brain injuries. DOD’s efforts address a holistic view at brain health and brain injuries—before, during, and after any blast exposure or other injury.

The DOD considers protectingtreating, and optimizing brain health a top priority.

Evergreen Brain Injury Awareness image

TBI, considered one of the signature wounds of war in the 21st century, presents complex and challenging problems for many of our service members.

More than 490,000 service members have sustained TBI since 2000, according to reports from the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence.

See below for TBI resources for health care providers, leaders, service members, veterans, families, and caregivers.

 

Protecting Brain Health

Leaders are in a unique position to protect their service members.

 

Treating Brain Health

TBI is treatable, and recovery is expected with appropriate care.

 

Optimizing Brain Health

Military health care providers can be brain warriors and help optimize resources.

TBICoE's BIAM Activities

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More BIAM Events

For in-person and virtual events at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, check out the Brain Awareness Day and the virtual Science Café event information.

Brain Awareness Day Sat. March 16. Free for everyone. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Virtual Science Cafe. Headache and TBI: The evolution of Medication. A virtual event held on the Facebook @medicalmuseum on March 28, 2024 at 11 a.m. ET.

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Article Around MHS
Dec 1, 2023

Neuropsychiatry/TBI Unit at Walter Reed Unique in DOD

Dr. David Williamson, medical director for the Neuropsychiatry/Traumatic Brain Injury unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his staff are breaking new ground in identifying and treating TBI and behavioral health challenges.  (courtesy photo)

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) has the Department of Defense’s only Neuropsychiatry/Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Unit. It serves as a referral program for Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries throughout the defense department, as well as for congressional members needing care for the impacts of head injuries and other ...

Article Around MHS
Dec 1, 2023

Be a 'Brain Warrior' and Protect Yours

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), along with the entire Military Health System (MHS), places emphasize on protecting the brain, as well as seeking treatment for brain injuries, every day.  (courtesy photo)

March is annually observed as Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM), and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, along with the entire Military Health System (MHS), places emphasize on protecting the brain, as well as seeking treatment for brain injuries, every day.

Article Around MHS
Dec 1, 2023

Walter Reed's National Intrepid Center of Excellence Scientists to Present New TBI Battlefield Biomarkers Research During 2023 MHSRS

Dr. Ping-Hong Yeh all smiles at Walter Reed in preparation for presenting new biomarkers TBI research at 2023 MHSRS. (Photo Credit: Ricardo Reyesguevarra)

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is pleased to announce that researchers from the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) will present a groundbreaking study on diagnosing traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) during the 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) taking place Aug. 14-17, 2023 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and ...

Article Around MHS
Dec 1, 2023

U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity Pharmacist Excels as Warfighter Brain Health Product Manager, Mom, and Leader

U.S. Army Maj. Dana Bal tests a brain hemorrhage detection device during familiarization training at the headquarters of the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity, Fort Detrick, Md., Dec. 28, 2022. Bal serves as part of the Program Management-Acquisition Internship Program and as assistant product manager with USAMMDA’s Warfighter Brain Health Project Management Office. (U.S. Army Photo by T. T. Parish)

Aiming to join the Army Medical Service Corps as a pharmacist, Dana Bal graduated and earned her commission in 2008 before being awarded a Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) educational delay to complete pharmacy school. Find out why Bal credits the Army for her success as a Warfighter Brain Health Product Manager, a mom, and a leader.

Article Around MHS
Nov 29, 2023

Green Beret Teams Up with the US Southern Command Warrior Care Program Care Coalition Competes in Department of Defenses Warrior Games Challenge and International Invictus Games

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jacob “Jake” Anthony competing in the 2023 Invictus Games held in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Courtesy photo)

Green Beret U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jacob "Jake” Anthony was deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 on a mission to find a target. His team was breaching a door that turned out to be booby-trapped, resulting in an explosion that killed his teammate in front of him. Anthony would take shrapnel to the right frontal lobe to his brain and had to be initially ...

Article Around MHS
Nov 13, 2023

We May be Wounded Warriors, But We Can Still Serve

Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt Michael Johnson reflects on his time at Yale University through the Warrior Scholarship Program in June 2023. (Photo courtesy Michael Johnson)

Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt Michael Johnson reflects on his time at the Fort Belvoir Soldier Recovery Unit. “I was at the Fort Belvoir SRU after hurting my leg on deployment in Poland. I had perpetual headaches while recuperating, which led to imaging that showed I had lesions on my brain and, ultimately, the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.”

Article Around MHS
Oct 17, 2023

Military Life is Stressful; Depression Screening Can Bring Help

Feeling down, hopeless, tired, irritable, or having trouble concentrating? When you feel more than just sad, getting screened and seeking support and treatment for depression can help reduce the intensity and duration of symptoms. Many resources are available for service members, family members, civilians, retirees, and veterans. (Illustration by Joyce Kopatch/ Defense Centers for Public Health)

Military members and their families experience unique stressors associated with military life. This stress may influence psychological and social well-being and contribute to behavioral health symptoms, which can include depression. During the annual Periodic Health Assessment, service members are screened for depression as well as deployment-related ...

Article Around MHS
Aug 23, 2023

Forward Care for the Warfighter: U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Talks Battlefield Countermeasures at MHSRS

Soldiers with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command perform a battlefield care scenario during the MRDC 2023 Best Squad Competition at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, on April 11, 2023.  (Photo: Danae Johnson)

With time spent on the battlefield being an increasing reality, products to help deliver immediate prolonged care to the Warfighter are now more important than ever. A concept known well by Maj. Zachary Booms, an emergency medicine physician at the Combat Casualty Care Research Team at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command's Institute ...

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Last Updated: April 02, 2024
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