The annual conference will be held on Tuesday, June 27 - Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square in Lancaster, PA.
Building on Progress in Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Researchwill be the theme of the 2023 Conference.
Our conference is designed for Professionals, Survivors, Family Members, Caregivers & Volunteers.
11 CEU and CE Opportunities
Exhibits & Poster Presentations
Networking and Social Opportunities
Silent Auction to benefit the David L. Strauss Memorial Scholarship Fund
Professional Meet & Greet
Coffee House and Open Mic for Attendees to share their Poetry, Music or Stories
Survivor/Caregiver Scholarships Available
This Year's Keynote & Plenary Speakers Include:
Opening Keynote “The Neuroscience Foundation of Music Perception and Production: Novel Applications in Neurorehabilitation to Improve Recovery of Movement, Language and Cognition” Speaker: Brian Harris, PhD, MT-BC, LSAT
Tuesday Plenary “From Discovery to Recovery: Consciousness After Brain Injury” Speaker: David Fischer, MD
Wednesday Plenary “Blood-based Biomarkers in Brain Injury & Utility Across the Spectrum of Brain Injury” Speaker: Randall Swanson II, DO, PhD
Closing Keynote “Focus on Wellness and Mindfulness Following Brain Injury” Speakers: Jacob Koffer, MD and Thomas Watanabe, MD
Free Webinar offered by BIAA: Medication Management for Brain Injury Survivors
The Brain Injury Association of America is offering a free webinar as part of the Butch Alterman Series
Medication Management for Brain Injury Survivors
Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 3:00 p.m. ET
Presenter: Maureen Miner, MD will discuss:
Common types of medications seen in brain injury treatment.
How doctors decide which medication to prescribe, and when to change a prescription.
Questions to ask a doctor when new medications are prescribed.
Tips for medication management at home.
What to do if you suspect a medication is no longer working or causing side effects.
Note: No certificate of attendance or CEUs are available for this webinar.
BIAPA was active in the community this month and appreciated the opportunity to live out our mission through 3 events.
Community College of Allegheny County Disability Awareness Fair
On March 22, 2023, BIAPA joined five other organizations at the Allegheny Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County at a Disability Awareness Fair. This important event provided resources and awareness to students and faculty about brain injury, learning disabilities, mental health issues, vocational support resources and autism programs.
BIAPA Board Member Amy Szalinski was invited by the student support specialist and was delighted to serve as the representative from BIAPA. She heard from many survivors, caregivers and faculty interested in resources for learning.
Mind Your Brain Conferences
BIAPA was proud to be an exhibitor at the Mind Your Brain Conferences in Philadelphia on March 25, and for Mind Your Brain's first conference in Reading on April 1!
Speaking with so many survivors, families and caregivers was truly inspirational! We appreciated hearing about the successes and triumphs of survivors and caregivers, and we listened closely to the challenges and concerns of our brain injury community. We shared resources and educational handouts, including information about our monthly support groups and ReDiscover U.
Pictured: Monica Vaccaro, BIAPA Director of Programs and Meghan Walsh-Farrell, BIAPA Programs Coordinator at the Mind Your Brain Conference in Philadelphia.
Thanks to all who attended our clinical forum webinar, Applied Behavior Analysis for Brain Injury Professionals on April 25! More than 70 attendees joined the presentation by Chris Schaub, MS Ed., BCB.
Neurobehavioral complications of brain injury are not only common, but pose significant challenges to survivors, their families, and the professionals working with them. The webinar highlighted information about the principles of applied behavior analysis and their application to brain injury recovery and rehabilitation and provided practical suggestions regarding treatment interventions.
This presentation was part of a Clinical Forum Series that happens 4 times per year. Stay tuned for details about the next presentation in the series which is being planned for the summer.
Did You know.....
April is Volunteer Awareness Month!
BIAPA appreciates the many volunteers who help us to carry out our mission. We couldn't do this without them! During Volunteer Appreciation Month we would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to:
Brain Injury Resource Line Volunteers
Amanda Allemang, Melissa Carmen, Elayne Masters, Michele Mazur, Marlene Nathans, Frank Notaro, Charlene Towers and Joel Tumberello
Volunteer Brain Injury Ambassadors
Kelly Cappos, Elayne Masters, Kevin McDonald, Frank Notaro and Joan Steinberg, Meghan Walsh-Farrell
BIAPA Board of Directors
We appreciate that BIAPA has a working Board of Directors who serve in a volunteer capacity.
Ann Marie McLaughlin, President Damon Slepian, 1st Vice President David Long, 2nd Vice President Madeline Di Pasquale, 3rd Vice President Anne Sears, Treasurer Amy Szalinski, Secrtary
Board Directors:
John Abattico Anthony Barrata Cristabelle Braden Kiyanna Cox Jones Robin Joyce Pat Kautz Jaana Kelley Tim Muller Tracy Onyekanne Madelaine Sayko Patrick Tangney David Woloshin
Event Volunteers
Our volunteers are crucial to the success of events like our Run, Walk, Roll events, Brain Safety Fairs, and other community fundraising and outreach events. We appreciate and value the contributions of each and every volunteer!
Your generosity of time and spirit touches lives in such an important way every single day. We are so grateful for all of you!!
Support Group Corner
The BIAPA statewide virtual support group will meet Thursday, May 25 at 5 PM. Note that the meeting in May is not on the routine 3rd Thursday. This is one-time change. This tight-knit community consists of survivors, caregivers, family and professionals from across the state of Pennsylvania! Please use this Zoom link to access the meeting.
Have you been affected by COVID?
Join us on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month as we learn how to cope with COVID in the brain injury community. Upcoming meeting are scheduled for May 11 and May 25.
You can join the meeting by clicking on this zoom link.
BIAPA's next Caregiver Support Group will be held on Wednesday May 10 at 6 PM. This monthly, virtual meeting is open to all caregivers. The meetings are an excellent opportunity for caregivers to meet one another, share experiences and discuss topics of unique relevance to their roles. No pre-registration is required! To join this monthly meeting, use this zoom link.
A full list of all of Pennsylvania's Brain Injury Support Groups, along with contact information for each, is on the BIAPA website's Support Group Listing Page. We are in the process of updating the information, and while we have done so for most groups, there are still some that we're trying to reach. If you are aware of groups that are meeting either virtually or in-person and are not on our listing, or if you have any updated details about a group on the list, please contact Melanie Morrison morrison@biapa.org so we can let others know about them.
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