Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS)

North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

The North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (NTX-TBIMS) is a unique research and clinical collaborative between Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, dating back to 2002. The NTX-TBIMS is one of 16 centers nationwide that was awarded a competitive grant by the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, due to its recognition as a national leader in TBI research and patient care.North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System logo

The North Texas TBI Model System has been funded since 2002 and provides the largest continuum of care to individuals with TBI in North Texas and surrounding states. This continuum includes emergency medical services, acute care, rehabilitation, and outpatient services with partners including Baylor Scott and White Health, Parkland Health and Hospital System, and John Peter Smith Hospital. The NTX-TBIMS pools the efforts and talents of caring individuals with expertise in areas such as rehabilitation, neuropsychology, and therapy at the leading medical institutions in North Texas with a long-standing history of collaboration.

Purpose of the TBI Model System:

  • Deliver coordinated rehabilitation care to patients with TBI
  • Track the health of patients over their life-time to better understand and support their recovery
  • Conduct innovative research to improve patient outcomes
  • Participate in collaborative, multi-site research with other TBIMS centers across the country
  • Provide resources to patients and families

North Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Investigators

    • Simon Driver, PhD | Principal Investigator
    • Rosemary Dubiel, DO | Investigator
    • Librada Callender, MPH, CCRC | Project Manager
    • Chad Swank, PT, PhD | Investigator
    • Donna Noorbakhsh, MS, CCC-SLP | Interventionist
    • Evan McShan, MS, CCRC | Investigator
    • Jacqueline Nguyen, MPH | Clinical Research Supervisor
    • Alex Suhalka, MPH| Research Coordinator
    • Stephanie Calhoun, BS | Research Enrollment Analyst
    • Monica Bennett, PhD | Biostatistician
    • Aimee Muir, MBA | Research Coordinator
    • Taylor Gilliland, MS, CCRC | Research Coordinator
    • Christa Ochoa, MPH | Research Analyst
    • Mayah Benning, BS | Clinical Research Coordinator
    • Megan Ward, BS | Research Enrollment Analyst
    • Kathleen R. Bell, MD | Investigator
    • Shanti Pinto, MD | Co-Principal Investigator
    • Brittany Wright, PhD | Post-Doctoral Fellow

North Texas Local Project 2022-2027

Expanding delivery of an evidence-based weight-loss intervention to enhance access and reach underserved groups after TBI.

  • Simon Driver, PhD (PI)
  • Weight gain is common among people with TBI, with 70% of NTX-TBIMS patients being overweight/obese 10-years post injury. Weight gain greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease. Approaches to weight-loss are lacking, yet necessary, due to the unique physiological and cognitive needs of persons with TBI. There is evidence that interventions that improve physical activity and healthy eating behaviors concurrently offer greatest potential for weight-loss. The Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) intervention is a 12-month, evidence-based weight-loss program that has been used extensively with the general population, but not with people with TBI (until our team’s work).

    We adapted the GLB to meet the needs of people with TBI (TBI research paper) and tested the GLB-TBI program (protocol paper) with a sample of 57 people with TBI living in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Results of the 12-month program (12-month trial results paper) showed that people with TBI who participated in the GLB-TBI program lost on average 7.9% of their body weight and improved their risk for diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In 2021, the GLB-TBI curriculum was recognized by the CDC as evidence-based weight-loss curriculum for people with TBI.

  • For the current study, we will partner with our stakeholders (stakeholder paper) to increase the accessibility and reach of the GLB-TBI by delivering it in a telehealth, web-based format. We will also work with an advisory board of people with TBI and care partners who identify as Hispanic/Latino to modify the GLB-TBI to create a culturally relevant version in English and in Spanish. Lastly, we will develop GLB-TBI training modules so interventionists across the country can deliver the GLB-TBI program in a community setting.
  • TBIMS Module Collaborative Projects 2022-2027

    • Multidimensional Health Perceptions Profiles for Personalizing Patient Provider Communication; Lead: TIRR Memorial Hermann
    • Understanding the Social Determinants of Health Access after Traumatic Brain Injury; Lead: Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
    • Telehealth Delivered Exercise Promotion to Treat Major Depressive Disorder after Traumatic Brain Injury: a Randomized Controlled Trial; Lead: University of Washington
    • Associations of Early Life Adversity and Neighborhood Environment with Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database; Lead: Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital

About our funding

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPTB0023). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Baylor Scott & White Institute For Rehabilitation
Brain Injury Rehabilitation
As one of the largest brain injury rehabilitation programs in the country, Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation treats more patients with complex medical, physical and cognitive needs.
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We are always looking for people to participate in our studies. Without participants, we wouldn’t be able to collect the essential data that goes into improving patient outcomes.