Join the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence for the 2026 Annual Brain Health Symposium, a dynamic, full-day virtual event bringing together leaders in military medicine, neuroscience, and rehabilitation to explore the latest advances in brain health and TBI care.
This year’s symposium will showcase groundbreaking work across the Department of Defense and beyond, from the new Warfighter Brain Health Initiative 2.0 to innovative research on sleep, recovery, and family involvement in TBI outcomes. Experts will share insights on how policy, science, and lived experience come together to strengthen readiness and improve outcomes for service members and their families.
This event is designed for clinicians, researchers, service members, and anyone dedicated to improving brain health in military and veteran communities. Attendees will walk away with valuable knowledge and practical insights to support TBI treatment and recovery. 6 CE/CMEs pending.
Date: March 18, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Join the Symposium
This event has a dial-in option for your convenience.
Phone: 667-892-3500
Access code: 414 547 194#
Have questions? Contact the TBICoE Dissemination Team.
Symposium Overview
Welcome Remarks: 10:30 – 10:40 a.m. ET
Katie Stout, PT, DPT, NCS, MBA
Division Chief, TBICoE
Warfighter Brain Health Initiative 2.0: 10:40 – 11:40 a.m. ET
Katherine Lee, MSN, ARNP
Director, Warfighter Brain Health Policy, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight, Office of the ASW for Health Affairs
Military Traumatic Brain Injury, Sleep Disorders & the Glymphatic System: 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. ET
Cmdr. J. Kent Werner, MC, USN, MD, PhD
Vice Chair for Research, Department of Neurology, Uniformed Services University
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, USU
Faculty, USU Neuroscience Graduate Program
Director of Research, Sleep Disorders Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Sleep Neurology, National Intrepid Center of Excellence
Break: 12:40 – 12:50 p.m. ET
TBI Screen for Battlefield Readiness: 12:50 – 1:50 p.m. ET
Lt. Col. Bradley A. Dengler, MC, USA, MD, FAANS, FACS
Director, Military Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative MTBI2
Neurosurgery Consultant to the Army Surgeon General
Director, Neurotrauma/Neurocritical Care, Division of Neurosurgery at WRNMMC
Program Director, Neurological Surgery Residency, National Capital Consortium
Physical Activity and Exercise in the Role of Mild TBI Management: 1:50 – 2:50 p.m. ET
Andrew Darr, PhD
Senior Research Neuroscientist, contract support for TBICoE
Break: 2:50 – 3 p.m. ET
A Patient-Centered Approach to Understanding TBI Outcomes for Warfighters Through a Trauma-Informed Research Design: 3 – 4 p.m. ET
Ida Babakhanyan, PhD
Research Neuropsychologist, contract support for TBICoE
The Impact of Family Involvement on TBI Care: 4 – 5 p.m. ET
Susan Gallardo, LCSW, CBIS
Doctor of Social Work Candidate, University of Southern California
Achieve Intensive Outpatient Program Coordinator
Intrepid Spirit Center, Camp Pendleton