Defense & 

Veterans

Brain Injury 

Center

A Congressional Program 

for Service Members 

and Veterans with 

Traumatic Brain Injury 

and their Families

Center Headquarters

Walter Reed Army Medical Center 

	 Washington, DC

Lead Sites

Walter Reed Army Medical Center

	 Washington, DC

Naval Medical Center San Diego

	 San Diego, CA

Wilford Hall Medical Center/ Brooke 

Army Medical Center

	 Lackland Air Force Base/

	 Fort Sam Houston, TX

James A. Haley Veterans Hospital

	 Tampa, FL

Minneapolis Veterans Affairs 

Medical Center

	 Minneapolis, MN

Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health 

Care System 

	 Palo Alto, CA

Hunter McGuire Veterans Affairs 

Medical Center 

	 Richmond, VA

Lakeview Virginia NeuroCare, Inc.

	 Charlottesville, VA

Satellite Clinics

	 Fort Bragg, NC

	 Camp Pendleton, CA

Defense & Veterans

Brain Injury Center

Home of the Defense and Veterans

Head Injury Program (DVHIP)

National Director:

Deborah L. Warden, M.D.

Center Headquarters

Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center

P.O. Box 59181

Washington, DC 20012

Phone: 202-782-6345

Fax: 202-782-4400

Toll Free: 1-800-870-9244

Web Site: www.DVBIC.org

Publication Date: October 2005

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America’s armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have sustained numerous attacks from

weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades,

improvised explosive devices and land mines.

Soldiers suffering injuries from these devices

require specialized care from providers experienced in treating traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Since 1992, the Defense and Veterans Brain

Injury Center (DVBIC) has provided leading

edge care, conducted clinical research and

offered education programs on TBI to active

duty service members and veterans.

Sixty-four percent of soldiers recently wounded

in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom sustained

blast injuries, according to the Office of the 

Surgeon General of the Army. Such injuries

are a major area of focus for DVBIC, which

operates at seven military and VA sites and

one civilian treatment site. Headquartered at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center—the site

that receives more casualties from theaters of

operations than any other military treatment

facility—DVBIC is at the forefront of efforts to

screen and treat soldiers for TBI.

Unlike penetrating head injuries,

closed head

injuries --- such

as those that

often result from

blasts --- may

not be diagnosed

immediately. At

Walter Reed,

DVBIC’s expert

clinical staff review daily incoming casualty reports and identify patients who have sustained injuries caused

by blasts, falls or motor vehicle crashes. From

January 2003 to January 2005, DVBIC staff

evaluated and treated 437 TBI patients from

the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the Center’s primary objectives is

to utilize results from the clinical research it

conducts to develop evidence-based standards

of care. DVBIC staff have also developed a

screening process that has proven invaluable in identifying individuals who sustain mild

traumatic brain injury in association with other

injuries initially the focus of medical attention.

Although recovery from mild brain injuries

(concussions) is generally uncomplicated

and complete, some individuals continue

to experience cognitive or mood difficulties. 

These injured soldiers require specialized

care from providers skilled in treating TBI.

The treatment provided by DVBIC staff

focuses on returning patients to the highest level of function possible. Rehabilitation

and education are key elements in treating TBI.

DVBIC is leading the initiative to provide

evidence-based guidelines for assessment

and follow-up care after blast-related TBI

within the military environment. By continuing to carry out expanded clinical interventions aimed at identifying and treating TBI,

DVBIC is contributing to all our nation’s efforts to ensure maximum military readiness.

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center—

Providing Care for Soldiers and Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury