The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) is joining leading clinics nationwide in a pioneering effort to improve post-acute care for traumatic brain injury patients through a multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach.

The RNI received a $300,000 matching grant from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Foundation to support its participation in the Post-Acute Care Collaborative for Traumatic Brain Injury, an effort supported by the Weill Family Foundation.

Geoffrey T. Manley, M.D., Ph.D., Margaret Liu Endowed Professor in Traumatic Brain Injury and professor and vice chair of neurological surgery at UCSF, presented the grant funds July 10 during a site visit and guest lecture at the RNI.

“This is an exciting time for West Virginia. We are establishing a national standard for concussion and brain injury care,” Javier Cárdenas, M.D., chief of the RNI’s Division of Sports Neurology and director of the RNI Concussion and Brain Injury Center, said.

The Weill Family Foundation has committed $5 million to the UCSF Foundation to support research and launch the Post-Acute Care Collaborative for Traumatic Brain Injury at select clinics across the country. The goal is to create a national model of excellence for post-acute care to ensure patients have the resources and support they need to thrive after they leave the hospital and resume their daily activities at home.

Participating providers must secure matching support from the community and manage a learning healthcare system clinic that meets foundational pillars for staffing, data management, team collaboration, patient assessment, knowledge sharing, and more.

Patients at the RNI Concussion and Brain Injury Center follow a comprehensive treatment plan developed by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians that is tailored to meet their unique needs. The RNI team offers the same level of expert care to first responders and domestic violence survivors as to professional athletes.

“Every concussion and brain injury patient deserves the highest level of treatment, not just professional athletes,” Dr. Cárdenas said.

The Weill Family Foundation was established by Joan and Sanford Weill, former CEO of Citigroup. The Weills have contributed more than $1 billion to a variety of meaningful causes, including enhanced education, research, patient care, fine arts, and more.

“The partnership with Dr. Cárdenas and WVU and the lessons we will learn together are important steps in realizing our shared vison to create a framework for post-acute TBI care that will be a model we hope to extend to every community across the nation,” Dr. Manley said.

The UCSF grant funds will be matched with philanthropic dollars to be raised over the next three years in collaboration with the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University and its affiliated entities.

Supporters interested in giving to the RNI can make a gift online at Give.WVU.edu/WVUMedicine-RNI or contact Natalie Updike, executive director of development, at nupdike@wvuf.org or 304-554-0255 for more information.

For more information on the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.