Traumatic brain injury (TBI) researcher and survivor Kelli Talley, Ph.D., recently joined national experts and advocates at the U.S. Capitol to help shape the conversation on brain injury recovery and research.

Held June 11 at the Capitol Visitor Center, a panel discussion was hosted by the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) and the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. The “Leading with Science: How the TBI Model Systems Are Transforming the Future of Brain Injury Care” event convened a cross-section of national voices to explore how science, lived experience and clinical practice are shaping the future of brain injury recovery.

Talley, associate professor of rehabilitation counseling within the College of Health Professions, represented the VCU Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, one of 16 federally designated centers focused on advancing long-term TBI recovery through coordinated care and research. In addition to serving as the program’s dissemination coordinator, she leads VCU’s Health Disparities and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Lab.

The session highlighted how interdisciplinary TBI Model System teams – which include rehabilitation therapists, psychologists, nurses and physicians – are uniquely equipped to support patients’ recovery. It also emphasized the importance of sustaining long-term research and data collection efforts. These model systems are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research.

“It’s been a very surreal process – being in a space of decision making that I’ve never really been in before,” Talley said. “But we’re contributing a lot for the betterment of brain injury survivors, and I’ve really appreciated the opportunity.”

The panel also included Flora Hammond, M.D., director of the Indiana TBI Model System; Jannelle Charlemagne, a TBI survivor; and Maryam Mohit, a caregiver of a survivor. Talley said sharing the stage with leaders she has long admired and hearing a range of perspectives was a highlight of the experience.

In her comments, Talley also addressed a national database, maintained by the TBI Model Systems network, which has tracked outcomes for more than 30 years and helped establish TBI as a chronic condition. That shaped both care delivery and public understanding.

Her perspective is grounded in both science and lived experience. A car crash in the 1990s left her in a coma and shifted the course of her life – from business and ROTC to occupational therapy and ultimately a Ph.D. in health sciences. She now teaches on disability and health equity, in addition to serving on the BIAA’s governing board.

“When they asked for any last words, I shared that I was a survivor living with a brain injury for 30 years,” she said. “I wish I’d had access to this system earlier in my recovery. That’s what motivated me to come to VCU.”