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As part of his instructional series, “Caveats in Brain Injury Medicine,” Dr. Zasler discussed and demonstrated clinical examination techniques of patients who had sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI). The ability to assess accurately the prognoses for patients, he explained, was imperative not only in planning patient care, but in general case management and in estimating costs of medical treatment.  That process, he said, requires an integration of the most recent scientific literature with the doctor’s own clinical experience.  

Dr. Zasler explained that impairments can occur in sensory systems such as vision, hearing, smell, taste, and equilibrium −which often follow nerve injuries within the head− and that patient care should begin with diagnoses that address overall head injuries as well as injuries to the brain.

Dr. Zasler demonstrated to an enthusiastic audience the application of “hands on” techniques of assessing and diagnosing the causes of treatment-resistant, post-traumatic headache pain. Using two volunteer patients, neither of whom had ever had a doctor touch their heads or necks in the years since sustaining TBI, Dr. Zasler identified and described the cause and type of pain for both patients, and suggested specific medications most effective for treating the previously “treatment resistant” post-traumatic headaches.

Also discussed were treatment methods such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language pathology as well as various medical specialties such as neuro-ophthalmology and otolaryngology that are available to treat special sensory symptoms which, if left untreated, can contribute to disability. 

“This course is a must for clinicians treating patients along the TBI spectrum,” commented Dr. James Nussbaum, clinical director of ProHealth & Fitness, PT, PC, and a graduate of Touro’s master’s program in physical therapy, who called the gathering, “an exceptional conference.”

Members of the audience included alumni of Touro College SHS:  physician assistants; nurses; and physical, occupational, and speech therapists; allopathic and osteopathic physicians; as well as attorneys. Dr. Zasler, when asked about the  diversity of professions represented in the audience, pointed out that, “Multi-disciplinary, and better yet, inter-disciplinary team approaches to the treatment of individuals with acquired brain injuries have been an integral part of neurologic rehabilitation from the discipline’s outset. Touro’s School of Health Science’s emphasis on interdisciplinary education is aimed at producing practitioners who have been trained in a team approach to assessment and care as advocated by current clinical practice standards in the field.”

Dr. Louis Primavera, dean of the SHS and the organizer of the presentation, remarked on the value of continuing education opportunities such as Dr. Zasler’s lecture. “The School of Health Sciences is committed to maintaining ongoing relationships with our alumni and offering high quality continuing education and credit-bearing educational experiences. It is a contribution which we can make to our alumni in their professional careers.”

Dr. Zasler has served as chief editor of two premier journals in brain injury medicine including, Brain Injury and NeuroRehabilitation, and was senior editor of two editions of the “gold standard text,” Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice.  He practices at the Concussion Care Center of Virginia, Ltd, where he is CEO and medical director, and at Tree of Life, a residential treatment facility and assistive and transitional living facility in Richmond. Dr. Zasler holds clinical faculty appointments at both the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dean Louis Primavera appointed Dr. Zasler to the rank of Distinguished Clinical Professor of Health Sciences at the SHS presentation, preceding Dr. Zasler’s lecture.