Venkatesan, U.M., Rabinowitz, A.R., Bernier, R.A., Soto, J.A., & Hillary, F.G. (2023). Effects of Perceived Discrimination on Behavioral Health Outcomes in People Aging with Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 38(2):191-200.

This publication described the potential negative effects of societal discrimination on the mental and psychosocial health of individuals with TBI. It is found that individuals’ self-reported everyday experiences of discrimination are associated with their mental health, neurobehavioral functioning, and overall health-related quality of life.

Venkatesan, U.M., & Ramanathan-Elion, D.M. (2021). Psychoeducation as Precision Health in Military-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 103(6):1222-1232.

This special communication reviewed the history and current implementation of psychoeducation for Service Members and Veterans (SMVs) who have experienced mild traumatic brain injury, focusing on major theoretical and conceptual gaps in cognitive rehabilitation programs for this population. It then presented a theoretical approach, based on the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System, to designing, delivering, and evaluating personalized psychoeducation for SMVs. It is argued that personalized psychoeducation is a critical factor in the psychosocial rehabilitation of SMVs, influencing not only treatment buy-in, but also adherence and maintenance of treatment gains.

Venkatesan, U.M., Rabinowitz, A.R., Wolfert, S., & Hillary, F.G. (2021). Duration of post-traumatic amnesia is uniquely associated with memory functioning in chronic moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. NeuroRehabilitation, 49(2):221-233. 

Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is an acute consequence of traumatic brain injury wherein the patient temporarily cannot form new memories. Based on prior behavioral and neuroimaging work, this study examined the relationship between the duration of PTA acutely and memory test performance chronically (i.e., many years after injury). It was found that the duration of PTA after injury was significantly related to chronic-stage memory performance, even after controlling for performance on non-memory cognitive tests and demographic factors.