Great Plains Brain Injury Collaborative

Dr. Fadi M. Alsaleem is the James S. and Virginia A. Blackman Associate Professor in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), with courtesy appointments in Mechanical & Materials Engineering at UNL and the Department of Biomechanics at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). His research group specializes in AI-integrated MEMS hardware for sensing and computing, particularly neuromorphic and analog MEMS systems, with applications spanning wearable health technologies, additive manufacturing, and smart infrastructure.

Before joining UNL in 2016, Dr. Alsaleem accumulated approximately six years of industrial experience, including positions as Senior Lead Algorithm Engineer at Emerson Climate Technologies and MEMS Control Engineer at MicrostaQ. He earned his Ph.D. (2009) and M.S. (2007) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Dr. Alsaleem’s scholarly contributions include more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and approximately 15 patents and patent applications. His research has attracted over $7.5 million in external funding from agencies including IARPA, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

In addition to his academic role, Dr. Alsaleem currently serves as Interim Chief Technology Officer of Grasshopper Health Technology  and is the founder of NEW MEMS, where he is leading the commercialization of MEMS-based sensing, computing, and edge-AI technologies. He is a frequent invited speaker and has presented his research at leading institutions including MIT, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Thomas F. Bergquist is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and Co-investigator of the NIDILRR-funded Mayo TBI Model System Center.  He is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology. He is a fellow in the ACRM, former member of the ACRM Board of Governors, co-chair of the Cognitive Rehabilitation Task Force and past chair of the Brain Injury – Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group. In 2024 he was awarded the Distinguished Member Award by ACRM.  Dr. Bergquist received his doctoral degree in Clinical and Medical Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He did his internship in Clinical Psychology at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center and completed a two-year fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at Mayo Clinic. He has given numerous regional, national, and international presentations in the areas of brain injury rehabilitation and disability and has authored or co-authored 15 book chapters and 60 journal publications in rehabilitation and medical journals.  He is an Associate Editor of the journal Brain Injury, published by Taylor and Francis. His principal research interests include rehabilitation, following brain injury and coping with disability. He is a past chair of the board of directors of the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance. He serves as a clinical supervisor at Compassion Counseling Center which provides mental health services free of charge. He and his wife, Kathy, have four children and one grandchild.   

Judith M. Burnfield, PT, PhD, is the Vice President of Research, Director of the Research Institute, and Clifton Chair in Physical Therapy and Movement Science at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals. She is a nationally recognized physical rehabilitation clinician, researcher and scholar. Dr. Burnfield has directed grant initiatives worth over $8M and has published over 85 peer-reviewed journal papers and co-authored the book, Gait Analysis, Normal and Pathological Function. Her federally funded research has generated patented technologies used worldwide in rehabilitation, fitness, and home settings to improve function and independence. In addition, she serves as an adjunct faculty member within several academic institutions and as an advisory board member for multiple industry partners. Dr. Burnfield completed her BS in physical therapy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, her PhD in Biokinesiology at the University of Southern California, and her postdoctoral studies at the Los Amigos Research and Education Institute in California. Her current research focuses on improving functional independence, cardiorespiratory fitness and overall wellbeing of individuals impacted by chronic illnesses and injuries including brain injury, stroke and Long COVID.

Dr. Lyon earned her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed her residency at Inland Empire Hospital Services Association in Spokane, Washington. She is board certified in internal medicine.

Dr. Russell “Rusty” McCulloh is a nationally recognized leader in clinical research who currently serves as Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Vice President for Research at Nebraska Medicine. Dr. McCulloh provides vision for clinical research, identifies research initiatives and incentives to foster research excellence, expand translational research teams and increase the number and success of large grant applications. He also facilitates joint research program planning, including identifying areas for strategic recruitment of nationally recognized, extramurally funded investigators.  Dr. McCulloh is also Chief Medical Officer for UNeHealth, UNMC’s subsidiary corporation that supports contracting and financial management of industry-sponsored research across UNMC and its health systems partners.  Dr. McCulloh joined UNMC in 2018, in part to direct the NIH-funded Nebraska Pediatric Clinical Trials Unit, which focuses on conducting high-quality clinical trials engaging children and families and increasing the capacity to conduct clinical trials at UNMC and institutions statewide. He has led national clinical trials across the 18-state IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network and now serves as Co-Director of the Data Coordination and Operations Center for the network which is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Brooke Murtaugh, OTD, OTR/L, CBIST, BT-C, is the Brain Injury Program Manager and a clinician researcher within the Research Institute at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals. Dr. Murtaugh provides clinical care for survivors of severe brain injury and their families, with an emphasis on individuals with Disorders of Consciousness (DoC). Dr. Murtaugh serves on the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) Task Force and the International Brain Injury Association’s DoC Special Interest Group. She co-chairs the International Care of the Coma Patient Scientific Work Group as part of the international Curing Coma Campaign coordinated by the Neurocritical Care Society. She also serves on the American College of Surgeons TBI Best Practice Recommendations committee and the CARF International Standards Advisory Committee. Dr. Murtaugh has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles focusing on DoC clinical care and contributed to the 2024 edition of the TBI Best Practice Guidelines. She also participated in the development and launch of a novel DoC Family and Consumer education web-based resource in collaboration with BrainLine.org/dchub. Most recently she was invited to co-chair the Rehabilitation committee within the Consciousness Prognostication and Recovery Consortium. She presents frequently at national and international conferences on brain injury. 

Dr. Pinto is a physician-scientist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. She completed her medical education at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School as part of the five-year Physician Scientist Training Program followed by both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency and Brain Injury Medicine Fellowship at UPMC. She recently received her Masters of Science in Clinical Science from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in May 2024. She is funded by the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to study the association between depression and cardiovascular health after TBI and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to study the link between autonomic nervous system dysfunction, cerebrovascular autoregulation impairments, and outcomes after TBI.

Peggy Reisher, MSW, has been the Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Nebraska (BIA-NE) since July 2013, after co-founding the organization in 2010. Before stepping into her current role, she was BIA-NE’s Director of Programs and Services. Prior to joining BIA-NE, Reisher spent 14 years working on the traumatic brain injury unit at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ Lincoln campus, where she helped patients and families access community resources both pre- and post-discharge.

Reisher’s commitment to brain injury advocacy has earned her several prestigious awards, including the 2013 Nebraska Social Worker of the Year Award, the 2018 Lincoln Journal Star Excellence in Healthcare Award, the 2021 Safe States Advocate of the Year Award, and the 2024 Friend of NASHIA Award. Her leadership extended nationally as the United States Brain Injury Alliance Chair from 2021 to 2024, and she currently serves on the American Brain Injury Association board of directors. She also collaborates with researchers at the University of Nebraska to explore brain injury prevalence in high-risk populations throughout the state. Her work raises awareness, expands educational outreach, and improves access to services for brain injury survivors and their families.

Originally from St. Paul, Nebraska, Reisher holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska Kearney and a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Her tireless advocacy has made her a leading voice in brain injury education and support across Nebraska and beyond.

Dr. Kelly Stauch received her PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from UNMC and completed her postdoctoral training with Dr. Howard Fox in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience at UNMC. Dr. Stauch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at UNMC and her research focuses on the mechanisms of pathogenesis in age-related neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr. Stauch will present her work studying long-term consequences after TBI using the controlled cortical impact mouse model. 

Dr. Williams directs the Translational Health Psychology Research Center within the Research Institute at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals. She earned her MA in psychology and a dual PhD in clinical and developmental psychology from the University of Missouri. Dr. Williams completed an APA-accredited clinical psychology internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, followed by postdoctoral training in pediatric psychology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Williams has held faculty appointments at multiple universities and is an award-winning teacher and researcher in the area of psychological adaptation to chronic illness and injury. Her current research focuses on developing psychological interventions to improve emotional wellbeing and psychological resilience for individuals living with physical disabilities and chronic conditions, including brain injury and Long COVID. Clinically, she provides outpatient psychological evaluation and treatment for patients through Madonna’s Neuropsychology Department.