Overview:

Drs. Melissa McCart and Sondra Marshall are experts in the field of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and the implications of a TBI on learning. Sondra Marshall, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist with St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon. Melissa McCart, Ed.D, is a national and international speaker and author on the topic of brain injury and return to school following injury. Both are involved with CBIRT, the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training.

Today we discussed TBI in young children and the possible  implications on future learning. We also talked about how students with TBI are different than students with learning disabilities and how they need to be treated as such. Dr. McCart and Dr. Marshall shared their insights on the importance of collaboration between home and school and how educators can learn more about Traumatic Brain Injury through the impressive amount of resources available through Return to School.

Center for Brain Injury Research and Training

Return to School

Sondra Marshall, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist with St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon. She has been involved with the Oregon Concussion and Awareness Management Program since 2007, working with team members in the development of return to play and return to learn protocols post concussion. Dr. Marshall also worked with Drs. Ann Glang and Melissa McCart and the team from the Center of Brain Injury Research and Training at the University of Oregon on Brain 101, a research project that looked at concussion management in the high school setting. Finally, Dr. Marshall is working with the CBIRT team on a CDC awarded Return To Learn after TBI grant that specifically assess the concussion program Dr. Marshall and colleagues established in their community.

Melissa McCart, Ed.D, is a national and international speaker and author on the topic of brain injury and return to school following injury. She earned her doctorate in Educational Methodology, Policy and Leadership, her M.S. in behavioral disorders and applied behavior analysis, and her administrator’s licenses from the University of Oregon’s nationally ranked College of Education. She has worked extensively with at-risk children and families as a behavior specialist, behavior consultant and special education teacher. She is currently the director of the Oregon TBI Teams and works in the field of TBI research at the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) at the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the CBIRT team, Melissa spent 7 years as a school administrator, 2 years as a behavioral consultant, and 8 years as a special education teacher to students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Melissa currently is a member of the National Collaborative on Childhood Brain Injury and serves on the Return to Learn, Policy, Common Data Elements and Community of Practice Committees.