Fort Bragg, NC

Contact Information

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
Department of Traumatic Brain Injury
Womack Army Medical Center
2817 Reilly Road
Fort Bragg, NC 28310-5100
Phone: 910.907.6412

DVBIC Research Center/Education Center
Bldg 4-2102, Longstreet Road
Fort Bragg, NC 28310-5100
Phone: 910.497.5900

DVBIC Mailing Address:
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
P.O. Box 73009
Fort Bragg, NC 28310-5100

Website

Catchment Area

Fort Bragg

Leadership

Steven C. Lewis, M.D.
Site Director

Dr. Steven C. Lewis is a board certified neurologist based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology at West Virginia University in 2004, Dr. Lewis was commissioned as an officer in the Army Medical Department upon receiving the Army Health Professionals Scholarship. Following graduation, he elected to stay in Morgantown, where he studied medicine at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.  Dr. Lewis served 12 years in the Army, with 8 of those years on active duty.  His first duty assignment was Walter Reed Army Medical Center, then the premier military hospital in the country.  Here he completed his internship and residency in neurology from 2004-2008.  During his time at WRAMC, where he shared duties as Chief Resident of Neurology, he earned the John M. Hallenbeck Award presented for documented excellence in the neurosciences. During residency, he also spent time at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, where he earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for being named the outstanding teaching resident for the National Capital Consortium Department of Neurology.

Upon completion of his training at Walter Reed, Dr. Lewis was assigned to Fort Bragg.  He was soon deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he served with the "Rough Riders" of the 204th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Diwaniyah and Basra, Iraq.  In his capacity as OIC, COB Basra Hospital, he oversaw care provided to soldiers and was able to provide neurologic and TBI consultation to providers throughout Iraq.

Following his deployment, Dr. Lewis returned to Fort Bragg and Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC). Here, he was assigned the roles of Section Chief of Neurology and Clinical Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Service, supervising and training staff across multiple disciplines. His oversight has been instrumental in the development of the highly recognized program and multi-disciplinary care model, which has been emulated throughout other military treatment facilities. In May 2012, Dr. Lewis transitioned from active duty to government civilian, taking the new position of Chief, Department of Brain Injury Medicine at WAMC.

Today, he continues to provide leadership and oversight of the Concussion Care Clinic and NeuroRehabilitation Sections of WAMC. He has been the Site Director of the Fort Bragg DVBIC since 2009.  Dr. Lewis currently serves as the principal investigator of six research projects relating to concussion and/or traumatic brain injury.  

Program Overview

Mission:

Fort Bragg’s Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center site supports the national DVBIC mission by providing education, clinical care and research services for TBI to our region’s active, Reserve, Guard and community populations.

Regional Education and Outreach:

• Coordinates community awareness and prevention of TBI
• Provides educational resources for:
  • Members of the armed forces and their family members
  • Health care providers
  • Professional and ancillary staff
• Co-leads weekly TBI classes for service members enrolled in the rehabilitation program
• Briefs and screens post-deployment service members
• Provides TBI briefings to service members upon inprocessing to Fort Bragg

Regional Care Coordination:

• Serves as a single point of contact with specialized TBI knowledge and monitors progress
• Contacts service members diagnosed with TBI
• Provides education and support to service members diagnosed with TBI
• Provides expert consultation
• Assists in evaluation of treatment and discharge plans and eases transition to next level of care
• Advises patients, family members, and providers on ways to manage cognitive, emotional and behavioral issues
• Conducts follow-up interviews at three, six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 months
• Measures and documents progress in a DVBIC developed, web-based data repository system

Research Program:

Current Research Projects:

• A Psychometric Comparison of Brief Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment Batteries: Test-Retest Reliability. (Principal Investigator: Steven C. Lewis, M.D.)
• Psychometric Comparison of Brief Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment Batteries: Validity (Principal Investigator: Steven C. Lewis, M.D.)
• Deployment Related TBI: Incidence, Natural History, and Predictors of Recovery in Soldiers Returning from OIF/OEF (Warrior STRONG) (Principal Investigator: Steven C. Lewis, M.D.)
• “Epidemiology of Headache Disorders in a Military Cohort With and Without Traumatic Brain Injury (Warrior STRONG Sub-Study) (Principal Investigator: Steven C. Lewis, M.D.)
• “The Effect of Telephone Follow-Up on Outcome for Service Members with Mild TBI/PTSD” (Principal Investigator: Steven C. Lewis, M.D.)
• Data Analysis for Defense and Veterans Head Injury Program (DVHIP) Protocol IV: Combat Training Traumatic Brain Injury. A Surveillance Study in Paratroopers. (Principal Investigator: Steven C. Lewis, M.D.)
• Post-traumatic Headache in Soldiers: A retrospective record review of patients presenting to the TBI Center for evaluation and treatment of headache” (Principal Investigator: Sammy Choi, M.D.) 

How do I make an appointment?

If a service member has suffered a TBI/concussion and has lingering signs and symptoms that date from the concussion, they may benefit from evaluation and treatment at the Womack Army Medical Center TBI clinic. They should talk with their primary care manager if they are unsure about the symptoms they are experiencing. Self-referrals are accepted in the TBI clinic as well.

Service members are seen by appointment Monday-Friday, 0730-1630.

The clinic is located in the Womack Army Medical Center Clinic Mall on the 2nd floor near the All American hospital entrance.

Fort Bragg Traumatic Brain Injury Services

The Department of TBI at Womack Army Medical Center provides comprehensive treatment for mild to moderate traumatic brain injury. Treatment includes medical management of symptoms, vestibular and cognitive rehabilitation such as speech, occupational, vision and physical therapies. The center also offers neuropsychological testing, patient education through classes and written materials, and referral for pain management. RN case management and regional care coordination services are available for service members and their families to help them navigate through military, VA and civilian systems of care. The DVBIC site supports TBI clinical care, research and education at Fort Bragg.

Related News

NICoE Selection: Fort Bragg is one of eight military bases selected as a host of a National Intrepid Center of Excellence satellite clinic.  The clinic buildings will be funded by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.   Construction location and start date are still pending further approval.
Speaking Engagements/Presentations
August 2012: Dr. Wesley Cole, Neuropsychologist, DVBIC Fort Bragg, presented his research study, “Test-Retest Reliability of Four Computerized Neurocognitive Assessment Tools” (August 14^th), as part of a symposium titled “Neurocognitive Rehabilitation”.  On August 25^th, Dr. Cole presented a talk of the same name, with updated data, on DVBIC’s Quad Service Working Group conference call.
Aug. 22, 2012: Alan Finkel, M.D., Neurologist, is the chairman of the Post-traumatic Headache Section of the American Headache Society. The 54th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society took place in Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Finkel served as the course director and speaker at the Fred Sheftell, M.D., Post-traumatic Headache Series entitled, “Military Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Headache”.

Fort Bragg TBI Health Care Professional Team

Case Managers are registered nurses who help to develop individualized care plans, oversee service members medical treatment and help make appointments and referrals.

• Janice Greenidge, RN
• Carmen Haley, RN

Education Coordinators plan and organize TBI education for service members and their families, veterans, health care providers, and the military and civilian community.

Neurologists are medical doctors who have specialized training to diagnose and treat disorders of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

• Melanie Blacker, M.D.
• Alan Finkel, M.D.
• Steven Lewis, M.D.

Neuro-Optometry directs vision rehab, which can improve symptoms - such as headaches, perceptual deficits, and balance - as well as service members' activities of daily living, such as shooting, reading, and routine soldier tasks.

• Amy Chang, OD

Neuropsychologists evaluate through testing the nature and extent of impairment following TBI and plan strategies to compensate for the injury.

• Wesley Cole, Ph.D.
• Alvin Jones, Ph.D.
• Robert Stegman, Ph.D.

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are certified advanced practice clinicians responsible for the medical management, education and referral of service members with TBI.

• LCDR Billy Collins, PA-C
• Sally Cummings, CNP
• LCDR Scott Klimp, PA-C
• Patricia Woodard, CNP
• Juanita Yerry, PA-C

Occupational Therapists help service members who have sustained a TBI to develop, recover or maintain their ability to perform tasks of daily living.

• Cherise March, COTA
• Jeremy “Todd” Smith, OT

Physical Therapists evaluate and treat vestibular and balance disorders commonly associated with head injury.

• Robert Carlson, PT
• CDR Henry McMillian, PT
• Wendi Sheets, PTA

Psychometrists administer and score standardized neuropsychological tests under the direction of a neuropsychologist.

• Mary Alice Dale, MA
• Jennifer Mafnas, MA
• Jordan Ramirez, MA

Regional Care Coordinators are registered nurses or social workers who track and follow up with service members and families as they navigate care systems to ensure care needs are met.

• Margaret DiMeglio, LCSW

Regional Education Coordinators increase TBI awareness, promote prevention and improve the management of TBI through initiatives and instructional programs.

• Brooke Heintz, LCSW

Research Staff organize, implement, and monitor study protocols and data collection to further the advancement of TBI research.

• Jacques Arrieux, MA
• Wesley Cole, Ph.D.
• Mary Alice Dale, MA
• Donna Dennis, BSN
• Danielle Feldman, MS
• Ada Hubbard, RN
• Jennifer Johnson, MA
• Bernice Jordan, BS
• Katherine Toll, BA

Speech and Language Pathologists assist service members who have speech, language, and cognitive (attention, memory, problem solving) problems to regain optimal communication.

• Cheri Carlson, SLP
• Evelyn Galvis, SLP

Social Workers/Psychologists provide evaluation, education, supportive services, and referrals for soldiers and family members to decrease psychiatric distress and promote wellness strategies.