Traumatic Brain Injury Archives

I can't do this job without the help of a lot of people, and this is the time of the year to thank them -- and they deserve it, because sometimes I can get cranky.

So, kudos to the following folks who exhibit true grace when dealing with me:

• Katie Roberts, Veterans Affairs Department press secretary
• Roger Baker, VA CIO
• Art Wu, Republican Deputy Staff Director, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, House VA Committee
• Laura Williams, public affairs officer, Defense Information Systems Agency
• Air Force Lt. Col. April Cunningham, Pentagon press desk
• Lt. Col. Lee Packnett and Lt. Col. Steve Warren, Army Pentagon media relations
• Paul Mehney and Dave Hampton, Army public affairs officers who help me my trips to Ft. Bliss/White Sands Missile Range
• Lt. Myers Vasquez, Navy public affairs, Pentagon
• Warren Suss, Suss Consulting
• John Garing, DISA/Suss Consulting
• Bernie Skoch, Consultant and fellow radio geek
• Army Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, former director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and Dr. Greg Reger, Army psychologist with the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, for their insights into PTS/TBI at the Government Executive Leadership Breakfast in April

Finally, special thanks to two friends who help me stay on the beam: George Wright on the Army Pentagon press desk and Navy Capt. Dave Wray, commander of Joint Public Affairs Support Element.

The Defense Department continues to put money toward trying to understand head injuries better and information technology is a big part of that. In its latest effort, the department awarded a $17 million to BAE Systems to place sensors in soldiers' helmets to record the effects of an n explosion, like a roadside bomb.

Defense first bought the HEADS sensors in 2008 and the contract is the second generation of the technology. From a UPI article, Joe Coltman, vice president of BAE Systems' Personnel Protection Systems business, said:

With the Generation II HEADS sensor, even if the injury isn't obvious, once the sensor collects data indicating a blast has exceeded a certain threshold, a LED light located on the sensor and will be activated and begin blinking, signifying to soldiers that they may have sustained a concussion warranting immediate attention.

The contract also is an example of how the government is relying more on senor technology.