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- David RobertsonTBI AmbassadorRoleIndividual with TBILocationMonklands, ScotlandFun Facts
David’s accident left him with permanent double vision, a condition exacerbated by his anisometropia. Despite his impairment, David’s vision is his most cherished possession. He observes beauty and patterns in all aspects of life and uses his talents as a keen photographer to capture his vision. He has had his work published on DVD and magazine covers as well as taking photographs of a broad range of subjects for pleasure both at home and abroad.
David enjoys working on different projects and tried his hand at producing jewelry but found the intricacies of soldering and manipulating small pieces was something he couldn’t quite master.
David greatly enjoys travel. Four years after his TBI he traveled through Canada, the USA, and Mexico where he was able to watch some soccer matches and experience new places in the world. Since then, he has visited many other countries but finds himself still drawn to return to the US so he can explore more of the states. David and his partner have three boys and have recently celebrated 32 years of marriage.
David Robertson's Journey with TBI
In 1982 David fell 30 feet from a hotel window and, among other injuries, sustained a serious head injury. To this day David has no direct memory of the accident, or his time spent in a hospital in Llandudno, North Wales, only occasional instances a couple of weeks later after he was transferred nearer to home serving as his earliest memories of the injury.
After the accident David felt he had to start over; learning how to walk, talk, carry out personal care, and everything people take for granted. David felt he had the best care in rehab but then was left very much on his own by the time he was discharged and sent home.
David found it difficult to cope with the psychological aspects of a traumatic brain injury. On the outside David appeared to be fine, but he often felt that he was making guesses on how best to live. In a way, David’s injury was as invisible to himself as it was to others. He became his own worst critic, second-guessing himself constantly, and serving as a danger to himself and others.
It was only recently that David started to look at his fall and appreciate the damage it caused him. He’s begun to learn more about TBI using the MSKTC resources and wants to draw on his experiences to help others.
What does David think of the quality/usefulness of MSKTC resources?
The MSKTC resources are ideal to find specific information as well as general knowledge of different aspects of TBI. MSKTC has such a large library of resources that he has not had the time to study all it offers. It is easy to find answers or assistance in an easily understandable format. The different modes of presentation help translate the information to a wide range of different people.
Why does David want to be an MSKTC ambassador?
David would like to help those that may need assistance in finding the relevant information to help lead the best lives they can.
What has David done as an MSKTC ambassador?
David shares MSKTC resources and information with Fife Nursing School, Fife Women's Aid as well as with the Fife branch of Headways.
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- Jeena Elizabeth JoseSCI AmbassadorRolePhysical Therapist and Clinical InstructorLocationCaliforniaFun Facts
Jeena, her husband, and two kids came to the United States in 2008 from Abu Dhabi. Her older son is in college, and her younger son is in second grade. Jeena’s life revolves around her family and work. Her hobbies are music, dancing, painting, cooking, and travel. She does miss her family, pets, and home in India, but still plans trips to visit when they are able.
Jeena’s journey with SCI
Jeena has been a Physical Therapist since 2002. She began her career working in India and parts of the Middle East and started to work in California in 2011. She has held different roles as a physical therapy assistant, physical therapist, educator, documentation auditor, and Director of Rehabilitation in all rehabilitation settings. She holds several certifications in her practice, from interests that grab her attention to new research and courses that can improve her knowledge and ability to serve her patients and their families more efficiently. Her current position is as a Physical Therapist working with various types of patient groups and diagnoses at Loma Linda Inpatient Rehabilitation.
Jeena considers herself lucky enough to have worked with some great clinicians throughout her career. With their guidance she has been able to contribute towards setting up rehabilitation clinics, SCI treatment centers, and brain injury education and training centers for the pediatric population. She now caters to all medical diagnoses and feels she learns something every day. She particularly enjoys working with SCI, TBI, and BURNS patients. With such life-changing injuries, the patient and the entire family rely on guidance from their medical professionals. Jeena hopes to carry her knowledge to educate the next generation of therapists and to parts of the world like her hometown in India, where resources such as these are invaluable.
Why does Jeena want to be an ambassador?
Jeena treats all her patients as family, so she is always on the lookout for the best educational and treatment options available, which is why she always recommends MSKTC to her patients and their caregivers. It is occasionally difficult to find new and updated research-based resources in one spot, but the resources with MSKTC are easy to navigate and the language is easy to understand. She particularly favors topics like the Wheelchair-Parts Management courses and the quizzes that test user understanding. This is particularly useful for her current work setting due to the vast amount of material she must cover in her brief time with a patient. She confidently recommends MSKTC to her patients as it helps them learn, review, and reinforce quality information relevant to them and their families. She especially appreciates how the info-comics in SCI, TBI, and BURNS can grab the attention of younger pediatric patients. As a robotics specialist, she was happy to see the most recent exoskeleton technology that is discussed and reviewed further on this website.
What has Jeena done as an ambassador?
Jeena shares the MSKTC resources with her doctors and patients and has encouraged patients to share their resources with their peer groups for increased visibility. All resources presented on SCI, TBI, and BURNS are indeed the questions and concerns of most patients and caregivers as they continue their journey of healing and rehabilitation. She sees the MSKTC resources continuing to serve a valuable role within her organization and in venues where she exercises her professional expertise.
- Jeena Elizabeth JoseBurn AmbassadorRolePhysical Therapist and Clinical InstructorLocationCaliforniaFun Facts
Jeena, her husband, and two kids came to the United States in 2008 from Abu Dhabi. Her older son is in college, and her younger son is in second grade. Jeena’s life revolves around her family and work. Her hobbies are music, dancing, painting, cooking, and travel. She does miss her family, pets, and home in India, but still plans trips to visit when they are able.
Jeena’s journey with burn
Jeena has been a Physical Therapist since 2002. She began her career working in India and parts of the Middle East and started to work in California in 2011. She has held different roles as a physical therapy assistant, physical therapist, educator, documentation auditor, and Director of Rehabilitation in all rehabilitation settings. She holds several certifications in her practice, from interests that grab her attention to new research and courses that can improve her knowledge and ability to serve her patients and their families more efficiently. Her current position is as a Physical Therapist working with various types of patient groups and diagnoses at Loma Linda Inpatient Rehabilitation.
Jeena considers herself lucky enough to have worked with some great clinicians throughout her career. With their guidance she has been able to contribute towards setting up rehabilitation clinics, SCI treatment centers, and brain injury education and training centers for the pediatric population. She now caters to all medical diagnoses and feels she learns something every day. She particularly enjoys working with SCI, TBI, and BURNS patients. With such life-changing injuries, the patient and the entire family rely on guidance from their medical professionals. Jeena hopes to carry her knowledge to educate the next generation of therapists and to parts of the world like her hometown in India, where resources such as these are invaluable.
Why does Jeena want to be an ambassador?
Jeena treats all her patients as family, so she is always on the lookout for the best educational and treatment options available, which is why she always recommends MSKTC to her patients and their caregivers. It is occasionally difficult to find new and updated research-based resources in one spot, but the resources with MSKTC are easy to navigate and the language is easy to understand. She particularly favors topics like the Wheelchair-Parts Management courses and the quizzes that test user understanding. This is particularly useful for her current work setting due to the vast amount of material she must cover in her brief time with a patient. She confidently recommends MSKTC to her patients as it helps them learn, review, and reinforce quality information relevant to them and their families. She especially appreciates how the info-comics in SCI, TBI, and BURNS can grab the attention of younger pediatric patients. As a robotics specialist, she was happy to see the most recent exoskeleton technology that is discussed and reviewed further on this website.
What has Jeena done as an ambassador?
Jeena shares the MSKTC resources with her doctors and patients and has encouraged patients to share their resources with their peer groups for increased visibility. All resources presented on SCI, TBI, and BURNS are indeed the questions and concerns of most patients and caregivers as they continue their journey of healing and rehabilitation. She sees the MSKTC resources continuing to serve a valuable role within her organization and in venues where she exercises her professional expertise.
- Nelson GonzalezTBI AmbassadorRoleOccupational Therapist and Executive Director at Rehab Without WallsLocationFloridaFun Facts
Nelson has a large loving family (wife, 5 siblings, 3 children and 15 nieces/nephews). If Nelson wasn’t so busy with family, work, and staying physically fit, there is a very good possibly you would catch him at a drum circle!
Nelson has been an occupational therapist (OT) since 2004. In his time, he has gathered several certifications and formed many affiliations with prominent therapy organizations that focus on spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). As a therapy leader and clinician, Nelson has helped restore function to clients who have disabilities following disease or profound injuries like SCI and TBI among many others. Nelson serves as the executive director of Rehab Without Walls NeuroSolutions in Florida. He has been a strong advocate for the value of rehab professionals’ role in a patient’s journey to accomplishing skills needed for life as well as using evidence-based practice to support their role.
Why does Nelson want to be an ambassador?
Nelson loves to share high quality research-based resources like the ones produced by the MSKTC that he believes in. Nelson points out that there is so much room for improvement in the services provided for people with disabilities, particularly in Florida with the lack of adaptive beaches and home & community based services. By being an ambassador, he shares the free research-based MSKTC resources with patients and clinicians to help achieve better rehabilitation outcomes.
What has Nelson done as an ambassador?
Nelson has used MSKTC’s resources to educate his staff at Rehab Without Walls in Florida whom he oversees so they can in turn educate patients/clients as well as family members and caregivers. Nelson hopes to use the reach of his national company to spread the word on MSKTC’s resources by posting MSKTC resources on the intranet page for all staff working for Rehab Without Walls.
- Nelson GonzalezSCI AmbassadorRoleOccupational Therapist and Executive Director at Rehab Without WallsLocationFloridaFun Facts
Nelson has a large loving family (wife, 5 siblings, 3 children and 15 nieces/nephews). If Nelson wasn’t so busy with family, work, and staying physically fit, there is a very good possibly you would catch him at a drum circle!
Nelson has been an occupational therapist (OT) since 2004. In his time, he has gathered several certifications and formed many affiliations with prominent therapy organizations that focus on spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). As a therapy leader and clinician, Nelson has helped restore function to clients who have disabilities following disease or profound injuries like SCI and TBI among many others. Nelson serves as the executive director of Rehab Without Walls NeuroSolutions in Florida. He has been a strong advocate for the value of rehab professionals’ role in a patient’s journey to accomplishing skills needed for life as well as using evidence-based practice to support their role.
Why does Nelson want to be an ambassador?
Nelson loves to share high quality research-based resources like the ones produced by the MSKTC that he believes in. Nelson points out that there is so much room for improvement in the services provided for people with disabilities, particularly in Florida with the lack of adaptive beaches and home & community based services. By being an ambassador, he shares the free research-based MSKTC resources with patients and clinicians to help achieve better rehabilitation outcomes.
What has Nelson done as an ambassador?
Nelson has used MSKTC’s resources to educate his staff at Rehab Without Walls in Florida whom he oversees so they can in turn educate patients/clients as well as family members and caregivers. Nelson hopes to use the reach of his national company to spread the word on MSKTC’s resources by posting MSKTC resources on the intranet page for all staff working for Rehab Without Walls.