2015 Veterans Symposium – Panels

The University of Missouri School of Law presents the 2015 Veterans Clinic Symposium – Traumatic Brain Injury: Lessons Learned from Our Nation’s Athletes and Military. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The History of TBI Claims in VA Disability Compensation Cases Amy Odom National Litigation Director National Veterans Legal Services Program Living with TBI: Changed Lives Alex Pracht with a few words from his mother, Pat Pracht Retired U.S. Army, OEF (2008-2009) Client, University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic Shawn Lee, ’15 Veteran, 101st Airborne Attorney, Fox Stretz & Quinn Moderator Eric Hart Associate Clinical Professor Department of Health Psychology University of Missouri Living through the League of Denial: an Athlete, an Attorney & an Astute Professor Paul Anderson Attorney, The Klamann Law Firm Creator, NFLConcussionLitigation.com Marvin Washington Retired NFL Player Member of the 1998 Denver Broncos Super Bowl Team Douglas E. Abrams Associate Professor of Law University of Missouri School of Law Moderator: Justin Trueblood Third-Year Student at the University of Missouri School of Law and President of the Mizzou Law Sports Society Contemporary Game Day Prevention: Perspectives from the Trainer and the Player Rex Sharp Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine University of Missouri Department of Athletics Michael Sam Football Analyst, KOMU-TV Defensive Lineman, University of Missouri Football, 2009-2013 7th Round Selection, 2014 NFL Draft _________________________________________________________________ Overview: On May 19, 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine published Dr. Susan Okie’s article, “ Traumatic Brain Injury in the War Zone,” which reported on the case of Sgt. David Emme, who was severely brain-injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) as part of a convoy transporting Iraqi volunteers for military training. Sgt. Emme was one of 450 service members treated at Walter Reed from 2003 to 2005 for traumatic brain injury (TBI). More than 30,000 service members suffer from TBI, with an estimated economic cost of $76.5 billion. Kansas City Chiefs player Javon Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend before killing himself on December 1, 2012. CNN reported that pathology reports found Belcher suffered from brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE was found in the brains of 87 of 91 deceased NFL players who donated their bodies for research, according to a study released on September 18, 2015. As explained by Dr. Ann McKee, one of the doctors involved in the study, this is not a matter of sensationalizing an issue to create controversy for football fans or the NFL, “this is a very real disease.” Evidence of CTE has been found in the brains of veterans, just as it has been found in NFL players. The Veterans Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law is pleased to present its second annual symposium focusing on the legal and practical issues arising from traumatic brain injury, a very real concern for athletes and our military. Copyright Information: http://www.missouri.edu/copyright.php © 2015 – Curators of the University of Missouri