CBIST Spotlight: Kristin Hull
Categories: ACBIS Insider
Kristin Hull is an occupational therapist and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Doctorate Program at Indiana University where she leads students to empower individuals and groups through purposeful and meaningful engagement. Prior to working at Indiana University, Kristin provided occupational therapy services in the inpatient rehabilitation setting for adults with brain injury in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and in early intervention and outpatient pediatric program in Indianapolis. She graduated from Indiana University with her post-professional doctorate in Occupational Therapy in 2019, her Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of Indianapolis in 2009, and her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology in 2006. Kristin received her CBIS in 2014 and her CBIST in 2024. She currently is the Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of Indiana. Throughout her career, she has integrated medical, social, advocacy, education, and connection to families and professionals who live, work, and support individuals living with brain injury.
Why are you passionate about brain injury?
I can truly say that I have worked with individuals across the lifespan who have been directly and indirectly impacted by brain injury. Across the care continuum, I have had the joy in seeing progress, the compassion in holding hands through uncertainty and pain, and the empathy in shedding tears with and for individuals who’s lives have been forever changed. Because of that, I believe in greater tomorrows and that everyone deserves a fighting chance and for many, it is to understand what and why changes have happened after a brain injury.
How has the field of brain injury changed in your time working?
The field has changed tremendously in the past 15 years in brain injury care! It has been exciting to see medicine evolve, rehabilitation evolve, and now into the community and chronic management. I am constantly reading literature identifying these changes and embracing how this can be moved from published paper and into practice.
Why is having a CBIST important to you? How is it helpful to your daily work?
Through receiving my CBIST, I have been able to reach out and connect with other individuals who find passion in wanting to learn more and do better in brain injury care. To witness the “a-ha!” moments with them and hear the questions as they connect information to experience and vice versa has been rewarding in knowing that each of these individuals also plan to take the information, to educate, to advocate, and to make change for brain injury.
What are some challenges you have faced working with individuals with brain injury?
The biggest barrier when working with individuals with brain injury is the opportunity for resources and accessibility to services. The research is growing regarding understanding social determinants of health and brain injury, but I think it is bigger than just understanding risk factors and where to direct individuals. I believe it is in getting to know each individual and finding the opportunities to discover, and sometimes rediscover, their capabilities. This, to me, ultimately drives resources and service accessibility.
How can clinicians best support individuals, caregivers, and family members?
I truly believe that knowledge is power. Yet, it’s not a knowledge that “I know everything,” or “you need to know everything” but the knowledge to know better and to keep learning. Clinicians can support individuals, care partners, caregivers, and families by knowing their own limitations as clinicians, know to ask questions, listen, and learn about each individual they work with (e.g., goals, environment, support systems), and not only know the best evidence that continues to be published but discover how to move this into practice for ultimate care for those individuals. This applies to any setting and all professions.
What do you see as the future of the brain injury field/research/education?
Brain injury practice, education, and research are a trifecta – one cannot happen without the other. Practice informs research, research informs education, and education, in turn, informs practice. In the future, I see greater alignment of information to practice and taking that practice to inform research and education through enhanced collaboration. I see the future continuing to grow for chronic management and greater hope for living meaningful lives not just for the individual living with brain injury but also their support systems in home, work, and education.