BIAA Announces 2022 Berrol and Caveness Award Recipients

Fairfax, VA – The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has announced the recipients of the annual BIAA awards program, which recognizes outstanding contributions to clinical service and research in brain injury. Gaylan Lee Rockswold, MD, PhD, is the recipient of the 2022 Sheldon Berrol, MD, Clinical Service Award, and Steven P. Broglio, PhD, ATC, is the recipient of the 2022 William Fields Caveness Award. The awards will be presented during the ACRM annual conference in November.

“BIAA is proud to recognize Dr. Rockswold and Dr. Broglio,” said Susan H. Connors, BIAA president and CEO. “We are honored each year to have the opportunity to celebrate the contributions exceptional individuals have made to the field of brain injury clinical service and research through our Berrol and Caveness BIAA awards program. BIAA celebrates the life-changing work of brain injury professionals across the nation.”

Gaylan Lee Rockswold, MD, PhD – 2022 Sheldon Berrol, MD Clinical Service Award

Gaylan Lee Rockswold, MD, PhD

Dr. Rockswold served as Chief of Neurosurgery for Hennepin County Medical Center from 1976-2011. He also founded and served as medical director of the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Center from 2006-2015. He has been awarded the Sheldon Berrol, M.D., Clinical Service Award, which recognizes a clinician who, through a long service career, has made outstanding contributions to improving the quality of care, professional training, and education in the field of brain injury.

“Dr. Rockswold has made great contributions to the fields of neurosurgery and traumatic brain injury throughout his career,” said Connors. “Through clinical practice, teaching, research, and community involvement, he has made immeasurable contributions and has broadly improved the quality of care for his patients, as well as countless others.”

Dr. Rockswold’s vision for creating the TBI Center was to continue to grow and establish excellence in every aspect of caring for TBI patients. The TBI Center also demonstrates his belief that quality care for TBI patients involves a multidisciplinary team, each adding their valued expertise to aid in a patient’s recovery. His legacy lives on in Hennepin Healthcare’s TBI Center today.    

“I’m honored to join the list of distinguished clinicians who have received the Sheldon Berrol, MD, Clinical Service Award from the Brain Injury Association of America. Dr. Berrol made a lifetime commitment to his advocacy and in his work as a physician,” said Dr. Rockswold. “We all stand on the shoulders of our mentors and nothing is accomplished without the support of our colleagues.”

As a professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota, he taught hundreds of medical students and has participated in the training of 70 neurosurgical chief residents who have gone on to practice locally, nationally, and across the globe. Dr. Rockswold continues to practice as a researcher in the field of TBI.

Steven P. Broglio, PhD, ATC – 2022 William Fields Caveness Award

Steven P. Broglio, PhD, ATC

Dr. Broglio is the Director of the Michigan Concussion Center and Director of the NeuroTrauma Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. Since 2000, his research career has consistently focused on improving mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion assessment, management, and outcomes among athletes and military service members. He has been awarded the William Fields Caveness Award, which recognizes a researcher who, through research on both a national and international level, has made outstanding contributions to bettering the lives of people with brain injury.

“Dr. Broglio has developed a unique translational research agenda that has significantly influenced and enhanced concussion literature with over 200 peer-reviewed articles,” said Connors. “He has collaborated with experts across diverse disciplines and academic institutions and partnered with community stakeholders to maximize the societal impact of his research.”

The most notable of the collaborative efforts is the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium, the largest prospective investigation of concussions ever conducted. Through the investigations conducted within the CARE Consortium, he has led monumental advances in concussion assessment and management.

“I am honored to accept the William Fields Caveness Award from the Brain Injury Association of America and humbled to join the list of distinguished awardees. Dr. Caveness was a pioneer in the field who focused on improving the lives of individuals living with TBI,” said Dr. Broglio. “The real credit, however, belongs to the incredible team of individuals that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years.”

Dr. Broglio also served as the lead author for the 2014 National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement on Concussion Management, the forthcoming NATA Gap Statement on Concussion Management (planned for publication in 2023), and the 2018 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Department of Defense Sport-Related Concussion Common Data Elements. These publications directly influence policy and procedural documents and serve as the “gold standard” for clinical practice in mTBI/concussion assessment and management for physicians, athletic trainers, and others involved in this line of care.

Dr. Broglio’s efforts in bridging neuroscience to society reflect his belief that disseminating best practices information on concussion prevention, identification, and management findings will ultimately benefit everyone, beyond the scientific research community.

More information about the BIAA awards program can be found at biausa.org/awards.

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About the Brain Injury Association of America:

The Brain Injury Association of America is the country’s oldest and largest nationwide brain injury advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance awareness, research, treatment, and education and to improve the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury. We are dedicated to increasing access to quality health care and raising awareness and understanding of brain injury.