A physician with thirty-five years of experience treating people with brain injuries shares the latest research on concussions and best practices for care.

The explosion of attention to sports concussions has many of us thinking about the addled brains of our football and hockey heroes. But concussions happen to everyone, not just elite athletes. Children fall from high chairs, drivers and cyclists get into accidents, and workers encounter unexpected obstacles on the job. Concussions are prevalent, occurring even during everyday activities. In fact, in less time than it takes to read this sentence, three Americans will experience a concussion. The global statistics are no less staggering.

Shaken Brain offers expert advice and urgently needed answers. Elizabeth Sandel, MD, is a board-certified physician who has spent more than three decades treating patients with traumatic brain injuries, training clinicians, and conducting research. Here she explains the scientific evidence for what happens to the brain and body after a concussion. And she shares stories from a diverse group of patients, educating readers on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Few people understand that what they do in the aftermath of their injury will make a dramatic difference to their future well-being; patient experiences testify to the best practices for concussion sufferers and their caregivers. Dr. Sandel also shows how to evaluate risks before participating in activities and how to use proven safety strategies to mitigate these risks.

Today concussions aren't just injuries--they're big news. And, like anything in the news, they're the subject of much misinformation. Shaken Brain is the resource patients and their families, friends, and caregivers need to understand how concussions occur, what to expect from healthcare providers, and what the long-term consequences may be.

Elizabeth Sandel, MD has been providing medical care to patients with brain injuries for more than 30 years. Specializing in brain injury medicine, she currently serves as Medical Director for Paradigm Management Services, an organization that provides medical case management throughout the U.S. to catastrophically injured workers, including those with concussions and other brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and multiple trauma. She also serves as Clinical Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of California Davis School of Medicine.

Dr. Sandel is Board-certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Brain Injury Medicine (BIM). She is an active member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), the largest organization of physicians specializing in PM&R in the world. She served this organization on the Board of Governors for 8 years and as President from 2009–2010. She was a member of the Brain Injury Medicine Examination Committee of the American Board of PM&R from 2011 to 2015 and was one of the first 321 physicians certified in this new medical subspecialty in November 2014.

Education 

Fellowship, Brain Injury Rehabilitation 1984-1985
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Additional rotations:
Braintree Hospital, Braintree, MA
San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Residency, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 1981-1984
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
 

M.D. Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 1977-1981
(now Drexel College of Medicine)
Humanities Scholar
Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 1975-1977
Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program
 

B.A. Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 1967-1971

Source: elizabethsandelmd.com