Rehabilitation Research & Development Service
Brain Injury
Stuart Hoffman, PhDStuart Hoffman, PhD, is the Scientific Program Manager for the Brain Injury portfolio, which includes traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke. Dr. Hoffman received his doctoral degree in behavioral and molecular neuroscience at Rutgers University in 1995 and completed his postdoctoral training in pharmacology at Virginia Commonwealth University?s medical campus in 1997. Prior to accepting this position with VA, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University. Dr. Hoffman was also faculty in both the graduate and undergraduate neuroscience programs at Emory University, where he codeveloped and directed a multidisciplinary course on neurotrauma. He was previously the Research Director for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Hoffman has more than 24 years of experience and has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications in translational research on neuroprotection and recovery of function after brain injury.
Dr. Hoffman has research experience in the following brain injury areas: in vitro TBI models, animal models of TBI, development of animal rehabilitation models, rodent brain ischemia models, translational drug development for neuroprotection, and clinical neurorehabilitation research.
Program Goals
Developing effective rehabilitation strategies for TBI, the signature injury of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, is an urgent concern for the nation’s Veterans. The VA’s Office of Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) is responding to this concern in several ways. First, to ensure that the RR&D TBI research program supports innovative and timely research that complements civilian and military research programs, the VA sponsored State-of-the Art (SOTA) Conference on TBI research to inform research planning. The VA also hosted a meeting of international experts to review the approach to patient care and advise on future research needs. Second, to encourage expanded efforts in TBI research, RR&D recently released an RFA for TBI research based on the recommendations of the SOTA Conference. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of applications for TBI research, including proposals for both Merit Awards and Centers of Excellence. Among the important TBI-related topics of research to be addressed by RR&D funded researchers are basic science to better understand the underlying mechanisms of injury and potential for regeneration and recovery, including from blast injury; development of improved neuroimaging techniques to aid diagnosis and guide effective treatment; and development of evidence-based rehabilitation methods. Research efforts will expand the TBI program and refine it to better respond to the unique needs of Veterans with TBI.
For information about the RR&D Brain Injury program contact Stuart Hoffman, Phd or 202.443-5762