Over 470,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries over the past 30 years. These warfighters deserve state-of-the-science, clinical research studies with findings translated into usable, innovative products to assess, detect, treat, educate, and rehabilitate their traumatic brain injuries to optimize readiness and quality of life. The management of a geographically dispersed contract team of over 150 staff members across 16 research and education sites and a Center of Excellence headquarters which focuses on traumatic brain injury and the follow-on translation of findings into clinical recommendations, training curriculums, and dissemination products requires an agile, adaptive program management philosophy, plan and team. Over the past three years, the General Dynamics Information Technology’s program management support to the Defense Health Agency’s Research and Engineering Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence has resulted in 36 research studies implemented and managed, the award and/or management of over M of external grants, publication of 150 peer-reviewed articles on traumatic brain injury, the development of 24 clinical recommendations, tools, training curriculums, provider and line leader tools and fact sheets. Additionally, the program management resulted in ongoing TBI surveillance and outcomes evaluation, a robust communications and social media strategy, and the planning and execution of an annual Brain Injury Awareness Month campaign across the Military Health System which conducted 1276 trainings to 19,715 military providers, patients and stakeholders between 2020 and 2022. Following review of this poster presentation, a participant will be able to understand the program organizational structure, apply the management philosophy, describe Agile project management model and key examples, and highlight take aways and lessons learned for the management of a comprehensive clinical research and education program to improve the warfighter brain health and readiness of the U.S. military today.
2. The attendee will be able to describe the program organizational structure that best supports a traumatic brain injury research and education program.
3. The attendee will be able to apply the Agile program management philosophy and describe the Agile model to support a traumatic brain injury research and education program.
4. The attendee will be able to list key examples of Agile tactics used in the execution of the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence program management.
5. The attendee will be able to recognize positive outcomes of a successful program management of a traumatic brain injury research and education program.