BOARD [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 106]


NOAA, and five at-large (without re- gard to service affiliation).  Directors must be active duty, Reserve, National Guard, retired, or former uniformed service officers or surviving spouses and members of the association.  Directors hold office for six years.  Each director represents the total association and not a regional or ser- vice constituency.  The board directs and controls the business management and af- fairs of the association and has the authority to approve contracts, incur liabilities, expend funds, and attend to other association matters. There are no grade or other limita- tions on the number of officers who may serve as directors at any one time. Efforts are made to obtain the best- qualified members from within the membership of the association.


Service on the board Directors serve one six-year term and discharge their governance responsibilities primarily by partici- pating in the three board meetings convened each year. Each board meeting includes meetings of the various standing committees and re- quires about one-and-a-half days, not including travel. A director should be able to de-


vote two to three weeks each year to MOAA matters, including travel, board and committee meetings, and participation in other events such as the annual Council Presidents’ Seminar, regional chapter leaders’ symposia, and individual visits to councils and chapters. A director must refrain from activi-


ties that could reasonably be viewed as conflicting with or possibly influenc- ing the director’s judgment regarding his or her responsibilities to MOAA. Directors receive no compensation, but they are reimbursed for MOAA- related travel, lodging, and meals.


MO 108 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2016


TBI [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 95]


use the latest scientific information to better the lives of our service- members [and] veterans and their families through clinical care, edu- cation, and research,” notes National Director Army Col. Sidney Hinds, M.D., M.C. Toward that goal, DVBIC has


clinical researchers and education coordinators who augment services


Pseudobulbar Affect: No Laughing Matter


One of the unusual conditions as- sociated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is pseudobulbar affect (PBA) — characterized by episodes of involuntary crying or laughing. The condition affects about 2 million people, researchers report, includ- ing around 52 percent of TBI pa- tients. PBA also might affect those with Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. PBA typically develops when


disease or injury damages por- tions of the brain responsible for controlling emotional expression, Dr. Sandeep Vaishnavi reports. Epi- sodes might last from a few sec- onds to several minutes. “This is an involuntary expression of emo- tion and can be difficult to separate from depression,” Vaishnavi adds. PBA can have a debilitating


effect on patients’ lives. Some be- come homebound, fearful of an inappropriate emotional outburst while out in public or visiting friends. The condition also can have a detrimental effect on per- sonal relationships and work. In 2010, the FDA approved


dextromethorphan and quinidine as a first-line treatment for PBA. Previously, doctors sometimes prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants, which helped only a small percent- age of PBA patients.


at 11 military treatment facilities and five VA medical centers across the nation. In addition, DVBIC provides recovery support specialists who assist case managers with the transi- tion of wounded warriors. Education is another important component of DVBIC’s mission, Hinds says. This includes literature and education regarding new approaches to treat- ment for health care providers and educational handouts and other sup- port for TBI patients. Education also extends to service- members who are about to deploy and includes training on TBI and the equipment available to help prevent it. “It’s not dissimilar to riding a bike,” Hinds observes. “If a helmet is part of that gear, you should be using it to help reduce any effects that might occur from an accident. We encourage our servicemembers to use safety protection as required.” One of DVBIC’s biggest game changers was moving TBI identi- fication from a symptoms-base to an incidence-base, meaning ser- vicemembers are evaluated more on their exposure to a concussive event than any symptoms they might or might not report. “We also have made it a leadership issue,” Hinds says. “If a leader believes that a de- ployed servicemember may have experienced a concussion, he is encouraged to refer that member for medical evaluation.” DVBIC also created the Military Acute Concus- sion Evaluation form to help military medical personnel more rapidly as- sess servicemembers who have ex- perienced a concussive event. Back home, the Army has enacted a garrison policy of assessment and treatment that mirrors the deploy- ment policy. This is important, Hinds says, because the majority of TBIs are diagnosed at home rather than in theater. On the research front, DVBIC is conducting a 15-year longitudinal study, led by a team at Walter Reed


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