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MILITARY
MEDICINE

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text of all the other TBI experienced throughout the lifetime (e.g., reduce the impact of epilepsy on employment, social, mental health
childhood sports injuries to motor vehicle accidents). and physical functional status for veterans with epilepsy.

This groundbreaking study will also provide the first popula- Mary Jo Pugh is a Professor of Epidemiology and
tion-based study to describe health outcomes of post-9/11 veter- Biostatistics at the University of Texas Health Science
ans with epilepsy on measures of work, social and functional Center at San Antonio and a Research Scientist at
status compared to similar veterans without epilepsy. By partner- the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. Her
ing with the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium work uses existing data to develop “phenotypes” or
(CENC), the team will contribute to the ongoing CENC Longi- groups of people with similar characteristics, followed by survey data
tudinal Study of the post-9/11 cohort that includes advanced clin- collection, interviews, biological specimens and neuroimaging to un-
ical, behavioral, cognitive, genetic and neuroimaging assessments. derstand the long-term outcomes associated with military experiences
These data will allow help in answering questions immediately including deployment, combat, and training injuries. Her current
(are there differences in neuroimaging and cognition between work is focusing on the chronic effects of traumatic brain injury and
VWE with and without mTBI exposure?) and will also provide injuries of the arms/legs (amputations, vascular) in Veterans of the
insights into epilepsy etiology and ultimately identify specific as- wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Gulf War Illness.
pects of mTBI (and other risk factors) that will allow early iden-
tification of those at greatest risk of PTE.

This comprehensive assessment will provide information that will
help DoD and VA better understand the health care needs of this
population and, to the extent possible, help government agencies

22 San Antonio Medicine • August 2017