The UF College of Medicine plans to launch a new traumatic brain injury research center within the next few weeks.
A UF alumnus recently donated $500,000 to help establish the new center, which will be housed in an existing space in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
"The center will be a one-stop shop for information and resources on brain injury for victims, families, students and professionals who wish to understand more about this devastating disease," said Latha Ganti Stead, who will spearhead the new research.
The money will go toward Stead's professorship.
At the center, there will be lectures on brain injury-related topics to residents training in emergency, neurology, neurosurgery, psychology and critical care.
The center will also provide in-service training for nurses managing victims of brain injury.
Stead said she hopes to develop new models of interdisciplinary health care techniques that optimize safety, service, outcomes and resource use.
Stead was recruited to UF in 2010. She is the chief of clinical research in the College of Medicine and holds an adjunct appointment as professor of emergency medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
While at the Mayo Clinic, she developed protocols for victims of acute stroke, which included diagnosis specific tool kits for individual patients. These tool kits centered on patient education and advocacy.
Frank Toral, who graduated from UF in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in political science, donated the money through the Toral Family Foundation Professorship in Traumatic Brain Injury.
With his Ft. Lauderdale-based law firm, Toral, Garcia and Batista, Toral focuses on helping survivors of brain and spinal cord injuries negotiate with large insurance companies and major corporations. Toral is also a former president of the Brain Injury Association of America.
Stead said her previous work and productivity is why the Toral Foundation chose UF.
"The endowment directly supports scientific discovery, and the science will help us better to serve our victims of TBI," she said.
