Javier Cardenas, MD

Vice-Chairman, NFL Head, Neck & Spine Committee

Dr. Javier Cardenas is the director of the Barrow Concussion and Brain Injury Centre, an interdisciplinary clinic that is nationally recognized for comprehensive patient care.  Since 2009, the Center has treated thousands of individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury due to sports, accidents, and domestic violence.  He is also the director of the Barrow Concussion Network, the most comprehensive statewide concussion education, prevention, and treatment program in the United States.  Dr. Cardenas provides sideline concussion coverage for Arizona State University and the National Football League.  He serves on the NFL's Head, Neck & Spine Committee, the Sport Medical Advisory Committee of the National Federation of High Schools, is chair of the Arizona Interscholastic Association Sport Medical Advisory Committee and chair of the Arizona Governor's Council on Spinal and Head Injuries.   He was awarded Arizona State University's Young Alumni award in 2014, the 2015 American Academy of Neurology Advocate of the Year, and the 2016 Chicanos po la Causa Cause for a Change award for his work in concussion prevention.  Dr. Cardenas is committed to the care, treatment, and prevention of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury in children and adolescents.  He graduated from Arizona State University with highest honors and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education.  As a special education teacher, he instructed children with traumatic brain injury and developmental disabilities.  For 16 years, he volunteered for Special Olympics in Arizona.  His background in special education and long history of volunteerism has guided his career, leading him to the field of child neurology.  He graduated from the University of Arizona, College of Medicine with honors in Neurology.  He completed a residency in pediatrics at St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, where he was recognized for his outstanding care of infants and children.  Dr. Cardenas trained in the Department of Child Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute where he received awards for academic presentations and leadership. 

Ann C McKee, MD

William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Ann McKee, MD, is William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Pathology at Boston University and Director of Neuropathology for VA Boston. Dr. McKee is a neurologist and neuropathologist whose career focuses on Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Her groundbreaking work on the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts, concussion, and blast injury in contact sports athletes and military veterans revolutionized scientific thought regarding head trauma; she demonstrated that repetitive head trauma can provoke CTE, a devastating neurodegenerative disease. Dr. McKee directs the BU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and CTE Center. She created and directs the UNITE brain bank, the world’s largest repository of brains from individuals exposed to traumatic brain injuries (over 1350). She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. McKee was named Bostonian of the Year 2017 by the Boston Globe, one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, and one of the 50 Most Influential People in Healthcare by Time magazine. She received the Henry Wisniewski Lifetime Achievement Award in Alzheimer’s Disease Research by the Alzheimer’s Association and Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal (Sammie), Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to federal service.

Katherine Possin, PhD

Professor in Residence, Department of Neurology, University of California Memory & Aging Center

Dr. Katherine Possin’s research program is focused on improving the detection, diagnosis and care for people with neurodegenerative disease. She has long-standing interests in understanding the cognitive impairments and their neural bases in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body disease, Huntington’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. She is the project lead of TabCAT, a software platform for tablet-based cognitive testing frequently used in research studies and clinical services. The Brain Health Assessment is a 10-minute assessment on TabCAT designed for the detection of cognitive impairment in everyday clinical settings. She also the principal investigator of the Care Ecosystem, a telephone-based supportive care program for persons with dementia and their caregivers. Dr. Possin is a faculty member at the Global Brain Health Institute.

Kate Possin was awarded her PhD degree in clinical psychology from the University of California, San Diego. During her training at UCSD, she studied cognitive changes associated with Parkinson’s disease. She completed her internship in clinical neuropsychology at UC San Francisco in the departments of psychiatry and neurology and did her postdoctoral fellowship in the UCSF Department of Neurology. She currently holds the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Endowed Professorship and is an associate professor in residence in the Department of Neurology.

Dr. Possin is accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology and a postdoctoral fellowship in dementia healthcare innovation.

Katherine Snedaker, LCSW

Executive Director and Founder, PINK Concussions

Katherine Price Snedaker, LCSW, is a brain injury professional, therapist, researcher, brain injury survivor and parent of a child with a brain injury. She is the Executive Director and Founder of PINK Concussions, a 501c3 non-profit, for female brain injury whether from sport, domestic violence/assault, accidents or military service. PINK Concussions’ mission is to drive change and innovation to develop gender-appropriate, evidence-research approaches on identification, management and support of women and girls with brain injuries.                          

Katherine has presented on sex differences in brain injury for organizations such as the United States Department of Veterans Affairs VA, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center DVBIC, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, the American Academy of Neurology Sports Concussion Conference, and the International Brain Injury Association.

Katherine has produced seven International Summits on female brain injury with Georgetown University Medical Center, Palo Alto VA Healthcare System, International Brain Injury Association, the International Conference on Paediatric Acquired Brain Injury and Mount Sinai (CTE in Women).

Katherine conducts research studies and facilitates ongoing support groups for women, young women, veterans, and caregivers/parents as well as medical professionals. Katherine’s work with PINK Concussions has been featured in Scientific American, Marie Claire, US News and World Report, The Washington Post, HEALTH magazine, STAT, AP the Big Story, and Neurology Advisor.