Congress is about to approve millions in federal spending that will teeter on the edge of compromising decades of scientific progress. S. 2898, the Dennis John Benigno Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act, requires the study of long-term effects of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, but its current draft undermines the very science it intends to promote. By redefining the statutory definition to include brain damage not caused by an external force, such as anoxia or infection, this bill creates a methodological nightmare by promoting the idea that combining traditional TBI survivors with non-traditional TBI survivors is scientifically acceptable. This mix would render any research findings invalid.

As a 64-year-old survivor of a pediatric traumatic brain injury who went on to complete my education and become a master-level social worker and research scientist, I cannot underscore the urgency for well-designed studies to help lead the way for all those who come — or will come — after me, even if some brain injury advocates might push for the inclusion of non-TBI as a traumatic brain injury.