SOF Health Deep Dive: Traumatic Brain Injury


If you tuned into our SOF Health Deep Dive on September 19, 2022, you participated in a discussion that was specifically built around community health and well-being questions and concerns. Dr. Jason Mihalik of the Transforming Health & Resilience in Veterans (THRIVE) Program thoughtfully put together an all-star team for this Deep Dive on mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) in the special operations community. If you missed this remarkable presentation and discussion you can watch the event recording and access the resources shared below. And please share with any SOF operator, family member, caregiver, or healthcare provider who may benefit from this information.

Often we hear of individuals who hold off on seeking care believing others need it more. They simply keep compartmentalizing their challenges and put off care that could actually address symptoms. Please consider contacting the THRIVE Program about care if you are a veteran (or a loved one of a veteran) experiencing symptoms that could be tied to mTBI or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

If you attended the Deep Dive and haven’t yet filled out the post-event feedback survey, please help us to make future events even better.

Deep Dive Replay

The MSOFC team pulled out some key take-aways by the minute to highlight questions frequently asked. You can easily jump to these spots by clicking on the timestamp in the YouTube video description.

  • 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:10:05 Care-seeking patterns  
  • 00:12:35 Symptoms 
  • 00:15:37 TBI & SOF
  • 00:26:15 fMRI as clinical diagnostic 
  • 00:30:10 Long-term physiological impacts
  • 00:32:36 fMRI & brain network resilience
  • 00:41:19 Blood biomarkers  
  • 00:47:10 Old brain injuries/concussions
  • 01:00:34 Endocrine (Testosterone) &TBI
  • 01:07:08 SOF as a unique health population 
  • 01:17:30 Subconcussive impacts  
  • 01:21:45 Command/unit awareness 
  • 01:22:54 Brain health & mental health 
  • 01:32:40 HBOT as a care intervention
  • 01:40:03 Psychedelics as a care intervention
  • 01:43:20 THRIVE Program for veterans at UNC
  • 01:52:05 Family care model

Thank you to our Deep Dive Expert Speakers!

Dr. Jason Mihalik
  • Jason Mihalik, PhD, CAT(C), ATC, FACSM, FNATA: Director of the Matthew Gfeller Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Chief Executive Officer, Transforming Health & Resilience in Veterans (THRIVE) Program
  • LTC (Ret.) Stephen M. DeLellis, MPAS-C: Senior Technical Advisor and Director at Fort Bragg Research Institute, a program of The Geneva Foundation
  • COL (Ret.) James H. Lynch, MD: Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician and co-founder of The Stellate Institute
  • Wesley Cole, PhD, CBIS: Research Associate Professor, Matthew Gfeller Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Neuropsychologist, Transforming Health & Resilience in Veterans (THRIVE) Program
  • Jacob R Powell, MS, LAT, ATC: Researcher at the Matthew Gfeller Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Steve DeLellis
Dr. Jim Lynch
Dr. Wes Cole
Jake Powell

To get in-touch with the experts, email us at home@msofc.org. 

Deep Dive Resources

Our expert panel generously provided access to their slides here.

Helpful Websites and Articles

Research & Academic Papers

If you missed the August Team Room you can watch the replays at the Global SOF Foundation website. And check out other virtual SOF health events by subscribing to MSOF’s YouTube channel.


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