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New York, NY – The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist in the research of new developments for children suffering from pediatric acquired brain injury (PABI) and the rehabilitation of these children, today announced the formation of a Legal, Regulatory and Finance Committee of its National Advisory Board. This Legal Committee will join the other Members of the National Advisory Board on January 8-9 in New York City to participate in the first National Acquired Brain Injury (PABI) Conference and Dinner (see below invitation).
The goals of the Legal Committee will be to review all of the legal, regulatory and financial issues facing the millions of children and their families suffering from PABI and the critical issues to implement and fund the first-ever National PABI Plan (criminal justice, family law, special education, Medicaid/health insurance, estate planning, personal injury/tort law, intellectual property/personal privacy, medical and bioethics, and many more). The National PABI Plan will be a comprehensive model system of care for the children and their families suffering from PABI. The Legal Committee of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation will be reaching out to other legal, regulatory and financial experts and issuing invitations to those knowledgeable in the applicable areas.
The Founder of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and Sarah Jane’s father, Patrick Donohue, stated, “Just as we have brought together the best medical professionals in the field of pediatric acquired brain injury, today’s announcement begins the process of bringing the best and most compassionate lawyers from around the nation to deal with a national health crisis.”
“The monumental task of developing and implementing the first-ever National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan will need the support and wisdom of the best legal, regulatory and financial experts in the country. I am thrilled with the formation and announcement of this Committee and the incredible people who have already agreed to participate,” Donohue continued. “We will be reaching out across the country over the next few weeks to expand and develop this important component of the National Advisory Board of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation.”
Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury consists of traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries:
- Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injuries consist of the following non-exclusive list of injuries: Motor vehicle accidents, sports-related injuries, falls, Iraq/Afghanistan War blast head injuries (for veterans under 25 years of age), pedestrian motor vehicle accidents, assaults/child abuse, and gun shot head wounds
- Pediatric Non-traumatic Brain Injuries consist of the following non-exclusive list of injuries: Brain tumors, strokes, AIDS, meningitis, alcohol poisoning, hypoxia, ischemia, infections
The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation is named after 3-year-old Sarah Jane Donohue, who was shaken by her baby nurse when she was only 5 days old breaking three ribs, both collarbones and causing a severe brain injury.
The following experts have agreed to join the Legal/Regulatory/Financial Committee of the National Advisory Board of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation:
Leigh Bishop Taub, Esq. – Child Abuse Prosecutor; New York City
James D. Featherstonhaugh, Esq. – Founding Partner, Featherstonhaugh, Wiley & Clyne LLP; past President and Director of the State Capital Global Law Firm Group; Albany, NY
Marie L. Gibson, Esq. – Corporate Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate and Securities Practice; New York, NY
Alexander C.D. Giza, Esq. – Intellectual Property attorney in the Century City, CA, office of Irell & Manella LLP
Robert T. Grand, Esq. – Managing Partner of the Indianapolis office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Indianapolis, IN
Kristin E. Hildebrant, Esq. – Supervising attorney at Ohio Legal Rights Service which is Ohio’s Protection and Advocacy Agency for people with disabilities; Columbus, OH
Jeff S. Korek, Esq. – Partner, Gersowitz, Libo & Korek; past President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association; New York, NY
Andrew Levine, Esq. – Partner, Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm; New York, NY
Andrew L. Libo, Esq. – Founding and Managing Partner, Gersowitz, Libo & Korek; New York, NY
Fredric S. Newman, Esq. – Founding Partner, Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney; Member of the National Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics; New York, NY
Frederick A. Provorny, Esq. – Founder and President of the Center for New Technology Enterprise; former Director of the Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center and a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland School of Law; Rockville, MD
Howard Raphaelson, Esq. – Partner, Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm; New York, NY
Robert “Bobby” Silverstein, Esq. – Partner, Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville; Director, Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy; helped draft the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act; awarded the Distinguished Services Award of the President of the United States; former Associate Professor of Health Care Sciences, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences; Washington, DC
Marvin L. Tenzer, Esq. – Partner, Tenzer and Lunin LLP; former Member of the New York State Medicaid Task Force; New York, NY
Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury (PTBI) is the leading cause of death and disability for children under 15 years of age in the United States resulting in over 5,000 deaths and over 17,000 permanent disabilities each year. In addition, since most adolescent brains do not mature until age 25, many of the military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with TBI are actually considered PTBI.