Annapolis-Based Daptly Help Vets Recover From Brain Injuries

From Elevate Communications: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) selected three entrepreneurs to test and implement brain-health innovations at the VA to help improve the lives of Veterans suffering with brain injuries. Brain health professionals presented their cutting-edge solutions to a live audience and panel of experts during the VA’s second annual Brain Trust: Pathways to InnoVAtion two-day summit at Optum in Boston on May 18.

The initial day of Brain Trust convened the most influential voices in the field of brain-health to discuss the advancement of research and solutions through keynotes, panel discussions, and breakout sessions. The summit’s second day, Demo Day, featured trailblazing solutions from top innovators to help solve obstacles facing those with brain injuries, and create solutions to support the daily lives of Veterans and Veteran caregivers. Demo Day is part of a continued collaboration between the VA Center for Innovation and the VA Center for Strategic Partnerships.

“15 exceptional finalists joined us at Brain Trust to showcase their ground-breaking ideas and technologies to help improve the lives of Veterans,” said Matthew S. Collier, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “The VA and the Federal government need to do a better job of accelerating entry of these innovations into the field at VA Medical Centers. We (VA) are rolling up our sleeves, and are ready to tackle this challenge.”

Fifteen finalists were selected from a highly competitive list of entries received from around the country to present and demonstrate their ideas and prototypes to a panel of judges. This panel included Veterans, Veteran Caregivers, Clinicians, and Subject Matter Experts. The panel selected three new approaches to be tested and implemented at the VA:

Steve Devick from King-Devick Technologies, Inc. – “Recovery Acceleration Program (RAP) for mTBI”

Brain pathways relative to eye movements and vision are responsible for approximately 55% of brain function. Implementing recovery acceleration by involving these pathways leads to faster mTBI and TBI recovery, when used in conjunction with standard vestibular remediation. Developed in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, this objective ocular motor recovery acceleration software is synergistic with vestibular recovery therapy.

Jason Roncoroni and Jake Clark from Save A Warrior (SAW) – “Save A Warrior: A Peer to Peer, Archetypal Approach for Healing Combat Trauma and Moral Injury”

Warrior employs ritual healings that are grounded in the collective wisdom traditions inherent in all mythical narratives. "SAW" utilizes healing processes that uncover the ancient narratives that lie deep within, resulting in a psycho-spiritual experience that "initiates" long-term behavioral changes that are conducive to accelerated healing. Whereas the traditional medical model uses a distant clinician, SAW employs a "parallel" process; where a guide who embodies the traits of an integrated Warrior works with the Veteran's pre-existing strengths to create an opportunity for healing the whole person. Currently, Chaplains, clinicians and social workers within the DoD, the VA and Vet Centers are referring active duty personnel and Veterans to Save A Warrior.

Max Randall and KC Beard from Daptly – “The Daptly Display”

The Daptly Display uses innovative Intel RealSense technology to develop gesture and voice controlled smart displays that will transform healthcare in the home. Available as a smart mirror or smart photo display, our product is like an Amazon Alexa voice assistant with a 23" display and a computer that can perform advanced image, speech, and gestural analysis.

Photo Caption: Matthew S. Collier, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs congratulated KC Beard and Max Randall from Daptly on having their brain-health innovations implemented through the VA after presenting their idea and prototype during the VA’s Brain Trust summit in on Thursday, May 18. Pictured from L to R: KC Beard from Daptly; Matthew S. Collier from the Department of Veterans Affairs; Max Randall and from Daptly

Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs