Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts Appoints New Manager of Prevention

From BIA-MA:

The Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts has announced that Justine L. Cote, a resident of North Smithfield, RI, has been selected as Manager of Prevention as teen concussions have reached an all-time high and as a result, demand for “Return to Play” and other prevention programs has recently grown. Cote, a graduate of Providence College, comes from a strong teaching background, primarily with students with special needs. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from Providence College and has worked extensively with The Autism Project until becoming a long-time substitute teacher.

“I felt compelled to work for the BIA-MA after a family member acquired a brain injury,” said Cote. “I feel like I’ve found my purpose in giving back to individuals through the knowledge and compassion that was given to our family in our time of need.”

Since joining BIA-MA, Cote has been able to go back to her teaching roots with Think-A-Head, a school-based program aimed to teach how to avoid risk-taking behavior and develop healthy living habits. Cote was responsible for the creation of the elementary school-level program, which was instituted into the Massachusetts School systems during the 2014-15 academic year.

Cote will also provide leadership for court-related prevention programs such as Brains At Risk and Gateway & Survivors Voice as well as BIA-MA’s Speakers Bureau.

In her new role, Cote hopes to continue to educate in addition to adding additional programs that can offer brain injury awareness not only to the school systems but to the community as a whole. “I am sincerely looking forward to continuing to make a difference in the lives of the individuals that seek to use our organization as a platform to spread the word of brain injury awareness,” added Cote. “Whether that is through survivor testimony, or advocating for the sole purpose of getting the prevention message out there.”

"We're very excited to have Justine in her new position as Manager of Prevention given her strong educational background,” said Cynthia Cardeli, BIA-MA Director of Programs and Services. “We're looking forward to seeing how our current prevention education and programming develops under Justine's lead.”

BIA-MA is the first and oldest organization in the state to offer support and resources to brain injury survivors and their families, in addition to prevention programs, education, and legislative advocacy. Most recently, they completed a successful season of annual Walk & Rolls across the state of Massachusetts, and will continue furthering their mission to create a better future for survivors and their families.

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