Kim Gorgens, PhD 

University of Denver 

Dr. Kim Gorgens is a board-certified rehabilitation psychologist and Professor of Psychophysiology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior at the University of Denver. She manages a large portfolio of brain injury related research and has lectured extensively on those issues around the world. She has a 2010 TEDtalk on youth sports concussion and a 2018 TEDtalk on brain injuries in criminal justice with 3.5M views. She has been interviewed on CNN with Anderson Cooper, NPR, and on 20/20 and her work with brain injuries has been featured in US News, Newsweek, the Economist, and more. She has a small forensic neuropsychology practice with juvenile and death penalty cases and is active in legislative and policy development around best practices in brain injury. Her research studies the reported injury history, cognitive function, and brain biomarkers of all vulnerable populations including young and older athletes, probationers and inmates, persons who are unhoused, and women who have been exposed to interpersonal violence.

Brain Injury: Lessons in base rates and self-advocacy from our most vulnerable communities

Thursday, August 8

2:00-2:50 p.m. PDT

Seattle Convention Center, Arch Building,
Ballroom 6BC

This presentation will highlight research from correctional settings and courts, domestic violence shelters, under-resourced neighborhoods, and centers for unhoused persons in Colorado. This presentation will also highlight a collaboration that is designed to disrupt the trajectory of people in these systems to promote self-advocacy and better community outcomes. The Colorado BI Model is used to identify brain injury history, assess cognitive functioning and psychosocial vulnerabilities, and to make recommendations and referrals that support people through and out of the revolving doors of these systems.