VOA-GNY Hosts First Symposium on Domestic Violence and Traumatic Brain Injury

On October 25, 2023, Volunteers of America-Greater New York hosted Putting the Pieces Together, its first-ever symposium on the critical connection between domestic violence and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and expanding the continuum of services available to survivors in our community.

More than 120 attendees across the human services field joined VOA-GNY at Lehman College for a day of education, advocacy, and networking.

Neurosurgeon and CEO and Executive Director of Safe Living Space Dr. Edie Zusman presented on the medical impacts of TBI and its prevalence in domestic violence survivors, and SUNY at Stony Brook Associate Professor Dr. Kathleen Monahan discussed how TBI affects survivors’ ability to get care and navigate the legal, medical, and child welfare systems.

The afternoon culminated in Purple Table Talk, a panel discussion featuring Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, New York City Council Member Amanda Farías, and Cecile Noel, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. The discussion was moderated by Lisa Rivera, Esq., President and CEO of NYLAG.

Each year, an estimated 10 million adults in the U.S. experience domestic violence. 74% of these events involve injuries to the head or neck—yet concussions and other brain injuries are rarely mentioned in this context. Building on our legacy of innovation, VOA-GNY is proud to help “put the pieces together” and work to improve care for survivors of domestic violence.