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Tessa Hart, PhD
Institute Scientist
Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
Korman Suite 203
1200 West Tabor Road
Philadelphia, PA 19141-3099
Telephone: 215-456-6544
Fax: 215-456-5926
E-mail: thart@einstein.edu
When I was asked to join the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute scientific staff in 1999, I felt I had come full circle.
I had an early interest in research on recovery from damage to the central nervous system, which evolved into a clinical career
in brain injury rehabilitation. I returned to research with interests and priorities that were shaped and enriched by my experiences
in the clinic.
As an undergraduate psychology student at Clark University, I was very fortunate to work with Donald G. Stein, who was becoming
well known for his laboratory studies of plasticity (recovery of function) after brain damage in animals. We were able to
observe, and manipulate, an amazing degree of recovery from brain damage that was supposed to be "permanent." I was fascinated
with this process and wanted to understand and influence the same process for people with brain injury.
I received a doctorate in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Houston, specializing in the rehabilitation of traumatic
brain injury (TBI) at a time of rapid growth and clinical experimentation in that field. I had the opportunity to help develop
innovative programs at all phases of treatment, and to create organizational models for newly formed TBI teams. Along the
way, I worked with hundreds of patients and families living with the aftermath of brain injury. From them I learned that although
much recovery does occur after TBI, the true challenge is adjusting to a life that will never be the same.
After joining the Drucker Brain Injury Center at MossRehab as a clinical neuropsychologist, I began to collaborate with Dr. John Whyte, Dr. Myrna Schwartz and others at the Research Institute on studies of the effects of TBI on cognition and behavior. I’m interested in the effects
of brain injury on uniquely human characteristics such as self-awareness and socialWhen I was asked to join the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute scientific staff in 1999, I felt I had come full circle.
I had an early interest in research on recovery from damage to the central nervous system, which evolved into a clinical career
in brain injury rehabilitation. I returned to research with interests and priorities that were shaped and enriched by my experiences
in the clinic.
As an undergraduate psychology student at Clark University, I was very fortunate to work with Donald G. Stein, who was becoming
well known for his laboratory studies of plasticity (recovery of function) after brain damage in animals. We were able to
observe, and manipulate, an amazing degree of recovery from brain damage that was supposed to be "permanent." I was fascinated
with this process and wanted to understand and influence the same process for people with brain injury.
I received a doctorate in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Houston, specializing in the rehabilitation of traumatic
brain injury (TBI) at a time of rapid growth and clinical experimentation in that field. I had the opportunity to help develop
innovative programs at all phases of treatment, and to create organizational models for newly formed TBI teams. Along the
way, I worked with hundreds of patients and families living with the aftermath of brain injury. From them I learned that,
although much recovery does occur after TBI, the true challenge is adjusting to a life that will never be the same.
After joining the Drucker Brain Injury Center at MossRehab as a clinical neuropsychologist, I began to collaborate with Dr. John Whyte, Dr. Myrna Schwartz and others at the Research Institute on studies of the effects of TBI on cognition and behavior. I am interested in the effects
of brain injury on uniquely human characteristics such as self-awareness and social behavior, and I’m studying how assistive
technology might help with some of the common cognitive and behavioral problems after TBI. From my clinical background, I
have a practical interest in developing and testing a variety of treatment methods that will help people with TBI return to
their families, jobs and communities and improve their quality of life.
Research Focus
- Executive functions: Dr. Hart is conducting research on disorders of self-awareness, attention control, and other executive function deficits following
brain injury. These problems are important because they seem to have a variety of negative effects on recovery and adaptation
to injury.
- Treatment outcomes in TBI: Dr. Hart is Director of the Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System and is involved in the NIH-funded TBI Clinical Trials
Network. These multi-center collaborative projects seek to predict the outcomes of severe brain injury and to evaluate the
effectiveness of treatment approaches. Dr. Hart is leading multi-center studies on anger management and vocational rehabilitation following TBI.
- Assistive technology for cognitive/ behavioral disabilities: Dr. Hart is conducting and collaborating on studies of the applications of emerging technology, such as portable computers
and Internet technology, for improving quality of life and independence for people with cognitive and behavioral disabilities.
- The structure of rehabilitation: Dr. Hart is conducting research that seeks to open the “black box” of rehabilitation to uncover the content, process and
active ingredients of rehabilitation treatments.
Funding Sources
Dr. Hart has received funding from the National Institutes on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the Albert Einstein
Society, and the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute Peer Review Committee.
Selected Publications:
- Scherer M, Hart T, Kirsch N, Schulteis M: Assistive technologies for cognitive disabilities. In: Grabois M, Ed. Critical Reviews in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 17(3). Redding, CT: Begell House, Inc., 2005, pp. 195-215.
- Hart T, Whyte J, Kim J, Vaccaro M. Executive function and self-awareness of “real-world” behavior and attention deficits following
traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 20:333-347, 2005.
- Hart T,Evans J. Self-regulation and goal theories in brain injury rehabilitation. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 21:142-155,
2006.
- Hart T, Whyte J, Millis S, Bode R, Malec J, Nakase-Richardson R, Hammond F. Dimensions of disordered attention in traumatic
brain injury: Further validation of the Moss Attention Rating Scale. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 87:647-655,
2006.
- Hart T, Sherer M, Whyte J, Polansky M, Novack T. Awareness of behavioral, cognitive and physical deficits in acute traumatic
brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 85:1450-1456, 2004
- Hart T, Buchhofer R, Vaccaro M: Portable electronic devices as memory and organizational aids after traumatic brain injury:
A consumer survey study. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 19:351-365, 2004
- Whyte J, Hart T: It’s more than a black box; it’s a Russian doll: Defining rehabilitation treatments. American Journal of
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 82:639-652, 2003
- Hart T, Hawkey K, Whyte J: Use of a portable voice organizer to remember therapy goals in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation:
A within-subjects trial. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation 17:556-570, 2002
- Hart, T, Schwartz, MF, Mayer, N. Executive function: Some current theories and their applications. Evaluation and Treatment of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Varney, NR, Roberts, RJ (eds). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1999; 133-148.
Funding Sources
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