Mothers Against Brain Injury, Inc.
1052 Buttercup Dr.
St. Johns, FL 32259
Phone Numbers:
Local (904) 657-1424
24 Hour Toll Free Resource Line 1-800-TBI-HOPE
(1-800-824-4673)
| Email: General Inquiries: contact@mabii.org Submission of Letters: letters@mabii.org Fundraising: fundraising@mabii.org Become a fan of MABI on Facebook
 |
|
Meet Our Board
Tracy Porter |
Dr. Joseph Tepas |
Betty Cinelli |
Tracy Porter
Executive Director/Founder
Mrs. Porter founded the organization after her 16 year old son suffered a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in an auto accident in April 2004. Having been through the experience with her family and not having any previous knowledge about this preventable injury, she educated herself and then focused her attention on helping others through the experience by developing a unique and compassionate tote bag distribution program. The ongoing mission is to provide families of a Traumatic Brain Injured patient with basic toiletry and comfort items, useful tools and valuable information within 48 hours of admittance to Level I, II and Pediatric Trauma Centers participating in the tote bag program.
Dr. Joseph Tepas
III Director
Dr. Tepas is the Director of Pediatric Trauma at the University of Florida’s Regional Trauma System. He is Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Florida, College of Medicine, and is certified by the American Board of Surgery in the specialties of Pediatric Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, and General Surgery.
Dr. Tepas was the Principal Investigator for the State of Florida's Emergency Medical Services for Children federal demonstration project. His major research efforts have focused on care of the injured child and have resulted in his appointment to numerous national and regional committees. He is a member of the State of Florida Emergency Medical Services Trauma System Task Force, and has been a contributing author for numerous reports to the Governor and Florida Legislature regarding all aspects of emergency and trauma care.
Dr. Tepas serves on the Executive Committee of the Florida Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons and is past chairman of the American College of Surgeons Quality Improvement Subcommittee. His notable previous appointments include membership on the Trauma Outcome Indicator Task Force of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and contributing author of the Institute of Medicine's report to Congress regarding Emergency Medical Services for Children.
Dr Tepas' recent national activities include authorship of the performance improvement section of the American College of Surgeons Optimal Resources Document and revision of the pediatric trauma sections of the Advanced Pediatric Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support courses. He is a member of the numerous editorial boards of peer review scientific journals, and is the author of 82 peer-reviewed publications, 24 books or book chapters, and 165 national presentations.
Dr. Tepas has served as one of the principal investigators of the NPTR. He was Principal Investigator of a grant from the State of Florida Department of Health demonstrating the feasibility of a web based trauma registry to facilitate outcomes assessment and performance improvement.
Betty Cinelli
Director
Betty Cinelli (Formerly Betty Torres Paleolog), as a native of Puerto Rico, is fluent in both Spanish and English. She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and concentrated on Mental Health and Social Services by working as a Youth Care Specialist at a shelter for runaway teens.
In 1998, as a Targeted Case Manager for severely emotionally disturbed children, Betty began to notice a familiar pattern: many of the children with a mental health diagnosis also had underlying neurological issues as a result of chronic physical abuse, in-uterus exposure to drugs and alcohol or undiagnosed brain injuries secondary to falls or sports-related accidents.
Betty joined Florida Institute for Neurological Rehabilitation (FINR) in 1999 as an Area Manager where, for the following six years, she assisted the Admissions Department to qualify and process referrals, provided educational and resource information to families and referral sources, conducted clinical seminars for trauma hospitals, as well as, educational in-services on the topic of brain & spinal cord injury for professionals in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. While working for FINR, Betty also represented them at professional conferences nationwide.
Since 1999, Betty has been involved with the Brain Injury Association of Florida (BIAF) initially by helping coordinate their Annual Professional Conference and more recently their Annual Fundraiser, A Night in the Tropics. Additionally, Betty is a member of the Board of Directors for Mothers Against Brain Injury, Inc.
In 2005, Betty joined the Law Offices of Toral Garcia & Franz where she serves as a liaison between the law firm, clients, their families and health care providers. She guides the firm’s clients who have suffered a brain and/or spinal cord injury through the continuum of care and links them to community resources when appropriate. Betty also coordinates public relations’ matters, including but not limited to, conference sponsorships, marketing, advertising, website and community outreach.
Professional Advisory Committee
Ron Savage, Ed.D., is a founding partner and Vice President of Lash and Associates Publishing/Training Inc. He specializes in the impact of brain injury on behavior and learning in children and adolescents. His international recognition as author and presenter is based on practical experience as a rehabilitation clinician, educator and school administrator. A leader in advocacy for children with brain injuries, Ron founded the Pediatric Task Force of the Brain Injury Association. He is a national leader in developing model programs and has given special attention to recognizing the effects of concussion among children, the consequences of brain injury upon behavior, and designing educational programs for students with brain injuries in the community.
Marilyn Lash M.S.W., uses her social work experience and research in pediatric rehabilitation to develop sensitive and practical guides for families, educators, and professionals. Marilyn’s specialty is helping families cope with the emotional impact of brain injury and developing strategies for negotiating the complex service system. Now Director and Senior Editor of Lash and Associates Publishing/Training Inc., she focuses on developing user friendly publications for families, educators, and clinicians.
Frank L Toral, Mr. Toral's affiliations include: President, Brain Injury Association of Florida; Member, Sarah Jane Brain Project National Legal Advisory Board; University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Pediatric Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Advisory Board; Member. His professional associations include: Eagle Member, Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; Mr. Toral recently advocated to the Florida Governor's Commission on Disabilities on behalf of Brain Injury Association of Florida. He has actively lobbied ranking members of the legislature in our state capitol on behalf of Florida brain injury survivors and their families. Mr. Toral established the Toral Family Foundation dedicated to grant funds to public charities and organizations providing support and services to survivors of a brain injury and their families. He chairs the planning committee for A Night in the Tropics, an annual fundraising event benefiting Brain Injury Association of Florida. He is a proud sponsor of non-profit organizations dedicated to helping survivors of a brain injury and also continues to be actively involved with Flamingo Road Church.
