Laura E. Dreer, PhD

Associate Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Laura Dreer is a tenured, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and also holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Neurology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Psychology. She is a licensed clinical medical rehabilitation and neuropsychologist, scientist practitioner by training, with extensive expertise in developing, evaluating, delivering, and assessing the impact of medical psychological rehabilitation interventions, neuropsychological assessments, health behaviors, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based health promotion programs, health disparities, and capacity-related issues. She is the Director of the UAB Psychological & Neuropsychological Clinical Research Services that focuses on both clinical and research efforts across disabilities and age groups. She was also recently appointed Director of Concussion Research at UAB/Children’s of Alabama (COA). Dr. Dreer has conducted an independently funded program of research on personal and familial adjustment to a variety of chronic medical conditions (traumatic brain injury; vision impairment). Her research program has also focused on the development and evaluation of evidence-based CBT-based health promotion and behavioral health approaches for patients and/or their family caregivers (e.g. to minimize depression; enhance knowledge, promote skills leading to healthy lifestyle behaviors). Dr. Dreer has secured extramural funding through the National Institute on Disability and Independent Living Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), National Institutes of Health (National Eye Institute; National Institute on Child & Health Development; National Institute on Aging), Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), the Brain Tumor Network (BTN), the Lakeshore Foundation, the Wise Up! Concussion Initiative of the Al and Sharyne Wallace Foundation, the Alabama Head Injury Foundation (AHIF), EyeSight Foundation of Alabama (ESFA), and the International Retinal Research Foundation (IRRF). Dr. Dreer has also served as an NIH scientific grant reviewer on several study sections on proposals related to health disparities and behavioral health. Dr. Dreer has an excellent track record of adjustment to disability and health disparities research (e.g., low vision, and concussion/TBI), clinical work, and service. She has an independently funded patient-oriented research program with no gap in funding and is heavily involved in team science based multidisciplinary research.

Presentation(s):

• Return to Driving Following Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A TBI Model Systems Study (825071)

  Friday, October 23, 2020
  11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EST