Marcus Institute for Brain Health - MIBH

04/27/2026

Last night, 9NEWS (KUSA) shared a look inside the Marcus Institute for Brain Health.

What you saw in that story is only a glimpse of what our patients experience.

Each individual who comes through our program receives more than 110 hours of coordinated care across a multidisciplinary team. Neurology, behavioral health, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and integrative therapies all working together with one goal: helping individuals reclaim their lives.

We are grateful to the patients who trust us with their care and to our partners who help make this work possible.

📞 (303) 724-4824 | 🌐 medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh



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Each year, around 2.8 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Diagnosis can be tricky. Treatment, even harder.

04/27/2026

There are still too many misconceptions about what brain injury and psychological health look like in those who serve.

Too often, the symptoms are invisible. The impact is not.

At the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, we see the complexity every day. We see the overlap between traumatic brain injury and psychological health. We see how it affects identity, relationships, and the ability to function in everyday life.

If you know someone who may be struggling, this conversation matters even more.

📞 (303) 724-4824 | 🌐 medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh


https://youtu.be/ehni1n7e1bI?si=0trmJ3B-FFqAC9dq

1 like. "We Are Marcus"

03/27/2026

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and throughout the month we are sharing the “why” behind the care provided at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH).

Today, we are sharing the why behind Buffy, our facility dog.

For many of the veterans, active duty service members, and first responders we serve, the effects of traumatic brain injury and psychological trauma can include anxiety, hypervigilance, emotional dysregulation, and difficulty building trust.

Buffy helps bridge that gap.

Her presence can help regulate the nervous system, offering a sense of calm and safety in an environment that can otherwise feel overwhelming. For some patients, she provides an entry point to connection when words feel difficult or when trust has been hard to rebuild.

Buffy also supports engagement in care. Patients who may feel guarded or withdrawn often open up more easily in her presence. A simple interaction can lower stress, reduce tension, and create moments of ease during a challenging recovery process.

There is also a physiological impact. Interacting with a trained facility dog has been shown to reduce stress responses and promote a more regulated state, which supports participation in therapy and overall healing.

At MIBH, healing the brain requires more than one pathway.

Buffy is one of the ways we help our patients feel safe, supported, and ready to engage in their care.

📞 (303) 724-4824 | 🌐 medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh

03/25/2026

March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month. And sometimes the most powerful stories aren’t about injury. They’re about what comes after.

Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Kathleen Flarity spent decades running toward chaos. Combat zones. Medevac missions. Leading in the most complex environments imaginable.

Then, in a moment, everything changed.
A car accident. A traumatic brain injury.
Not visible. Not simple. Not something you “push through.”

What followed wasn’t just recovery. It was a redefinition of leadership.

Today, as Executive Director of the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, she leads from lived experience. She understands what it means when the injury is invisible, when everything takes more energy, when the world expects you to look “fine.”

Her message is simple and powerful:
You can still lead.
You can still serve.
You can still build something meaningful.
It just looks different.

At hashtag , that belief shapes everything we do. We treat the whole person. Physical. Cognitive. Emotional. Because healing from TBI isn’t linear, and it isn’t one-dimensional.

Read more here: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/running-toward-the-chaos-how-brig-gen-ret-kathleen-flarity-turned-a-traumatic-brain-injury-into-leadership-and-healing-at-cu-anschutz?utm_source=today_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mar_25_26

Running Toward the Chaos: How Brig Gen (Ret) Kathleen Flarity Turned a Traumatic Brain Injury into Leadership and Healing at CU Anschutz

03/24/2026

Not all injuries are visible. And for many Veterans, the effects of traumatic brain injury can go unrecognized for years.

In this powerful podcast conversation, Javan Bair, former paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and now Community Outreach Specialist at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, shares what so many are experiencing but often struggle to put into words.

From the reality that TBIs frequently go undiagnosed, to the wide range of symptoms that can impact daily life, Javan speaks to both the challenge and the hope. At MIBH, that hope takes shape through an intensive three-week program built around interdisciplinary care, peer connection, and a path forward that is both personal and practical.

This conversation is a reminder that seeking help is not a last resort. It is a turning point.

If you or someone you love is navigating the effects of TBI, there are resources. There is support. And there is a community ready to walk alongside you.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation and learn more about what recovery can look like.

https://shows.acast.com/warriors-quiet-waters-podcast/episodes/marcus-institute-for-brain-health

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Listen to 30| Javan Bair on Healing Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injuries from Warriors & Quiet Waters Podcast. Former paratrooper Javan Bair of the 82nd Airborne Division, who currently serves as the Community Outreach Specialist for the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, joins the podcast to disc...

03/18/2026

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and throughout the month we are sharing the “why” behind the care provided at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH).

We work with patients who have experienced a concussion or traumatic brain injury and are still feeling the effects in their nervous system. This can impact balance, vision, sensory processing, and how the brain interprets the world around them.

After a brain injury, even simple environments can feel overwhelming. A crowded store. Traffic. A busy conversation. The brain has to work harder to process sensory input, which can lead to dizziness, fatigue, instability, and difficulty focusing.

Physical therapy at MIBH is designed to retrain these systems.

We target balance and vestibular function to improve stability and reduce symptoms like vertigo. We incorporate vision-based activities to support eye coordination and reduce visual strain. We also use dual task training, combining movement with thinking and problem solving, to reflect real-life demands.

The goal is not just to improve movement. It is to help the brain and body work together more efficiently so patients can think more clearly, engage more fully, and move through their day with greater confidence.

This work does not happen in isolation. At MIBH, physical therapy is part of an interdisciplinary approach that treats the whole person.

📞 (303) 724-4824 | 🌐 medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh

03/13/2026

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and throughout the month we are sharing the “why” behind the care provided at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH).

In this short video, our speech language pathologists explain why speech language therapy is an important part of recovery after traumatic brain injury.

When many people hear “speech therapy,” they assume it is only for someone who has difficulty speaking. In reality, speech language pathology is much broader.

At MIBH, speech language pathologists address hearing, voice, swallowing, and cognitive communication, all of which can be affected after a brain injury.

Many patients report challenges with memory, concentration, focus, or word finding. These cognitive changes often affect how someone communicates at work, at home, and in social environments.

Speech language therapy helps patients develop strategies to navigate these situations and communicate more effectively in daily life.

Even when someone appears to “speak just fine,” their brain may still be working much harder behind the scenes. Our speech language pathologists help patients rebuild the cognitive and communication skills that support connection, confidence, and independence.

📞 (303) 724-4824 | 🌐 medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh

03/09/2026

03/06/2026

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and throughout the month we are sharing the “why” behind the care provided at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH).

And we're starting with art therapy.

When people hear “art therapy,” they often think of crafts or relaxation. At MIBH, it is a clinical intervention designed to support recovery from traumatic brain injury and psychological trauma.

Many of the veterans, active duty service members, and first responders we serve carry invisible wounds. Anxiety, hypervigilance, sleep disruption, headaches, guilt, and emotional exhaustion can persist long after the injury.

Art therapy helps make those invisible struggles visible.

Creative expression can calm the nervous system and provide a pathway for emotions that have been internalized for years. For individuals trained to remain mission focused and stoic during high intensity events, nonverbal expression can open the door to healing.

Creative work can also activate multiple brain networks and support neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire and recover.

The changes can be subtle but powerful. Patients often describe a sense of release, reduced tension, and a brighter mood. Families notice it too.

Healing the brain requires more than one pathway.
Art therapy is one of the ways we help our patients move forward.

📞 (303) 724-4824 | 🌐 medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh

03/03/2026

More than a decade after a concussion, the brain may still be working differently.

New research from the CU Anschutz Marcus Institute for Brain Health, led by Dr. Jeffrey Hebert, PT, PhD, Director of Research at MIBH and Associate Professor at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, found that veterans with prior mild traumatic brain injury demonstrated subtle but measurable differences in brain function even 10+ years after injury.

Published in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, the study evaluated 78 veterans using cognitively demanding eye movement tasks that measure attention, processing speed, and impulse control.

Key findings:
• Slower and less accurate eye movements in veterans with prior concussions
• Differences detectable long after symptoms resolved
• Standard MRI scans may appear normal despite measurable functional changes

Because eye movements rely on complex brain networks tied to executive function, this testing may offer clinicians a more precise, objective way to identify lingering effects and tailor rehabilitation.

This is what integrated research and clinical care looks like at MIBH.

Read more: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/eye-tests-reveal-brain-trauma-more-than-a-decade-after-concussions

📞 (303) 724-4824 | 🌐 medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh

Eye Tests Reveal Brain Trauma More than a Decade after Concussions

03/02/2026

March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month.

At the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, we see every day that brain injury is rarely just about what shows up on a scan. It is about disrupted sleep. Shortened tempers. Memory lapses that shake confidence. A nervous system that never quite powers down. It is about the invisible wounds that too often go untreated.

This month, we are taking you inside the work. Not just what we do, but why we do it.

Each program at MIBH is intentional. Each discipline is rooted in neuroscience, clinical evidence, and lived experience. And each exists because traumatic brain injury affects the whole person.

Throughout March, we will highlight the science, the strategy, and the human stories behind our model of care.

Because awareness is not a ribbon. It is understanding what recovery truly requires.