State Partnership Program

Video by John Benedetto

From Patient to Provider: One Sailor's Brain Health Journey

Defense Health Agency

Jan. 24, 2024 | 4:07

Timothy Bleigh clearly recalls when the bomb went off. The Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) tactical vehicle he was in with five Marines flipped several times through the air before it landed partly on its roof. He was near the end of his first tour in Afghanistan, assigned to a Marine personal security detachment, when the improvised explosive device detonated. Now a newly-commissioned Navy ensign and first-year medical student at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), Bleigh shares his story and reflects on how his difficult recovery, which included a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), influenced how he approaches patient care.

The video also includes an interview with Dr. Dengler, the director of the Military Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative.

Read the article: https://news.usuhs.edu/2022/08/new-usu-medical-student-uses-purple.html