Traumatic Brain Injury Deep Learning Research and Recovery Program

In 2010, while on his second tour of duty in Iraq as a six-year combat medic with the US Army, Ellison suffered a severe traumatic brain injury from a mortar blast, dramatically interfering with the functions of his digestive and nervous systems, along with his mood, wakefulness and mobility, causing him persistent seizures and incurable twitching. Most notable to Ellison has been the way the blast seemed to “rewire” his brain to “hear” colors and calculate more quickly, among other changes which have apparently aided rather than hindered his thinking and memory retention. Dedicated to understanding his brain injury and helping other injured veterans, Ellison formed the Traumatic Brain Injury Deep Learning Research and Recovery Program designed to digitally simulate disparities between healthy and injured brain activity and use those models to measure differences in learning patterns between digital models. Ellison’s work has been instrumental in guiding the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs to diversify treatments for other veterans with service-connected brain injuries.