Geoffrey Manley
San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) neurotrauma surgeon Geoffrey Manley, MD, PhD, was an honorary guest at a fundraiser for Ashlyn Dyer held on June 2, 2006, in Phoenix, AZ. The event celebrated the life of Ashlyn Dyer and raised funds for neurological research.
Manley and the neurotrauma team at SFGH treated Ashlyn Dyer after she was
struck by a car while jogging in the Presidio of San Francisco in early March.
Ashlyn suffered irreversible brain injury due to lack of oxygen to her brain after she was hit. She died from her injuries.
"It is paramount we raise public awareness about brain injury," said Manley. "Ashlyn's injuries, like so many others, may have been prevented if we had better treatments for traumatic brain injury."
Other honorary guests of the fundraiser included Senator John McCain and his wife Cindy, as well as Nicholas Theodore, MD, a neurological surgeon at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
Every year, approximately 1.5 million people are involved in incidents resulting in traumatic brain injury. More than 50,000 die as a result of their injuries. Survivors often sustain permanent cognitive dysfunction and other disabilities, including paraplegia and quadriplegia. According to Manley, survivors of severe brain injury typically face several years of rehabilitation and medical care.
"Bringing new treatments from the laboratory setting to patients requires an integrated effort among researchers, clinicians and surgeons," added Manley, who is also associate professor of neurological surgery and co-director of the
Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC) at UCSF. With labs at both SFGH and UCSF, the center promotes collaborative basic, translational and clinical studies on injuries to the brain and spinal cord.
SFGH Medical Center is the only trauma center for the City and County of San Francisco and the northern portion of San Mateo County, and as the lead hospital for the city's Emergency Medical Services trauma system, it functions as an emergency resource for more than 1.5 million people.
Despite the widespread and devastating impact of traumatic brain injury, research funds are limited, and there are major concerns about the availability and consistency of medical care.
