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Auburn-ADRS partnership serving veterans with TBI, training compassionate clinicians

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program and Auburn University Social Work program have strengthened their partnership to serve veterans, National Guard members and individuals across the state surviving TBIs for generations to come.

In August, ADRS held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the TBI Centers of Alabama, Opelika location, at the Bennie G. Adkins Meeting Center in Lee County. It’s one of five TBI centers opening across the state, including Mobile, Enterprise, Huntsville and Birmingham.

The centers will include counseling, peer mentorship, screenings, evaluation, education, resources and care coordination for individuals with TBI.

ADRS TBI Program Director April Turner said the centers will provide a more comprehensive and collaborative service than anywhere else in the nation.

“The TBI center will become an integral resource for the people here in Lee County and surrounding counties and be an official partner with Auburn, and targeting and assisting individuals with TBI will promote community reintegration and increase service back to families and communities,” Turner said. “This is not a new system. It's a new program for the United States, but it's a stronger system of what's already built at ADRS.”

Graduate clinicians from the Social Work program at Auburn University will intern at the center. Students will practice and apply early detection, intervention, rehabilitation and long-term community support methods.

From an academic perspective, the center provides a high-impact, real-world clinical setting in which students across social work, nursing and other health-related fields build skills in providing quality care for veterans and community members surviving TBI.

Associate Professor and Social Work Program Director Danilea Werner said the partnership will ensure Alabama’s model extends far beyond state borders when the next generation of clinicians apply their knowledge across the country after graduation.

“Our program became a partner with the ADRS TBI Program because we recognize the critical need to train future professionals to work effectively with individuals living with traumatic brain injuries,” Werner said. 

“Together, Auburn University and the ADRS TBI Program are committed to strengthening services for veterans, National Guard members and individuals in long-term TBI recovery while developing the next generation of leaders in social work and social services.”

Danilea Werner, Social Work Program Director

On Aug. 24-25, Auburn’s Social Work program will host the ADRS’ 2026 Alabama Traumatic Brain Injury Summit. The two-day, virtual summit is designed for professionals, advocates, survivors, families and partners to share best practices in TBI care.

With tracks focused on both pediatric and general TBI care, summit topics include resources, outpatient therapy, mental health, ethics, screening and identification, physical effects of TBI and more.

Werner said Auburn’s role in the centers and the summit speaks to the university’s land-grant mission of serving communities.

“At Auburn University, our mission emphasizes education, research and outreach that improve the lives of individuals, families and communities,” Werner said. “This partnership with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services Traumatic Brain Injury Program aligns perfectly with that mission and with social work's commitment to service, advocacy and community impact.”

Registration for the annual Alabama TBI Summit is free. Learn more and register at the ADRS website.

Tags: Social Work Faculty Students Community, Outreach and Engagement