Introduction: The traumatic brain injury model systems of care

The Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems of Care (TBIMS) is a program that has been funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (US Department of Education) since 1987. The program is a collaborative effort of rehabilitation centers across the United States to further knowledge about the natural history of recovery and outcomes over the life course of individuals with traumatic brain injury, as well as to provide comprehensive services across the continuum of care and to foster innovative research programs. This introduction describes the underlying principles of the TBIMS program and the research initiatives carried out in the 1997/1998-2002 funding cycle.