Dr. Terri deRoon-Cassini
Associate professor, department of surgery, division of trauma and critical care, Medical College of Wisconsin
Dr. Terri deRoon-Cassini, associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is advancing research to identify neurological, biological and psychosocial markers that can help prevent the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD is most often associated with military engagement but often affects those who experience traumatic events, such as vehicle accidents or shootings. Froedtert & MCW research indicates that up to 40% of civilian survivors develop PTSD.
A licensed psychologist, deRoon-Cassini, started the trauma and health psychology service for the level 1 trauma center at Froedtert Hospital. She provides patient care to traumatically injured survivors who have been hospitalized and has an outpatient behavioral health clinic for patients who experience traumatic stress and other outcomes after trauma. She is also a professor in the department of surgery, division of trauma and critical care at MCW.
deRoon-Cassini helped launch a collaborative of researchers from MCW, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University and the Milwaukee VA, dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by trauma through research, intervention, prevention, education and outreach. The group, called the Milwaukee Trauma Outcomes Project, is focused on treatment solutions in the areas of neurobiology and cognitive, behavioral, social and intervention science.
She has received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, as well as MCW, for her research. Most recently, she received funding to understand the impact of socioenvironmental stress, including chronic neighborhood violence and discrimination, on creating a biologic vulnerability to traumatic injury that leads to poor outcomes.
