Updated 2/20/26

In March 2016, Kevin was 25 years old when a severe automobile accident resulted in a traumatic brain injury. In the difficult days that followed, his family met with Dr. Stein and Dr. Parikh from the University of Maryland Medical Center’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Neurocritical Care Research Program to learn about the devastating realities of brain injury—and the urgent need for better answers. In the face of that loss, Kevin’s family made the extraordinary decision to support our research mission. Because of Kevin—and the support in this room—our work is providing real progress for patients in their most critical moments.

At the University of Maryland, we treat patients with the most severe brain injuries, including strokes and life-threatening seizures. What makes our program unique is that we don't separate care from research; we integrate them directly at the bedside. Since our last update, we have reached several key milestones:

We have now enrolled 280 patients in DISCOVERY, a major national stroke study, ranking our center as one of the highest enrollers in the country. This work is essential for understanding why some survivors stay resilient while others face cognitive decline in the years following a stroke.
We are leading a local initiative of a national study called REACH-ICH, which proves recovery is about more than just biology. We are addressing a major gap in medicine—the reality that for many, their support at home is as important to their health as their heart rate. By focusing on trust and connection, we ensure every survivor is seen and supported. We have already enrolled 25 patients in our local community to ensure every neighbor has a fair shot at a full life.
Our REACH registry now includes data from over 3,000 brain hemorrhage survivors. This provides the "scaffolding" we need to connect what is happening deep inside the brain to how a patient recovers.
Our newest research, led by Dr. Prajwal Ciryam, is finding new ways to stop brain damage after an injury. By looking at the fluid around the brain cell-by-cell, he identified a group of overactive immune cells that cause inflammation. This discovery helps us develop treatments that stop injury in its tracks.
Over the past year, our team has published research that helps doctors better predict recovery after cardiac arrest, more accurately assess consciousness in critically ill patients, and identify stroke patients at risk for dangerous brain swelling—allowing us to intervene earlier and save lives. And through a new imaging tool, we can now see a patient’s unique "brain wiring" in real-time. This allows us to compare their brain activity to healthy models and predict recovery with more accuracy than ever before.
Led by Dr. Neeraj Badjatia, we are exploring "digital twin" technology. We create a dynamic, virtual replica of a patient by using their real-time health data, which helps us better understand their unique responses and choose the best life-saving treatments.
Led by Dr. Melissa Motta, we continue to grow the NeuroRecovery Clinic, ensuring survivors have a specialized path back to their families.

Everything we have published this year is Kevin’s legacy in action. While we are still working toward the day when every family receives the immediate clarity they pray for, your support ensures we are laying the scientific groundwork to get there.

Because of Kevin, his family’s bravery, and everyone in this room, we are challenging the idea that recovery isn't possible. We are transforming the "storm" of brain injury into a path toward recovery.

Thank you for honoring Kevin’s life by helping us heal others.

Update from Dr. Parikh 2/9/2025

Here is a more in-depth summary of how the Greenwave Foundation continues to help support brain injury research and outcomes:

Your generous contributions have fueled remarkable progress in our neurocritical care research program at the University of Maryland. We've been able to expand our efforts, offering our patients the chance to participate in cutting-edge clinical trials and studies that could revolutionize how we treat brain injuries.

Since 2021, we've enrolled 225 patients in the DISCOVERY study and 7 patients in the REACH-ICH study this year. These NIH-funded studies are making groundbreaking discoveries in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke treatment and prevention, and we're proud to be a key site for this critical research.

Our REACH registry database, now with data from nearly 2,500 hemorrhagic stroke patients, has supported numerous projects, including MOMAH, WHOL-PAIN, a status epilepticus registry, and REACH-CSF. Led by our newest faculty member, Dr. Prajwal Ciryam, REACH-CSF is pioneering new ways to study brain injury at the cellular level, potentially leading to new therapies that could significantly improve patient outcomes.

We're also excited to announce the completion of enrollment in the RAISE clinical trial, which studied a promising new treatment for status epilepticus. Results will be published soon, and we're hopeful that this research will bring new hope to patients suffering from this severe condition.

In addition to our involvement in these clinical trials, our lab has published several important research articles in the past year, including:

Predicting Recovery After Cardiac Arrest: We've developed a new MRI technique that could help us better predict which patients are likely to recover consciousness after cardiac arrest, allowing us to provide more accurate prognoses and guide treatment decisions.
Improving Consciousness Assessment: We're using a new tool to better assess consciousness in critically ill patients, ensuring they receive the appropriate rehabilitation services and improving their chances of recovery.
Preventing Stroke Complications: We're using advanced CT scans to identify stroke patients at risk of developing brain swelling, allowing for early intervention and potentially preventing devastating complications.

Your support makes this vital research possible. Together, we are giving our patients the best chance at recovery and a better quality of life. Thank you for your continued partnership in this important work.

Update from Dr. Parikh 2/13/24

On behalf of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland, I would like to thank you for your ongoing dedication to supporting our Neurocritical Care research program.

Over the past year we have made great progress in enrolling patients into several important studies including REACH (Recovery after Cerebral Hemorrhage), DISCOVERY (Determinants of Incident Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Vascular Effects on RecoverY), RAISE (Randomized Therapy in Status Epilepticus), and we are launching as a site for the REACH-ICH study (Race/Ethnicity, Hypertension, and Prevention of VCID After Intracerebral Hemorrhage). Your contributions will enable us to continue to scale up our efforts in offering University of Maryland neurocritical care patients the option to be involved in multiple cutting-edge clinical trials and epidemiologic studies.

One new project I would like to highlight centers on improving our ability to detect signs of consciousness in ICU patients who are recovering from hemorrhagic stroke or brain injury. Prior studies have shown that a small proportion of patients who are unresponsive on standard bedside examinations, actually retain some degree of conscious awareness. Failure to detect signs of conscious awareness while in the hospital may limit access to rehabilitation services. We explored the safety and feasibility of mobilizing patients in a prolonged coma guided by the use of the JFK Coma Recovery Scale in the Neuro ICU. We were able to show that with a highly trained multidisciplinary team and a focus on restoring function, it is feasible and safe to deliver early neurorehabilitation to patients in a prolonged coma in the intensive care setting including vestibular and other stimulation therapies and may enhance access to inpatient rehabilitation to a particularly vulnerable patient population by improving our ability to demonstrate subtle signs of conscious awareness.

Message 2/10/23

Brain Donation Program

“Brain donation is a valuable contribution to medical research, especially dealing with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Effective treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains one of the greatest unmet needs in public health. Each year in the United States, at least 1.7 million people suffer TBI; it is a contributing factor in a third of all injury-related US deaths. An estimated 3.2 to 5.3 million people live with the long-term physical, cognitive, and psychological health disabilities of TBI, with annual direct and indirect costs estimated at over $60 billion. Unfortunately, little is known about how the brain is damaged following a TBI. Through the gift of brain donation scientists will be able to conduct research on many aspects of TBI. By donating you are providing a gift to people who may suffer a TBI now and in the future.”

In addition here’s a link which explains the urgent need for brain donation across all neurologic diseases:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2017/the-nih-neurobiobank-addressing-the-urgent-need-for-brain-donation.shtml

2/11/22 Video from Dr. Parikh

Update Information 3/2/21

Dr. Parikh has been conducting research in patients with both traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury and stroke. Here’s a recent editorial in which, Dr. Gunjan Parikh I was quoted regarding the Neurocritical Care Society’s Curing Coma Campaign: https://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2020&issue=10080&article=00005&type=Fulltext

Also, we were just approved to begin enrolling patients here at U Maryland into the following important NIH-sponsored $39M study led by Mass General Hospital for which I am a clinical performance site investigator—DISCOVERY:

https://discoverystudy.org/study-overview

Update Information 12/5/20

Research has been very limited, but we’ve been able to ramp up our enrollment into clinical trials in the last month or so. Also, I’m now one of two Maryland site investigators for a NIH-funded study “DISCOVERY” led by our colleagues in Massachusetts General Hospital. We’re just getting started with enrollment next week, and this study will yield results in 4-5 years after analysis of data from thousands of stroke patients is completed. Discoverystudy.org is the study website (the link doesn’t seem to be working today however). Here you will also find information on a grand initiative by our Neurocritical Care Society and my comments are in the latter half of this NeurologyToday article: https://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2020&issue=10080&article=00005&type=Fulltext .

As for research on traumatic brain injury, the NIH group I worked with several years ago continues to publish interesting, novel findings (here’s one: https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/2/2/fcaa143/5903386 ). In addition, I continue to work in Dr. Badjatia’s tbi research group whose central aim is to leverage continuous vital sign waveform data using novel ‘Big Data’ strategies to predict early on which tbi patients are at higher risk of experiencing neurologic decline during the first week of their ICU stay. The long term goal of this work is to create an early neurologic warning system that helps alert and guide clinicians at the bedside.

State of the Brain Union.pdf

Message from Dr. Parikh 2/14/20

Good Evening,

Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words during this wonderful annual gathering in memory of Kevin Temple.

Worldwide, more than 50 million people have a traumatic brain injury like Kevin’s each year, and it is estimated that half the world’s population will sustain one or more traumatic brain injuries over their lifetime. We have made astonishing advances in injury care over the past 20 years, allowing us to repair the most serious wounds. However, traumatic brain injury remains a major cause of death and disability. In order to unlock the mysteries of complex neurological disorders like traumatic brain injury, there is no substitute for studying human brain tissue.

Brain donation is important, now more than ever, as powerful new technologies allow researchers to examine microscopic changes that were previously undetectable. For example, two recent studies from the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, showed that military members exposed to blast injury and civilians exhibit distinct patterns of scarring that could account for the neuropsychiatric symptoms of TBI. We will similarly examine the true pattern of injury to axons and small blood vessels near the surface of the brain and through the brainstem—an area responsible for consciousness.

Each donated brain is a precious resource in neuroscience, with the potential to provide tissue to many scientists and help reach the next level of scientific breakthroughs. Yet, relative to donations of other organs for transplantation and research, brain donation is rare, which is what made your generosity and courage so remarkable. The more brain tissue is available for research, the faster science will advance toward a better understanding of how best to prevent, diagnose, and treat traumatic brain injury.

I am personally grateful to the Temple family for allowing us to advance our research program in its earliest stages. I hope that your family finds comfort in knowing that life-saving discoveries made possible by Kevin's tissue donation will provide hope for families affected by brain disease and will help to improve many lives in the future.

On behalf of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland, I would like to thank you for your dedication to supporting our Neurotrauma research program. I know your decision turned a mournful time into a source of comfort knowing that donation may turn sickness and injury into a second chance at life for others who will come through the doors of one of the busiest trauma centers in the United States.