Neurotrauma & Traumatic Brain Injury

Dr. Goldstein serves as Director of Neurotrauma with additional coverage provided by Dr. Liu. Along with the remaining Departmental Faculty, they manage the Neurotrauma Program at the New Jersey Trauma Center-University Hospital, the largest and busiest Level I trauma center in New Jersey, and Jersey City Medical Center, the only trauma-designated facility in Hudson County. The Departmental Faculty evaluates over 500 head traumas per year and provides the most advanced and comprehensive care available. Our experience in Neurotrauma care has helped to expand our service footprint and made us a primary referral center for significant tertiary cases. We are served by the Northstar Medivac helicopter, which transports patients to our trauma center from accident scenes and hospitals throughout New Jersey.

Treatment is facilitated by operating rooms staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by ancillary staff specially trained in the management of the most critically ill patients. Additionally, patients receive specialized critical care in either the Trauma/Surgical Intensive Care Unit or the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. We work in close collaboration with the Shock/Trauma Team with the management of concurrent multi-system injury. Our high level of experience makes University Hospital the premier trauma center in the region.

The section of Neurotrauma, with Dr. Gandhi serving as primary investigator, also has received grant support from the New Jersey Commission on Traumatic Brain Injury for a multispecialty basic science study. This study, performed in conjunction with Dr. Steve Levinson from the Department of Neurology, is looking at migration patterns of marked neural precursor cells harvested from rats’ subventricular and ventricular zones and attempting to assess regeneration within traumatic injury prenumbra. The study was just renewed for a second year and we expect the funding to continue for a third. The research and clinical expertise has allowed the department to provide a comprehensive service for brain-injured patients throughout Northern New Jersey.