Dr. Andreas Theodorou

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Working quietly under the radar for years, Dr. Andreas Theodorou has put together a vital system of care for brain-injured children in Tucson.

As a result, children who suffer head injuries — even those thought to be "mild" — no longer fall through the cracks here as they struggle with school, social relationships and physical limits that can last a lifetime.

For that achievement, Theodorou — a pediatric intensive care specialist at the University of Arizona — has won the "Care Award" from the Brain Injury Association of Arizona.

His work has been critical in a state that suffers among the highest rates of traumatic brain injuries in the nation.

"This really is something close to this doctor's heart. He wants people to understand how horrible these injuries are, especially for children, who may get hit in the head at the age of 5, and deal with effects from then on," said Mattie Cummins, executive director of the brain injury association.

"Dr. Theodorou's reputation is amazing among the people we work with in Tucson. He's just the best."

Theodorou shared the stage at the recent awards ceremony in Phoenix with some of those suffering these catastrophic head injuries, including two soldiers hit in Iraq. They are the tragic face of one of this war's lasting effects.

"The terrible impact of this is going to become even more obvious now, with our soldiers coming home with traumatic brain injuries," Theodorou said. "This is one of the major issues we will have to deal with for many years."

Even without the war's casualties, Arizona tops all states surveyed for such injuries, with 105 head-injured patients hospitalized per 100,000 population, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a physician who specializes in the critical care of children, Theodorou realized as soon as he arrived in Tucson 15 years ago that there was "a bit of a void" in the care of brain-injured youngsters here.

"Not in the acute care of these injuries — in the ERs, the neurosurgeons — that care is great," he said.

"What was missing was a coordinated team approach — care across the spectrum that's needed in the recovery effort. That means teachers, school nurses, rehab therapists, social workers — a whole multidisciplinary team to handle the lasting effects of a head injury."

So Theodorou joined every group and project he could find working on this issue, serving for six years on the Governor's Council on Spinal and Head Injuries, chairing the Tucson-based Traumatic Brain Injury Interest Group, and lecturing health-care professionals throughout the state to raise awareness.

As a result:

● A multidisciplinary traumatic brain injury team meets four times a year at University Medical Center to ensure Tucson's brain-injured children are receiving the long-term care they need.

● The family of every Tucson child who suffers even a mild head injury is referred for help with navigating the complex system of services.

● The UA has recruited experts in this field and now operates a clinic dedicated to the follow-up care of these patients.

● A proposal is under way to design a form letter to send to the school of a head-injured child, requesting close observation of the child for difficulties that may develop.

● Teaching UA medical students about traumatic brain injuries will be enhanced by following three case histories of brain-injured children from the point of injury through recovery during a three-year period, so new physicians will fully understand the long-lasting impact of the problem.

"For a doctor to find the time to do this kind of work — to meet with and organize all the people who care for these injuries," said Cummins, "that's just extraordinary."