About the Founder of VaNC

Dr. George A. Zitnay created Virginia NeuroCare, Inc. as a not-for-profit organization in 1999. Dr. Zitnay is considered a national and international expert in brain injury. He has over 45 years experience working in the field of disability research, treatment and training. Dr. Zitnay has been a professor at Boston University Medical School, Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Medical School of the University of Virginia, and currently serves as a Clinical Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Zitnay has served as Commissioner of Mental Health for the State of Maine, as the Deputy Commissioner for Mental Retardation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in numerous other high-level positions in state government.

He served as the Executive Director of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation and as the President and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America. Dr. Zitnay served as the Chairman of the National Center for Medical Research and Rehabilitation Advisory Committee at NIH, as a member of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development Advisory Board at NIH, on the Injury Center Advisory Board of the Centers for Disease Control, as the Chairperson of the Neurotrauma Committee of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and on numerous other advisory boards.

Dr. Zitnay is the Founder of the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA), a founding member of the Academy of Multidisciplinary Neurotraumatology (AMN), the Founder of the National Brain Injury Research, Treatment and Training Foundation (NBIRTT) and a founding member of the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists (AACBIS).

Dr. Zitnay has been listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who International.

Dr. Zitnay is the Co-Founder of the Defense and Veteran's Head Injury Program (DVHIP) and has served as a Principal Investigator in the program for 13 years. VANC is a core member of the DVHIP.

Dr. Zitnay has written many books and articles and has lectured around the world. He has been a longtime supporter and advocate for person-centered, community-based rehabilitation and is a strong believer in the neurobehavioral model. Real-world rehabilitation at Virginia NeuroCare combines these two approaches. Person-centered rehabilitation is based on the philosophy that each person benefits most when viewed in his or her entirety and that the individuals' disability is just one aspect of that person's life. The neurobehavioral approach is a highly effective model based on proven teaching skills and adaptive behaviors. The focus at Virginia NeuroCare is developing skills that address the individuals' needs where they live, work and play. As a founding member of AACBIS, Dr. Zitnay strongly supports and encourages AACBIS training and certification for all VANC staff.