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History

In 2007, Congress mandated that the Department of Defense (DoD) create a center to advance our nation’s understanding about the invisible wounds from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This center would be designed to respond not only to the growing needs of those with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health (PH) conditions, but to serve as a center of excellence that would influence the Military Health System.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) led the fundraising effort for the NICoE by securing $65 million in private donations and overseeing the construction and equipment of the facility. The 72,000 square foot, two-story facility located on the campus of Naval Support Activity Bethesda, home of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.

The NICoE began seeing patients in October of 2010. With a vision of “hope, healing, discovery and learning,” the NICoE is committed to providing interdisciplinary diagnostic evaluations and treatment of complex TBI and PH conditions in a family-focused, collaborative environment that promotes physical, psychological and spiritual healing. In addition to advanced diagnostics and long-term treatment planning, the NICoE also provides family education and reintegration support to help a service member’s transition back into his or her career, and serves as a research hub by utilizing the most current technical and clinical resources to advance medical science in TBI and PH.