The Honorable Matthew S. Collier has pledged to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) as part of Project Enlist, CLF’s program to accelerate research on the effects of brain trauma in the military community.
Collier is the former Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the US Department of Veterans Affairs and served six years as a US Army Airborne Ranger Infantry Officer. Collier was elected in 1987 as the youngest big city "strong" mayor in the United States (Flint, MI). Following his time as mayor, he spent more than 20 years in the private sector. He currently serves on the CLF Board of Directors. Read his full bio.
"It is critically important that we learn what is unique about the brain trauma that many Veterans are exposed to during military service," said Collier. "Through Project Enlist, we will mobilize the military community to support this research, and I hope it accelerates efforts to improve the long-term health and well-being of not only our Veterans, but of Americans in general. I hope every Veteran considers taking the pledge."
CLF is the outreach and recruiting collaborator of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Boston University-Concussion Legacy Foundation (VA-BU-CLF) Brain Bank. Led by Dr. Ann McKee, brain bank researchers are making breakthroughs in our understanding of the long-term effects of brain trauma and brain injury, including TBI, CTE, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease and how they relate to PTSD.