Reyna, Dr. Patricia Kay
About
Dr. Patricia Kay Reyna was born and raised in North Carolina where she currently resides. Prior to embarking on her current career in education and research, she worked in administrative/finance/accounting for over twenty-two years. In 2009, life drastically changed when her husband of twenty-years sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the line of duty as NC State Highway Patrol Master Trooper. Over the next several years, while caring for her husband, Dr. Reyna obtained four online degrees.
In 2022, Dr. Reyna graduated from Grand Canyon University with her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership. Dr. Reyna’s dissertation focused on examining an online intervention for increasing knowledge, self-efficacy, and hope in caregivers caring for law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and veterans with traumatic brain injury. This groundbreaking study was the first of its kind to include caregivers of law enforcement officers and fire fighters with TBI in the United States.
Dr. Reyna is a researcher at University of Oregon’s Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT). She also serves as a caregiver expert consultant, as a webinar speaker, and provides training to caregivers.
Dr. Reyna’s ongoing research interests include catastrophically injured law enforcement officers in the United States including those with traumatic brain injury, prevalence of traumatic brain injury among law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and other first responders in the US, first responder suicide, and suicide prevention mediators including hope. Dr. Reyna’s research interests also focus on interventions for caregivers providing care for persons with traumatic brain injury. She has a special interest in caregivers providing care for injured law enforcement officers, an unserved population of caregivers in the United States, and on caregiver hope.
Dr. Reyna has professional experience through non-profits focusing on injured law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and veterans and on their caregivers. She leads an online national support group for law enforcement officers with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and/or other catastrophically injury.
Dr. Reyna is a member of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina and a member of the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA). Dr. Reyna serves on NASHIA’s Training and Education Committee and has highlighted her research at NASHIA’s State of the States in Brain Injury Conference. Additionally, Dr. Reyna was a first responder expert panelist at NASHIA’s Supporting First Responders: Emerging Considerations & Best Practices for Those Who Have Experienced a Brain Injury. Discussing Best Practices and Emerging Considerations to Support First Responders, Using Trauma Informed Approaches and Integrated Officer Wellness.
She is a motivational speaker, author, ordained minister, certified Health Care Life Coach, Certified Spiritual Christian Counselor, and a certified nursing assistant. Dr. Reyna was previously a certified emergency medical technician and a member of her local fire department. Additionally, Dr. Reyna’s background includes a wide variety of education, non-profit, health care, caregiving, and ministry experience.
