A videotaped message from Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., will begin the third annual Black Hills Brain Injury Conference, set for Thursday and Friday, May 8 and 9, in Rapid City.

Johnson continues to recover from a brain injury he suffered Dec. 13, 2006, the result of an arteriovenous malformation and subsequent hemorrhage. Johnson was a member of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force and an advocate for brain injury services and funding before his injury.

The conference will address treatment as well as other issues affecting people with brain injury, including returning veterans. Experts on the agenda include three nationally-known authors/lecturers: Jackie Pflug, who received a brain injury during a hijacking; Pauline Boss, who is widely recognized for her research and theory of ambiguous loss, or loss without finality or closure; and George Prigatano, who has been on the leading edge of brain-injury rehabilitation for more than 30 years.

For more information, go to the Community Transitions Web site at www.brainrehab.org