Whittier Health Network

Bradford Rehabilitation Hospital

Dr. Joan C. Breen, MD

Director of Neurology Day Rehabilitation Program

Bradford Rehabilitation Hospital, Haverhill, MA

Specialty: Neurology

Dr. Breen graduated Cum Laude in Biology, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA, and Dartmouth Medical School. She completed her Internship in Internal Medicine at Miriam Hospital, Brown University, her Neurology Residency and a fellowship in Cerebrovascular Disease at Tufts-New England Medical Center.

Dr. Breen has recently been active as Medical Director of the Neurology Day Rehabilitation Program at Portsmouth Regional Hospital as well as Medical Director for the Seacoast Visiting Nurse Home Health Agency in North Hampton, NH.

Dr. Breen has led Whittier’s Stroke Rehabilitation Program since 2007.

 

Dr. Breen’s primary focus is on improving the functional outcomes of neurologic patients living in the community. Return to driving and employment are goals for many stroke survivors. Few outpatient programs report the results of the return to driving, employment, functional outcomes, and blood pressure control. Dr. Breen’s recent study, which spans three years, followed 81 stroke patients and quantified their improvement using Whittier’s interdisciplinary outpatient program that addresses risk factors, physical, psychosocial, cognitive, communicative, and vocational issues.

Their Community-Based Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Program achieved excellent outcomes, including the return to work, driving, improved blood pressure control, and other rehabilitation outcomes.

Outcome data showed that their community-based team rehabilitation program successfully combined blood pressure, cardiovascular risk factor education, and treatment with rehabilitation to maximize return to work, driving, community re-entry, blood pressure control, endurance, mood, and overall stroke recovery.

Meet Our Awesome Team!

Cynthia Vaughn, MCE, Medical Care Evaluator

Cynthia Vaughn, MCE, Medical Care Evaluator

Whittier Health Network Bradford Rehabilitation HospitalCynthia Vaughn, MCE Medical Care Evaluator Cynthia Vaughn has a degree in Biochemistry from Regis College in Boston. She moved on to earn a graduate degree in Radiological Sciences from UMass Lowell in 1997....

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