A Full-Circle Moment
In 2011, Psychology Professor Dr. Kristi Erdal took her Human Neuropsychology class to visit the Craig Hospital, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital specializing in neurorehabilitation. One of the students in that class was Christina Draganich ’12, a Neuroscience major. In a full-circle moment, this past Block 6, Erdal took her 2025 Human Neuropsychology class to visit the Craig Hospital, and, this time, had her students speak to now Dr. Christina Draganich, who is working as a spinal cord injury physician in the very hospital where she was so inspired 14 years ago.
“Dr. Kristi Erdal’s Human Neuropsychology class during my undergraduate studies opened my eyes to the profound connections between central nervous system function, behavior, and identity,” Draganich says. “But what made the experience truly life-changing was a class visit to Craig Hospital—a moment that planted the seed for everything that followed.”
During that visit in 2011, Draganich and her classmates had the opportunity to meet people recovering from spinal cord and brain injuries.
“I was moved not only by the complexity of their medical journeys but also by the strength and hope they carried through the rehabilitation process,” Draganich says. “I saw how neuroscience, psychology, and human resilience came together in a real-world setting—and how a team of compassionate, skilled professionals could help patients rebuild their lives after catastrophic injury.”
Her experience at Craig Hospital compelled her to return there to work as a rehabilitation technician once she graduated from CC. She worked as a nursing CNA for three years before attending medical school at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Working alongside nurses, therapists, and physicians, I had the privilege of supporting patients during some of their most challenging moments,” Draganich says. “It solidified my commitment to this field and gave me a front-row view of the power of interdisciplinary care and patient-centered medicine.”
Following her graduation from medical school, Draganich completed her residency at the University of Colorado Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and then returned to Craig Hospital for her spinal cord injury fellowship.
“What makes spinal cord injury medicine so special to me is, first and foremost, the patients,” Draganich says. “I am continually humbled by their resilience, tenacity, and the incredible ways they adapt in the face of profound change. They have taught me about the human capacity for strength, creativity, and reinvention. Bearing witness to their journeys is both a privilege and a source of continual inspiration.”
Draganich says that caring for people with spinal cord injury also allows her to practice medicine in its most comprehensive and holistic form, as spinal cord injuries affect nearly every body system, including neurologic, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, urologic, and dermatologic.
“To provide high-quality care, I’ve had to cultivate a deep understanding of human pathophysiology and develop a creative, systems-based approach to problem-solving,” she says. “It has made me a sharper clinician, but also a more thoughtful and compassionate one.”
Draganich adds that equally meaningful is the opportunity to serve as a leader of an interdisciplinary team, something that she learned about while at CC.
“In spinal cord injury medicine, collaboration is essential,” Draganich says. “I work alongside nurses, therapists, psychologists, social workers, and many others to provide cohesive, patient-centered care. Guiding this team—while honoring each member’s expertise and ensuring the patient remains at the center of every decision—is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my work.”
CC’s Human Neuropsychology class has visited Craig Hospital since the course’s inception in the 1990s, and Erdal has taught the class over a dozen times since then. However, this is the first year that Erdal and Draganich were able to coordinate their schedules so that Draganich would be available when Erdal’s class toured the hospital.
“It was a very proud ‘academic mother’ moment having her join us after the tour and talk to my class in her leadership and professional role, showing students what they can do with their education in the field of rehabilitation of brain and spinal cord injury,” Erdal says. “Christina was one of those students who we joke came ‘fully formed’ to CC. She came ready to absorb everything. Her senior thesis, which was published, began percolating in Introduction to Psychology, when we talked about placebos, developed in Research Design, when she was able to conduct an extensive literature review in the area, and executed as her senior thesis when she figured out how to extend that research experimentally. She even spent post-graduate time conducting Experiment 2, which the journal reviewers asked for.”
“Dr. Kristi Erdal profoundly shaped the course of my career and the person I am today—as both a physician and a researcher,” Draganich says. “My initial interest in neuroscience and medicine was sparked in her classroom, but her impact extended far beyond lectures. In her Research Design course, I was given the opportunity to develop my own research idea—an experience that ignited my passion for scientific inquiry. That project eventually became my senior thesis, and I was honored to serve as a learning assistant for the course, mentoring others in the process I had grown to love.”
“Working alongside nurses, therapists, and physicians, I had the privilege of supporting patients during some of their most challenging moments. It solidified my commitment to this field and gave me a front-row view of the power of interdisciplinary care and patient-centered medicine.”
Dr. Christina Draganich ’12
After Draganich graduated from CC, Erdal invited her to continue developing her senior thesis study with her. The study was on how placebo sleep affects cognitive function. “Through Dr. Erdal’s mentorship, I deepened my understanding of research methodology, data analysis, and academic writing,” Draganich says. Together, Erdal and Draganich completed the project and published their work in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition. “That experience not only solidified my identity as a researcher—it gave me the confidence and skills that continue to shape how I approach clinical questions today.”
“Dr. Erdal is truly one of the most extraordinary educators and mentors I’ve ever known,” Draganich says. “She has a rare gift for inspiring her students—not only to learn, but to think boldly, ask meaningful questions, and push the boundaries of their own potential.”
Draganich says she was drawn to neuroscience because it sits at the intersection of biology, behavior, and the human experience. “From an early stage in my education, I was fascinated by the idea that the central nervous system —this incredibly complex network of cells—could give rise to memory, movement, emotion, and identity,” says Draganich, who graduated with distinction in Neuroscience. “As I learned more, I became especially interested in how injury or disease could disrupt these functions, and how research and clinical care could help restore them.”
Erdal and Human Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology is a subfield of neuroscience and psychology that analyzes the relationship between brain function and behavior. One of Erdal’s objective for students in her Human Neuropsychology classis that students obtain an active, rather than passive, knowledge of material covered in the class. To do this, Erdal conducts the course similar to a graduate seminar, with class sessions focused primarily on discussion of the material, with daily student presentations.
“My goals for the Neuropsychology piece of the class are to give students a full technical appreciation of the outcomes of damaging the brain in any number of ways, such as a traumatic brain injury, stroke, or tumor, in any brain region,” Erdal says. “My goals for the Human piece of the class are to make sure that students appreciate that those brains belong to real people with real lives and real families. To that end, I bring in visitors to class with neurological disorders, like seizures and tumors, and take the field trip to Craig Hospital.”
Erdal has clearly achieved these goals, as numerous students beyond Draganich have credited speaking to people with spinal cord injuries as sparking their passion to pursue medicine.
“One thing Dr. Draganich said that left an impression on me was that what we are treating is not just the brain injury of the patient, but the patient who has the brain injury – it is about their whole personhood, their families and/or close others who are as affected by the injury as the patients themselves,” says H. Knox Huang ’25. “Everyone involved is our subject of treatment.”
Huang says that taking Human Neuropsychology in general and specifically visiting the hospital taught him that the recovery from a brain or spinal cord injury not only depends on the doctor, nurse, and the patient themselves, but also the care from families and friends.
“In times of difficulty, especially when the chance of full recovery is slim, it becomes a test of faith from everyone involved,” says Huang, a Psychology and Philosophy double major who plans to work in research assistant positions before eventually attending graduate school in clinical psychology. “We do our best as the prospective scientists in the healthcare field to control and predict the illnesses, but the miracles that happen from time to time in the recovery processes continue to inspire us with the mystery and the beauty of nature.”
Anna Matsui ’25, a Neuroscience major and Biochemistry minor, says the visit to Craig Hospital was impactful because it helped her contextualize the material they had been learning in class.
Xinran Wang ’25, a Psychology and Philosophy double major, says she learned about what impact traumatic brain injuries have on the day-to-day life of someone who has one, as well as the impact on the person’s family. She was also interested to learn more about the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) field.
“Visiting Craig Hospital was a really powerful experience,” says Layla Haji ’25, a Neuroscience major and Anthropology minor. “It was moving to learn about acquired neuropsychological disorders in Dr. Erdal’s class and then see the innovative resources and support systems in place for patients recovering from injuries. I admired the hospital’s multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation including physical rehabilitation, emotional support, and patient education. This highlighted how important collaborative care was to recovery from these serious injuries and broadened my perspective on the range of career paths that could support long-term recovery physically and cognitively.”
Haji noted that the experience of visiting Craig Hospital highlighted how her intended career path- whether MD, PhD, or Md-PhD- can intersect in meaningful ways. She will work as the Psychology and Neuroscience Department paraprofessional next year before pursing either an MD or PhD in neuropharmacology. “Seeing Dr. Draganich in that role was incredibly inspiring and made me realize that I could be in a similar position someday.”
Draganich Beyond the Hospital Ward
Draganich has always had a passion for service work, and in 2015, along with Dr. Jeffrey C. Berliner and Dr. William Niehaus, she co-founded the Colorado Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Partnership (RSVP) Clinic, a not-for-profit clinic that provides free health care for people with catastrophic injuries. Draganich has served as the president of the clinic since 2022. Also in 2022, she helped to co-found the National Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Partnership board to expand national care for uninsured people with catastrophic injuries.
As if she wasn’t busy enough, Draganich has continued her passion for teaching. She is currently a volunteer clinical faculty at the University of Colorado Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, where she did her residency. Additionally, she has been involved in Craig Hospital’s research department since starting medical school in 2015.
“In this field, I’ve found a career that is intellectually rigorous, emotionally rich, and profoundly human,” Draganich says. “It challenges me every day.”
Readers can visit Draganich’s National Center for Biotechnology Information bibliography to learn more about her research.