Alumna Bridget Reis Supports Naval Aviators Facing Long-Term Health Effects Through Her Nonprofit

As the daughter of a Naval Pilot, Bridget Reis has seen the effects that performing routine maneuvers at high speeds has on the brain and body. As a Dallas Baptist University '24 alumna, Bridget began the nonprofit Aviation Brain Health Initiative (ABHI) to help research and bring awareness to the long-term neurological toll flying can cause on aviators.

Bridget grew up in a Christian home, traveling across the United States as her father served in the Navy. From a young age, she attended church regularly with her family and heard about others' relationships with Christ, but her faith did not become personal until a conversation with her mother that led to her accepting Christ into her life. After this moment, Jesus became the one constant during the storms Bridget would face throughout her life.

While pursuing her business and entrepreneurship degree through DBU's Carter School of Business, Bridget served as an assistant to the provost. As a student, Bridget received encouragement from her supervisors, co-workers, and professors that helped her grow, both personally and professionally. "The professors at the Carter School of Business taught me far more than business concepts," Bridget says. "They helped me develop leadership, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that enabled me to accomplish things I never thought possible."

During her undergraduate years, the relationships and skills Bridget developed also helped launch her writing career through an internship course with the CSB. She began interning with D CEO, a publication of Dallas' D Magazine, where she wrote articles on multiple topics, including CEO interviews, Texas historians, commercial real estate, and healthcare. "This internship gave me the opportunity to interview some of the most influential business leaders in Texas and learn from their stories firsthand," she states.

Continuing in this role, Bridget's confidence and love for writing grew. She then began serving at Rice University in Houston, Texas, while pursuing freelance writing opportunities. During this time, she wrote for Navy Times, eventually pitching her own story ideas.

One story idea came to Bridget after hearing Congress talk about Naval aviators experiencing serious health issues that were comparable to experiencing multiple car accidents due to the physical demands flying placed on their minds and bodies. This led to her article titled "Silent Crashes," and through more research and interviews, Bridget gained a deeper understanding of the devastating impact these injuries had on aviators.

Through her interviews with pilots, engineers, medical professionals, and other experts, the story grew to be more personal as Bridget connected the same symptoms and struggles these people had faced or seen to what she had witnessed in her own father over the years.

Realizing there was a lack of research being done on the issues many Naval Aviators were facing, Bridget took matters into her own hands, building her own nonprofit organization, Aviation Brain Health Initiative (ABHI). Aviators experience immense strain on the brain and body as they perform catapult launches, arrested landings, and sustained high-G maneuvers, and the ABHI serves to address the critical and underrecognized issues these events have caused by advancing research efforts and improving care for military aviators.

At the beginning stages of ABHI, the nonprofit worked to address the limited research and recovery processes by launching research initiatives like the Institutional Review Board for approval and developing research efforts at Rice University.

Throughout these initial stages, DBU professor Bob Reader became a great supporter and mentor to Bridget and now serves on the board of the nonprofit. "His impact on my life and the organization has been immeasurable, and I am deeply grateful for the role he has played in helping me pursue this mission," Bridget shares.

The organization's goal is to advocate for policy changes, raise awareness in the medical community, and ensure that when pilots walk into hospitals or doctors' offices, they receive the proper care for the struggles they are facing.

Throughout Bridget's undergraduate years and the beginning stages of ABHI, the aspect of approaching challenges with a service mindset became fundamental. "When you shift your perspective in this way, opportunities become clearer, problems become easier to identify and solve, and your work takes on a greater sense of purpose," Bridget notes. Placing servant leadership at the forefront of her mind, she began asking how she could help others—a question she continues to ask herself today.

Currently, Bridget is pursuing her master's degree at the University of Houston in the Learning, Design, and Technology program within the College of Education, focusing on the implementation of artificial intelligence in education and healthcare systems.

Along with her graduate studies and nonprofit, ABHI, she serves as the Seminar and Events Coordinator at Rice University, with the NCSI Access and Excellence Committee, and writes for People's Newspaper.

As she moves forward into this next season of life, Bridget would encourage students to let go and trust God's plan. "When we surrender our plans, our ambitions, and even our identities to Him, we discover a purpose and fulfillment far greater than anything we could have imagined for ourselves," Bridget shares. Only God knows the outcome of your life, and while it is important to work hard and create goals, it is equally important to allow God to lead your path.