Chris Brigham, MD

Christopher R. Brigham, MD is a leading international expert on human potential, impairment, and disability assessment and management. He is committed to working with others in the application of evidence-based medicine and best practices to the workers’ compensation, personal injury, automobile casualty, and disability arenas to promote function and avoid needless disability.

Dr. Brigham is the Senior Contributing Editor for the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Sixth Edition, and was a contributor/author for the musculoskeletal chapters. He is also the Editor Emeritus for AMA Guides Newsletter. For the Fifth Edition, he served on the Advisory Committee and as a contributor. He was the Editor of the AMA publications The Guides Newsletter and The Guides Casebook. He was co-author of the text Understanding the AMA Guides in Workers Compensation, Third Edition, has written over two hundred peer-reviewed articles on impairment and disability evaluation and other texts, chaired the Medical Advisory Board for the Medical Disability Advisor, Fourth Edition, is featured in several video, audio, and web-based productions in the medicolegal field and has trained thousands of physicians, attorneys, claims professionals, and fact-finders throughout the United States and internationally. He is an experienced, dynamic professional speaker.

“…he is passionate about creating change that will: 1) empower individuals to live productive lives and 2) reduce the human and financial costs associated with disabling.”

Dr. Brigham is a graduate of the Washington University School of Medicine – St. Louis and is Board Certified in Occupational Medicine (ABPM). He is a Founding Director of the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (ABIME), a Fellow of the American College of Occupational Environmental Medicine (FACOEM), a Fellow of the International Academy of Independent Medical Evaluators (FIAIME) with Certification in Evaluation of Disability and Impairment Rating (CEDIR), a Certified Independent Medical Examiner (CIME), and a Certified Impairment Rater (CIR). Dr. Brigham is licensed in Hawaii, California, and Maine.

As a clinician with over thirty years of experience, Dr. Brigham has performed several thousand independent medical and impairment evaluations, gaining excellent insight into the complexities of these cases. Because of his experience, he has consulted internationally for numerous organizations, including governmental jurisdictions. He is passionate about creating change that will: 1) empower individuals to live productive lives and 2) reduce the human and financial costs associated with disabling.

Beyond work, he is a follower of Christ (a Stephens Minister) and a Founding Director of the Faith-Based Claims Association. He enjoys his family and friends, sailing, kayaking, bicycling, running, hiking, and travel. He is married and has three daughters and four grandchildren.

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