Dr. Shelina Babul’s journey to become a North American leader in concussion recognition, response, management and prevention began over a decade ago, in response to parents of children with concussions, looking for answers. They had left the health care system feeling confused, frustrated and scared; and without any better understanding what was wrong with their child.
Concussion is the most common form of head injury, yet it is widely under-recognized and under-reported. Shelina quickly recognized that this was a significant public health issue, as many healthcare providers did not know how to identify or respond to concussions. Nor did they know the proper protocols to follow. How a concussion is handled in the minutes, hours and days after injury can significantly influence the extent of damage and recovery. They key to successful recovery for the patient is the immediate accurate detection, diagnosis and expert follow-up.
In response to this healthcare gap, Shelina utilized her knowledge and training in the UBC School of Kinesiology and her experience as a sport injury specialist. After completing an indepth environmental scan and conducting numerous focus groups, she launched the Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT), in 2013. CATT is a comprehensive resource that contains evidence-based concussion information for medical professionals, workers, coaches, school professionals, parents, caregivers, and athletes. Shelina’s philosophy for proper concussion management involves an individualized approach to symptom management, as no two concussions are alike. CATT was designed to empower the patient and their support systems to take an active role in their own recovery from this invisible injury.
Currently Shelina is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UBC and is the Associate Director, Sport Injury Specialist, BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit at BC Children’s Hospital.
To improve your knowledge on good concussion management, visit cattonline.com
To follow more of Shelina’s work, you can follow her on Twitter @cattonline or @sbwellr
Caitlin Geary is an Indigenous alumnus who graduated with her BKIN in May, 2019. While she was an undergraduate student, she started to work in Professor Bill Sheel’s Health and Integrative Physiology Lab the summer before her fourth year, after receiving an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award. She chose to study Kinesiology because it aligned with her interests in health and exercise, and because she was an athlete most of her life. She was the lead author of a recently published peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Physiology that compared diaphragm fatigue between the male and female respiratory system.
Outside of her studies, Caitlin ran with UBC’s track and feld team racing in the 400m and 800m run. “I’ve always enjoyed track because it pushes you physically and mentally. There is always going to be a workout or a race that forces you out of your comfort zone and beyond what you think you are capable of,” she says.
She credits the mentorship and guidance that she has received in the lab as a key to her success: “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I have had to work in professor Bill Sheel’s lab. Joseph Welch, one of Bill’s PhD students, mentored me throughout my entire KIN 499 project. I would not have been able to complete the study without his expertise and guidance… [Bill] keeps an open-door policy and is always available to help guide you through challenges.”
To give back to the community that has supported her endeavors, Caitlin is part of YWCA’s Circle of Sisters Indigenous Mentorship Program, where she spends afternoons with Indigenous girls ages 12-18 at their school. When asked about the importance of this program, she says: “The program gives the opportunity for us to explore our culture and help them learn valuable life skills in a safe, supportive environment. There are so many societal expectations about what it looks like to be Indigenous and what you should be good at or interested in as a female…it’s important to me to show them there is no limit to what they can do. You can be Indigenous, do research, get a degree and be an athlete”.
On October 25th, 2019, President Santa Ono invited 28 members of the UBC student body to breakfast at his residence in Norman Mackenzie House. This was a rare opportunity for students to interact with Professor Santa Ono and their peers. The breakfast was informal in nature and provided an opportunity for students to meet Professor Ono and to discuss ideas and experiences at UBC.
Three of KIN’s students were invited to attend: Christy Wee, Kathryn Lehmann and Grant Phillips-Hing.
Grant Phillips-Hing and Christy Wee gave us an inside scoop on their experiences at breakfast with Santa. “It was a fantastic event! Everyone arrived before the appointed breakfast hour of 7:30am to gather in the main area to meet each other and socialize. Fun fact: this area was the same room that was used for the Fifth Economic Leaders Meeting in 1997. We had the opportunity to chat with other student leaders around UBC and talk about what they’ve been up to!”relays Grant.
Santa came in to the room at 7:30am sharp and they sat down to breakfast around a very large table that was set in the middle of the room. The president started out by explaining that he hosts these events to hear from student leaders to receive insight on their experiences and to have one-on-one conversations with them.
“People brought up a number of really interesting, thoughtful topics of conversation, including discussions about gender equity, minority group representation and opportunities, Indigenous rights, and how the school addresses sexual misconduct. It meant a lot that the President paid close attention to each person as they spoke, and responded to each issue individually. He often responded with concrete plans to take action, or invited the student to follow-up with him via email. It was so amazing to hear about the fantastic and diverse student-led initiatives that exist on our campus,” Christy declared excitedly.
Grant took his turn to advocate for more counsellors in residences. “I’ve been in Totem Park for three years, and in my first year the counsellor in residence program didn’t exist. It was implemented half way through my second year and was fully integrated by my third year. I’ve seen the incredibly powerful impact it has had on the community in terms of utilizing the service and normalizing counselling. There are currently only 2 counsellors in residence (Totem Park and Marine Drive) and I advocated for one in every residence hall. I also asserted that there is a need for more diverse professors to engage with students in residence. We currently have a fantastic professor in residence, Michael Griffin, but he specializes primarily in philosophy. I stated that although it’s a fantastic program, it would be great to be able to see more faculties (especially KIN) represented in residences to help normalize the prof-student interactions in first year students.”
Hello, my name is Grant! I am a third year undergrad Kinesiology student in the Health Science Stream. I am proud to say that this year, I worked to establish a new program in the KUS titled “Campus Kinnections”, which pairs upper year students with first year and transfer students in Kinesiology. Campus Kinnections provides first-year students with on-campus resources, Kinesiology-specific tips and tricks, and a person in the faculty that they can connect and communicate with. The program also provides upper year students with the opportunity to practice and develop key mentorship and leadership skills.
I have been fortunate to have the fantastic opportunity to work as a research assistant in the Indigenous Studies in Kinesiology lab. Outside of Kinesiology, I am very involved in the campus community. I serve as a member of UBC’s University Singers, play in UBC’s Waterpolo Club, and have served as a Residence Advisor in Totem Park for the past two years. I am also excited to be presenting at the Student Leadership Conference this year!
My favourite experience to date was singing in a super cheesy barbershop quartet called the Fort Langley Four. And one of my favourite events in KIN has always been the “Dinner for Kinners.” I prepare a whole day in advance just to eat as much as possible! My favourite study place on campus is the education library because it is so silent, but actually because it is dangerously close to Tim Hortons.
My goal after I graduate from KIN is to pursue a career in medicine. I hope to specialize as a general practitioner to empower individuals through proactive medical support and intervention.
student profile
Oct. 23, 2019 – Excellent presentations by Pop-PA Lab members at the 2019 SCAPPS Conference (October 17-19th) in Vancouver, BC!
Event Details:
- Start: 29 October 2019 12:30 PM
- End: 29 October 2019 2:00 PM
- Venue: Life Sciences Centre (room 1003)
- Categories: Research Events, Student Events
2019 Research Forum
What is Kinesiology Research Forum?
Kinesiology Research Forum is a 90 minute event designed to provide undergraduate students insight into the broad array of research being conducted within the School of Kinesiology. By connecting with faculty and research opportunities in all five Kinesiology streams (Neuromechanical; Psychology of Sport, Physical Activity & Health; Socio-Cultural Studies; Systems Biology, Exercise & Health; Education for Physical Activity, Health, and Sport) you can expand your learning community, gain exposure to ground breaking research and find out about different ways you can get KINvolved and KINnected with research.
What is the event format?
Faculty and graduate students, for multiple labs and streams, will deliver brief presentations to highlight their current research and provide opportunities at the end for questions. Research forums are a great venue for undergraduate students to hear from all areas of Kinesiology research over the duration of a lunch time period.
To register: Registration is now OPEN. Visit: https://tinyurl.com/research-forum-19
Confirmed Presenters for 2019
Coming soon…
View Presentations from the 2018 event
Other ways to get involved in Research
events, kin event, kinesiologyevent, ubc event
It is with sadness the School has learned that former Kinesiology Instructor and UBC Volleyball Coach, Sandy Silver passed away October 14th, 2019 having suffered a stroke. Sandy was a champion of women in sport, breaking down barriers for many who followed. She was the starting setter for the Toronto Blues Women’s Volleyball, York University, and Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association East Championship. She served as assistant coach to Canada’s National Women’s Team during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Sandy taught in the School of Kinesiology beginning in 1979 as an Instructor, and coached the UBC Women’s Volleyball team (1979-1983). Her coaching career came to a halt in 1984 while she battled cancer. Sandy continued to be a leader in sport for women, with a devotion for volleyball and empowering people, serving as Canada West Volleyball Convenor (1992-2016). Her contributions to the sport of volleyball have been recognized with her inductions into both the Volleyball Canada’s Hall of Fame, and Volleyball BC Hall of Fame. Our condolences go to her family and many friends in sport.
Event Details:
- Start: 24 October 2019 5:30 PM
- End: 24 October 2019 7:30 PM
- Venue: Centre for Brain Health, Rudy North Lecture Theatre (LL 101)
2019 Annual UBC Chan Gunn Lecture: Practical Application of Gunn IMS to Clinical Challenges
Each year, distinguished scholars/clinicians are invited to speak at the UBC-Chan Gunn Annual Lecture about issues related to IMS and neuropathic pain. This lecture is held in honour of Dr. Chan Gunn and his generous contribution
Speakers:
- Cory Choma: Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) Clinical Specialist in Pain Science and Gunn Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) senior instructor. He is a contributing author in the text ‘Trigger Point Dry Needling: An Evidenced and Clinical-Based Approach”. Clinically, he has worked with players from the Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Eskimos and Olympic bobsleigh athletes.
- Lorrie Maffey: CPA Clinical Specialist in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Gunn IMS senior instructor. She is a physiotherapy mentor, educator and chief examiner for the CPA Orthopaedic Division. Her clinical work includes consulting for the Canadian Sport Center Calgary.
- Susan Massitti: CPA Clinical Specialist in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Gunn IMS senior instructor. She competed as an athlete at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in long track speed skating and has worked at numerous international sporting events as a physical therapist with various sports, including six summer and Winter Olympics.This presentation will describe the application of Dr Gunn’s model of myofascial pain of neuropathic origin using Gunn IMS to treat actual challenging clinical cases. The audience will be given a forum-style opportunity to ask questions related to the model and its clinical application.
Event Poster
events
Oct. 14, 2019 – Check out the new CBC article interviewing PhD candidate Krista Glowacki regarding the new Exercise and Depression Toolkit. Read it here!
