Shelina Babul

BSc, PhD

Director, Sports Injury Specialist, BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit, BC Children's Hospital
Director, Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting & Prevention Program (CHIRPP), BC Children's Hospital
Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Investigator, Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health, University of British Columbia

Concussion and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), used synonymously in the literature, have received enormous attention in recent years, both in the popular press and the scientific literature, especially those related to hockey and football. The Centers for Disease Control has estimated that 1.6 to 3.8 million cases of sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States. Sport and recreational activities contribute to about 21% of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the US.

Concussions are caused by a direct blow to the head or other body part resulting in a rotational movement of the brain within the skull. It is important to recognize that a concussion can occur with or without loss of consciousness and symptoms can be subtle, including headache, confusion, nausea or dizziness, and may not appear for hours or days. Recommended treatment includes both physical and mental rest. If an individual returns to activity too soon and a second concussion is sustained before recovering from the first, a condition known as second-impact syndrome may occur: a swelling of the brain that can result in brain damage causing severe disability or even death. Furthermore, an individual is three times more likely to sustain a second concussion during recovery from a concussion.

Dr Babul's specializes in concussions/traumatic brain injuries and their prevention, recognition, treatment and management. She also examines trends and patterns of concussions in BC; and explores knowledge translation activities to raise awareness of concussion and mTBI among targeted audiences, including medical professionals; parents, coaches, and athletes; as well as school professionals.She is the chair and/or member of several provincial and national concussion advisory committees including the Chair of the BC Concussion Advisory Network, and is also a co-principal investigator on the Active & Safe grant-funded project, and co-investigator on the concussion-related SHRED (Surveillance in High Schools to Reduce Injuries) NFL grant-funded project.