Every year, 40 million people worldwide sustain a concussion – a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a hit or jolt to the head.

We often hear about concussions in the context of sports, but most occur as a result of everyday life, from running or biking, accidental falls and motor vehicle accidents.

While the vast majority of those who suffer a concussion recover in time, there are many who experience lasting symptoms. Researchers and clinicians want to know why - including Dr. Charles Tator, who's made it his life's mission to educate the public and the healthcare community about the impact of concussion, and to advocate for change in youth and professional sports.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Tator, a neurosurgeon and researcher at the Krembil Brain Institute, and Fran Rider, an athlete and a leader in women's hockey.

Featuring:
Dr. Charles Tator - Neurosurgeon and researcher with the Krembil Brain Institute, as well Director of the Canadian Concussion Centre, at UHN.

Fran Rider – Co-founder, President and CEO of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association.

Additional resources:
Canadian Concussion Centre (CCC)
The Hull-Ellis Concussion and Research Clinic at UHN
CCC Concussion Safety Webinar Series
‘The Quest to Solve the Concussion Problem’ – Your Complex Brain podcast featuring Dr. Carmela Tartaglia
Toronto Star article – “Four high-profile Canadians to donate their brains for research into concussion effects in women”

The Your Complex Brain production team is Heather Sherman, Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Amy Ma, Kim Perry, Alley Wilson, Sara Yuan, Meagan Anderi, Liz Chapman, and Lorna Gilfedder.

The Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.

Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembil

To get in touch, email us at [email protected] or message us on social media:
Instagram - @krembilresearch
Twitter - @KBI_UHN
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstitute

Thanks for listening!