Each September, Rowan’s Law Day brings attention to concussion awareness and safety across Ontario. The day honours Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old Ottawa rugby player whose experience with multiple concussions helped inspire legislation to improve concussion safety in amateur sport.

At Holland Bloorview, researchers are working with partners across the community to build knowledge about concussion and acquired brain injury and help put evidence into practice.

For Dr. Shannon Scratch and her team at the NOvEL (Neurorehab Outcomes via Education and Learning) Lab, that means working alongside educators, health-care providers, community organizations, young people and families to better understand their needs and develop and share knowledge that can support children and youth.

“For us, community engagement is about making sure our research is connected to the people and places where it can have an impact,” says Dr. Scratch, senior clinician scientist and clinical neuropsychologist at Holland Bloorview. “By working alongside youth, families, educators, health-care providers and community organizations, we can better understand what people need and help translate research into knowledge and resources that are meaningful and useful in their everyday lives.”

Inspiring the next generation

One example is the NOvEL Lab’s partnership with HeadsupCAN, a Canada-wide research initiative focused on improving concussion care for children and youth.

Together, the teams welcomed more than 60 Grade 11 and 12 students from the Toronto Catholic District School Board and Thames Valley District School Board to Holland Bloorview for a hands-on learning experience in concussion and brain injury research. 

Through interactive sessions, students explored brain injury and concussion, interprofessional care and rehabilitation, mental health and return to sport, knowledge mobilization, magnetic resonance imaging and innovation in research and care. The day also included an innovation challenge, where students applied what they had learned and considered how youth engagement in research could help improve outcomes for young people.

"Educating students on the topic of concussions is at the core of our mission, so being able to partner with the NOvEL Lab team on this initiative was a deeply rewarding experience,” said Seth Mendelsohn, Co-Founder and Creative Director at HeadsupCAN. “Collectively, we were able to cultivate an entire day that gave students a rare chance to connect directly with research and clinical expertise, and we believe experiences like this for the next generation are where a shift in understanding can occur.”

Supporting children and youth as they return to school

The NOvEL Lab’s partnerships also help bridge the gap between research and the environments young people return to following a brain injury.

Through a long-standing collaboration with the Bloorview School Authority, school transition liaisons, educators and administrative staff have supported the development, pilot testing and implementation of TeachABI. 

Developed by the NOvEL Lab, TeachABI is an online, self-directed professional development module designed to help elementary and high school educators understand acquired brain injury and better support students returning to the classroom following an injury.

“Bloorview School has been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of the development of Teach ABI.  Our educators have consistently reported that working through the modules has improved their understanding of acquired brain injury and has given them much more confidence in teaching this population of students,” said Sarah Nauman, principal, Bloorview School Authority. “It has also served to enhance the transition supports for our students as they return to their community schools and allows for stronger alignment between clinical and educational practices.”

The program is now being implemented and evaluated in schools across Ontario through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded study. It has also been incorporated into the discharge planning process for clients on Holland Bloorview’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team through INSPIRE funding. 

Sharing expertise across the brain injury community

The lab is also working with organizations beyond Holland Bloorview to make brain injury knowledge and practical strategies more accessible to those supporting children and youth.

In partnership with the Ontario Brain Injury Association and Brock University, the NOvEL Lab co-developed and delivered a course for people whose professional work or lived experience involves supporting children and youth with acquired brain injury or concussion.

Led by Dr. Scratch and featuring experts in the field, the course helps participants understand how brain injuries can affect children’s health, learning and relationships. It also uses case examples and practical strategies to connect evidence with real-life experiences.  The course is designed for a broad audience, including professionals, parents, siblings and caregivers. 

Dr. Scratch also contributes her expertise to ECHO Traumatic Brain Injury, an online medical education program hosted by University Health Network. As a member of its interprofessional hub team, she helps connect specialized brain injury expertise with primary care providers.

The program aims to strengthen health-care providers’ knowledge and skills in traumatic brain injury diagnosis, risk reduction and symptom management, while supporting evidence-informed approaches to care. 

The NOvEL Lab’s interdisciplinary team has also served as expert reviewers for a Brain Injury Canada course designed to support caregivers navigating their child’s transition from youth to adulthood following a brain injury. 

Together, these collaborations demonstrate how partnerships can help turn research knowledge into practical resources and supports for children, youth, families, educators and health-care provides.

“These partnerships allow us to extend the reach of our work well beyond the lab,” says Dr. Scratch. “Whether we’re helping educators better support a student returning to school after a brain injury, building knowledge among health-care providers or introducing young people to research, the goal is ultimately the same: to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and youth with brain injury and the families who support them.”

Community partnerships are at the heart of the NOvEL Lab's work to improve outcomes for children and youth with brain injury. Learn more about Dr. Shannon Scratch's research and knowledge mobilization initiatives through the NOvEL Lab.

By Priyanka Shah 
Photos by Seth Mendelsohn from HeadsupCAN