Dr. Julia Schmidt is one of the research leads on the now completed consensus building on brain injury. The BC Consensus on Brain Injury has identified the priorities and solutions that are needed to best serve people experiencing the intersections of brain injury, mental health, and addictions in British Columbia.
Initial research
This 3-year project builds on initial findings from Dr. Schmidt’s concurrent research project, which aims to understand priorities for quality of life after brain injury.
“Preliminary findings from Dr. Schmidt’s grant suggest that key barriers in quality of life relate to the intersections of mental health, addiction, and brain injury.“
Schmidt’s research team, the CEDAR Brain Injury Lab, collaborates with people with brain injuries, community associations, healthcare providers, and policymakers to understand the experience of people with brain injury and develop programs to support quality of life and personally meaningful goals after brain injury.
A project led by CEDAR Brain Injury Lab member and PhD student Jasleen Grewal was pivotal in building funding and support (see infographic below):
Meaningful policy change
Dr. Schmidt and her team presented key findings at the BC Consensus on Brain Injury final event, including Research Assistant Nilofar Benam, PhD student Jasleen Grewel, Research Assistants Alyssa Turcott and Jodi Ferrer, and postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Jade Witten.
The BC Consensus on Brain Injury initiative led to a recent unanimous vote in Parliament on creating a national strategy on brain injury, as presented in the community-led Bill C-277, a huge step towards policy change in this area for everyone affected by the impact of brain injury.
Dr. Julia Schmidt (third from the left), alongside colleagues from the initiative.
To keep up with the latest research and news, follow the CEDAR Brain Injury Lab on LinkedIn.