BCIRPU Director Dr. Shelina Babul travelled to South America this past Spring to improve concussion care and education in Colombia.

The goal of the trip was to help healthcare professionals understand the latest in evidence-based care for concussion diagnosis and management, and highlight prevention efforts. Dr. Babul spent a week in Medellín with Dr. Mauricio Garcia-Barrera, Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Victoria. Dr. Garcia-Barrera is a clinical neuropsychologist who leads the CORTEX Lab, which is dedicated to the analysis of human behaviour and executive brain function.

In Colombia, Drs. Babul and Garcia-Barrera delivered a three-hour workshop on concussion followed by an introduction to the Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) e-learning course for Medical Professionals. In attendance were individuals from graduate training programs across several health-related fields and medical schools. They also connected with several researchers and graduate students to discuss research and opportunities for collaboration.

In preparation for this trip, the CATT website and its Medical Professionals course was translated into Spanish. CATT is already available in English and French, and work is ongoing to translate CATT into Arabic.

Medellín, the “City of Eternal Spring,” is the second-largest city in Colombia and Dr. Garcia-Barrera’s hometown.

“In Colombia, concussions are not top of mind for medical professionals,” said Dr. Garcia-Barrera. “We’re hoping to change that. We want to increase awareness and educate healthcare professionals on how to identify, diagnose, and manage concussions in Colombia.”

Universidad CES was the host university in Medellín. Participating organizations included: Universidad de San Buenaventura, Grupo de Neurociencias de Antioquia, and Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana.

This wasn't the first time that CATT has been presented globally. Dr. Babul has delivered CATT workshops to medical professionals in East Africa, South Africa, and Lebanon. In Lebanon, Dr. Babul and BCIRPU Investigator Dr. Ian Pike worked with colleagues to form the ICARE program in 2023, which provides school nurses with the knowledge and protocols needed to respond to concussions in educational settings.

“CATT was built for a global context,” said Dr. Babul. “How we diagnose, treat, and manage concussions should not be different across the globe. I’m excited to introduce health care providers in Colombia to evidence-based standards for tackling the issue of concussions.”

Dr. Babul also took some time to enjoy the food and sights that Colombia has to offer. She travelled within Medellín, going to Bogota and Cartagena, and then went over to Peru for vacation.