Improving injury prevention programming in girls’ soccer

Dr. Allison Ezzat has received a 2024 Catalyst Grant from the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI)! This project aims to understand how to develop and implement injury prevention programs in girls' soccer.

Soccer injury prevention programs delivered during warm-up can prevent two-thirds of injuries, yet these programs are not used by girls’ soccer teams in the community on a regular basis. 

Dr. Ezzat and her colleagues will conduct one-on-one interviews with academics and physiotherapists who have experience with injury prevention programs in girls team sports. The team hopes to learn more about these implementors’ challenges, successes, and future recommendations for these types of programs. Interview transcripts will be thematically analyzed and results used to improve girls’ soccer programs and ultimately prevent injury.

Dr. Ezzat is an Implementation Scientist at BCIRPU, and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, UBC. In late 2024, she also received a New Faculty Research Award from the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Understanding health outcomes of children affected by violence

A new project will explore the mental and physical health outcomes of children and youth whose mothers have experienced assault or violence. The four-year project will be led by Dr. Natasha R. Saunders from the Hospital for Sick Children. BCIRPU Investigator Dr. Ian Pike is a principal investigator, and BCIRPU Director Dr. Shelina Babul is a co-investigator. Funding comes from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) via its Project Grant competition.

In Canada, one in every four women experience assault during their lifetime. These incidents, while devastating for the women involved, likely have a “ripple effect” on their children. This effect can lead to poor physical and mental health outcomes for these children and youth. Researchers will examine health outcomes in children and adolescents of survivors, compared to those whose mothers have not experienced violence, in multiple provinces. The study aims to shed light on how the social determinants of health can have an impact on these health outcomes. Results will help inform the development and design of interventions and supports for these individuals.

Testing a mindfulness app for concussion recovery

Dr. Shelina Babul is a co-investigator on a two-year CIHR Project Grant led by Dr. Molly Cairncross from Simon Fraser University.

Concussions among adolescents are common, and a third of adolescents who sustain a concussion will have prolonged recovery that can last months or years. These prolonged symptoms can lead to challenges in daily life, including mental health issues.

The project is a study feasibility project for a low-cost, easily accessible digital mindfulness-based tool to support adolescents with prolonged concussion recovery. Researchers will recruit adolescents who have sustained a concussion and are still symptomatic one month later, and randomly assign them to the control intervention or to receive an eight-week digital mindfulness intervention. Findings from this study will help inform a large clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of this app.

Other researchers include Drs. Quynh Doan (UBC/BCCHR), Noah Silverberg (UBC/GF Strong), and Roger Zemek (CHEO Research Institute).