With the start of the football season it's a timely reminder of what concussions lead to, what CTE is and the damage to indinviduals and the cutting short of life that impacts on the head can have.

If you play sport, if your kids play sport, if you get head knocks, you need to listen to this weeks special episode.

Featuring three industry experts on concussion and CTE, Professor Alan Pearce, Dr Samantha Bureau, Dr Rowena Mobbs.

Alan Pearce PhD, is an Associate Professor in the School of Allied Health at La Trobe University. He was an adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the Melbourne School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne from 2011-2016. Alan is a neurophysiologist who's primary research focus is on sports-related concussion. Specifically his research program, using electro physiological techniques, particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation, centres on brain physiology to quantify cognitive and motor impairments in the acute phase post-concussion, and chronic manifestations of repeated concussions associated with mental health and neurological impairment. With 20 years experience in TMS and electrophysiology techniques, Alan also investigates neuroplastic changes following peripheral injury, balance disorders, exercise interventions and rehabilitation.  

Dr. Samantha Bureau is a Canadian neuroscientist residing in the United States. Dr. Bureau is a neurodegenerative disease expert, known predominantly for her work investigating brain injuries

and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. During her doctoral training, she specialized in the cellular and molecular medicine of neurodegenerative diseases, investigating therapeutic targets

to alter disease progression. Throughout her academic and athletic career, Dr. Bureau has had a special interest in brain injuries and has published and edited journal articles, white papers, and

books related to concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Notably, she is the second author of Applying the Bradford Hill Criteria for Causation to Repetitive Head Impacts andChronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a paper that has influenced global conversation on chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Dr Rowena Mobbs, neurologist at Macquarie University Hospital and Mater Hospital Sydney. She is Director of the Australian CTE Biobank. She is an advocate for better concussion care and research in Australia, and sees patients with suspected CTE. Dr Mobbs was the creator of the ConcussionBig5, an initiative highlighting the visible signs of head injury and you can find this at www.ConcussionBig5.au

You can find out more about the Australian CTE Biobank at www.CTEBiobank.org

Thanks for listening. We have some great guests coming up in future pods so get ready to learn. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your week, and stay safe. https://plus.acast.com/s/health-and-safety-conversations.

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