In May, Dr. Shelina Babul, Clinical Professor in the UBC Department of Pediatrics and Director of the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, 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.
The goal of this trip was to help healthcare professionals understand the latest in evidence-based care for concussion diagnosis and management and highlight prevention efforts.
“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.”
This isn’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.
Dr. Babul’s research focus includes identifying gaps in injury prevention and concussion research and strategies to promote uptake of effective interventions. Her contributions to concussion education were recently recognized with a 2025 Canadian Association for Medical Education Certificate of Merit Award.
CATT is a free e-learning tool that provides concussion education. The resource receives over 100,000 website visits a year and is used by individuals all over the world. CATT is recognized as part of the federal Concussion Harmonization Project.