When I was younger, if anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I would respond with “happy”. I suppose that was because research wasn’t an option I knew about at the time!  Thinking back to a project we all did in elementary school, I remember saying that I wanted to be a “nature watcher” when I grew up, envisioning myself sitting in my backyard with a camera waiting for the fauna of Northern Ontario to visit. Perhaps that was the start of a passion for biological sciences, a passion that only grew the more I learned about science, biology, and the environment. In early high school, my course seemed set to environmental science which matched my love of nature. What I didn’t expect is the change in course that I experienced when I sustained a concussion.

The concussions that changed my course

I was a competitive athlete playing on an elite women’s soccer team when I was in high school. During one of our games, I was unexpectedly hit from behind and went tumbling to the turf, hitting my head hard. Although the details of that night after the hit were fuzzy, I remember immediately feeling dizzy, disoriented, and had a hard time standing up, almost as though the earth spun underneath me when I tried. One ride to the emergency room and a doctor’s assessment later, I was diagnosed with a minor concussion and whiplash.

The first few days after, I remember following the doctor’s advice to take things easy. I felt fatigued like my eyes were always straining, and sensitive on the side of my head and neck that hit the turf. I did end up returning to school after a few days, and fully recovered after three weeks thanks to the support of my parents and coaches.

A few years after my concussion, a member of my family also sustained a concussion from a slip and fall. Many of our symptoms were identical, but our experiences could not have been more different. This person struggled with pushing their limits too far and suffered the resulting symptoms on a daily basis. Without the proper initial guidance, the proper immediate care, and the patience to give them the chance to recover, they struggled with post-concussive symptoms years after their injury.

Both my family and I were told that there is no quick fix to concussion. After seeing them weather through the symptoms the way they have, there didn’t appear to be any fix or any way for them to know if they were getting better. At this point, I chose to switch gears from environmental biology to neuroscience, with the goal to fill in this knowledge gap, and find a better way to help people with concussion.

Translational Research 101: The process to a solution

As I started on my path in research, I soon learned that conducting a study is no easy feat, particularly when working with human participants. It is a balance between scientific merit, gathering the necessary data to make impactful conclusions, and respecting participants’ time and dignity while they are involved in the study. 

The search for a better treatment for concussion, or any new discovery in science for that matter, starts with an idea and a research study (or studies!). The process by which discoveries made through research are integrated into practice and policy that have a meaningful impact on human health is known as translational research. Translational research is bidirectional, meaning discoveries in the lab are brought out into practice, and issues identified in practice are brought into the lab to come up with solutions. There are many factors from inception to completion of a study that require attention, careful planning, and constant review. What is the research question?  What is your hypothesis? What data are you going to collect? What will you be asking participants to do? How will you collect, store, and analyze the data? How will the study be funded?  Will the results be published? What are the benefits and risks to a participant in the study? How will participants be recruited and enrolled? How long will the testing sessions take, and how many sessions will participants need to attend? Does everyone on the research team have the training to perform these tests? Will the Research Ethics Board approve this?

How will these results help the greater good?

When I first took the leap into the world of research, I was introduced to each of these questions in manageable chunks. As I write this list of questions (and it is by no means an exhaustive list!) I find myself even now getting lost in the details of what it takes to conduct a study. The research process takes time, discussions, drafting a protocol only to edit and refine until it no longer looks the same. It is a daunting task, to say the least, and I find that it is easy to get overwhelmed in details and lose sight of the experiences that have brought me to where I am today, and that fuel a passion for research.

Remember the bigger picture

What I have found most effective in helping me refocus is always trying to remember the bigger picture. Why did I choose a career in concussion research in the first place?  

As a member of the Neurovine research team, I get the opportunity to connect with participants directly. I can relate to their experiences both with concussion and their search for a treatment that works. These conversations reinforce the importance of the research we are doing, and I find myself sharing in their excitement when they talk about the benefits they have experienced so far from being a part of our research study, and using our technology.  

When I think back on my experience and my family’s experience with concussion, I have no doubt that a better solution to aid concussion recovery was absolutely needed, but was not available at the time. Experiencing first-hand the long-term effects concussion can have on a person, and the struggle that people go through simply to heal inspires me every day to continue working to provide a better option that we did not have. Simply taking a breath and remembering that there are people who can benefit from the work I’m doing motivates me to fill out that form, finish writing that study protocol, and submit those results for publication so that one day, this work can help someone fully recover and get their life back.

To me, that’s what research is all about. And at the end of the day, making the world a little bit better contributes to that “happy” that I always wanted to be when I grew up.