Join us on Wednesday, May 28th, as the AVA Webinar Series presents Intimate Partner Violence-Caused Brain Injury: Putting Knowledge into Practice, with Karen Mason and Dr. Paul van Donkelaar from Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury Through Research.
Wednesday, May 28th, 2025
12 – 1:30pm MST
This session will explore the intersection of brain injury and intimate partner violence (IPV-BI), highlighting the latest research, and exposing how it affects survivors. After attending this presentation, participants will be able to: 1. Describe the prevalence of brain injury from both concussion and strangulation in women survivors of intimate partner violence, including how it happens, and common signs and symptoms; 2. Explain how brain injury from intimate partner violence affects neurocognitive function and how to support survivors; and 3. Advocate for a trauma and brain-injury informed approach to care in order to ensure fewer survivors go undiagnosed and untreated.
About the Speakers
Karen Mason (she/her) is co-founder and executive director for Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR), a registered charity and the only organization in Canada with a singular focus on intimate partner violence-caused brain injury. A seasoned non-profit leader, communicator, and community collaborator, Mason brings 35+ years of career experience in the private, public, and non-profit sectors to her work advocating for survivors of IPV, conducting knowledge translation and mobilization activities, and supporting research, development, and dissemination of promising practices.
Dr. Paul van Donkelaar (he/him) is co-founder and scientific advisor for Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through research (SOAR) and a professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia. His research focusses on the basic mechanisms of sensorimotor control and the cerebrovascular, neurocognitive, and sensorimotor aspects of brain dysfunction resulting from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Since 2016, he has focused much of his research on better understanding brain dysfunction in women who have experienced intimate partner violence-caused brain injury.