McLeod Law LLP Presents the 2018 Health Care Symposium
 
Heads up! Developments in diagnosing and treating mTBIs

The Health Care Symposium is proudly presented by the Personal Injury Group at McLeod Law LLP, bringing leading edge developments and education to front line health care professionals to improve the assessment and treatment of accident victims.

We invite health care professionals, including physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, rehabilitation professionals, massage therapists and other medical specialists to attend.

Presenters:

Dr. Christine McGovern, MD, FRCPC
Dr. Stewart Longman, MA, PhD, BSc
Dr. Kathryn Schneider, BHScPT, BKin(hons), cGIMS, DSc. PhD, DipManipPT

Date:            Thursday, April 26, 2018

Location:      Delta Calgary South
                    135 Southland Drive SE, Calgary, AB
                    Bonavista Ballroom (located in the Tower Building
                    which is the building closest to Macleod Trail)

Time:            4:30 - 5:00 pm Registration & Reception
                     (food & beverages will be provided)
                     5:00 - 8:30 pm Presentations
                     8:30 - 9:00 pm Dessert Reception

Register before April 20 to reserve your seat!

Registration is required. This program is free of charge. Seating is limited.

Continuing Competence Credits are available for the ACAC upon request at the Symposium. For all other CPD requirements, confirmation of attendance will be provided upon request at the Symposium registration desk. 

Presentation Overviews

Medical management of mTBI
Dr. Christine McGovern, MD, FRCPC

Summary: Mild traumatic brain injury and concussion are frequent events, and recognized with increasing frequency as public awareness has grown. Early recognition and management are important, as is identification of co-existing conditions that can prolong recovery. Common presentations and their treatment as well as local treatment resources will be discussed.

The role of psychology and neuropsychology in diagnosing and treating concussion and mTBI
Dr. Stewart Longman, MA, PhD, BSc

Summary: Health professionals generally perceive concussion/mild traumatic brain injury as a short-term concern that usually resolves without lasting effects. However, the increased public concern about short-term and long-term effects of brain injury, can lead to increased distress and concern, and even to marked negative consequences for the individual. In contrast, sometimes more severe concerns can be overlooked, under the label of mild traumatic brain injury. This presentation will focus on typical short-term and longer-term cognitive and emotional consequences of concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, and allied concerns, as well as treatment strategies that can be used by health professionals, and tools to identify when further investigations and treatments are appropriate.

Rehabilitation following concussion
Dr. Kathryn Schneider, BHScPT, BKin(hons), cGIMS, DSc. PhD, DipManipPT

Summary: Concussion is among the most commonly occurring injuries in sport and recreation today. In the majority of cases, individuals recover in the initial days to weeks following injury but in some cases symptoms are prolonged.  As initial period of 24-48 hours of rest followed by gradual reintroduction of activity following injury is recommended.  This is followed by a gradual return to sport and return to school strategy.  For individuals with ongoing symptoms, rehabilitation techniques, including targeted cervical spine treatment and vestibular rehabilitation, have demonstrated positive results on recovery following concussion in individuals with ongoing symptoms of dizziness, neck pain and headaches.    Thus, consideration of targeted physiotherapy treatment should be considered following concussion in the presence of ongoing clinical findings suggesting cervical and vestibular/balance involvement.  

About the Presenters

Dr. Christine McGovern is a native Calgarian who attended medical school  and residency at the University of Alberta. She chose to specialize in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as physiatry.  She returned to Calgary after residency and has had a long standing interest in the rehabilitation of individuals with acquired brain injury. She was Medical Lead of the Calgary Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program for 25 years. She is a clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary and the interim Head of the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services Calgary Zone. She is also the Medical Lead for Allied Health in the Community in the Calgary Zone.

Dr. Stewart Longman obtained his bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Victoria in 1984, and subsequently completed his Masters and PhD in clinical psychology from Queen’s University, with a focus in brain injury and cognitive disorders. Since 1995, he has been with the regional stroke and brain injury programs for Alberta Health Services, assessing and treating patients with traumatic brain injury, stroke, and other neurological disorders. He has also been engaged in research and presentations, examining the effects of aging on exercise, consequences of cancer on cognitive functioning, and effects of concussion. He is a fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association and past chair of the Clinical Neuropsychology section of the Canadian Psychological Association, and has received awards for training students in clinical neuropsychology. 

Dr. Kathryn Schneider is an Assistant Professor and Clinician Scientist (Physiotherapist) at the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on the prevention and treatment of sport-related concussion. Her previous work has identified a large treatment effect using multimodal physiotherapy and vestibular rehabilitation in athletes who have persistent symptoms following concussion. She is a Clinical Specialist in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapists, has expertise in vestibular rehabilitation with her clinical practice focused on treatment of athletes with ongoing symptoms following sport-related concussion. 
 
She was recognized by Avenue Magazine as “Top 40 Under 40” in 2012 and was the recipient of the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA) Champion of Vestibular Medicine Award in 2015.  Invited speaking highlights include the 4th and 5th International Consensus Conferences on Concussion in Sport, International Olympic Committee (IOC) medical meetings at the Sochi and Rio and upcoming PyeongChang Olympic games, World Rugby Medical Commission Meetings (2016), MLS/US Soccer concussion meetings (2017) and the Canadian Concussion Harmonization Meeting (where she presented the latest evidence from the 5th Consensus statement to the National Sport Organizations) (May, 2017). She represents the Canadian Physiotherapy association on the Canadian Concussion Collaborative and is a member of the Federal Government Working Group on Concussion in Sport. She has worked with many athletes, from recreational to professional and has developed and instructed many continuing educations courses for physiotherapists and health care professionals (including the IOC Sport Medicine Physician Course) in the area of vestibular rehabilitation, cervical spine treatment and sport-related concussion.

Our Personal Injury Group

The Personal Injury lawyers at McLeod Law are passionate about assisting our clients. We work hard to help make our clients whole, while navigating the complex legal system.  

For more information, or to inquire about a personal injury matter, please feel free to contact any lawyer in our Personal Injury Group.