TBI in Special Populations

The majority of TBI research conducted globally to date has focused primarily on young to middle-aged majority male civilians, competitive athletes with mild TBIs (a.k.a. concussion), and military populations. There has been much less research focused specifically on children, especially those less than 5 years of age, older adults, and other unique or under-represented populations who experience TBI including, but not limited to: women, youth with pre-existing mental health conditions, victims of intimate partner violence, incarcerated individuals, and vulnerably housed individuals. This working group will focus on advancing research and informing optimal clinical care worldwide in under-represented TBI populations via identifying and promoting relevant funding mechanisms, facilitating collaborations, and adapting and validating common data elements as needed. An important new initiative is to undertake this research from a culturally informed perspective with attention to the ethical, legal and social implications of TBI in these special populations.