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Concussion Advocacy Network

 

Our story

A lived experience led organization dedicated to building collaborative networks innovating concussion awareness, education and research.

 
 

OUR Why

 

“Our Story began when we realized our experiences with a concussion were much more than a headache”

Ryan Sutton - Co-Founder & Executive Director

The idea for the Headsup Concussion Advocacy Network (HeadsupCAN) was initially brought to life in 2017 by co-founders Ryan Sutton and Seth Mendelsohn when they created a social purpose brand that donated 15% of all sales to the Canadian Concussion Centre. The original idea for the company originated from their own experiences with the injury and the experiences of their close friends, each of whom was impacted by the injury in different ways. 

In 2020, Ryan and Seth took the leap to start the non-profit organization HeadsupCAN to focus more on expanding social programming for people with lived experience and building their network within the concussion and health sector. 

Early on in our journey, Ryan and Seth began highlighting the experiences of people who had sustained a concussion in an effort to shed light on the individualized realities of the injury. After hearing from hundreds of people affected by the injury it became abundantly clear that people's experiences did not always align with current best practices or guidelines. 

For years, concussion research, policy, programming and education was focused on specific areas that lacked the patient perspective. A perspective that we just so happened to believe is the most important of them all. As we have grown in the space, we realized that our voice, the voice of all the people who have shared their experiences with us, can truly make a difference in all facets of society in relation to the injury. 

That is why we are so dedicated to creating unique opportunities to share the lived experience perspective and to advocate on behalf of everyone who has sustained the injury or who may (knock on wood) sustain one in the future. On top of this, we are dedicated to creating programs partnered with industry leading experts who can help provide the evidence based facts to our experiences. A combination of evidence based research, education and awareness with our lived experience approach is truly what makes our organization unique and a true, up and coming leader in the space of concussions. 

 

Rising to the challenge

 

Our goal is to generate concussion awareness and research through our unique lived experience approach while also providing leading edge concussion education programs that effectively utilizes different forms of media and leverages existing resources.

Our ambition is to be the national leader in concussion awareness and education by providing people who have sustained a concussion a platform to share their experiences knowing it can be utilized to help inform concussion education, awareness and research programming. 

Our drive to make connections and learn from all the amazing people in the space already doing great work in the concussion field is key to ensuring our patient advocacy efforts remain vigilant. Connecting with industry partners and growing our network’s reach is one way we continue to rise to the challenge and ensure the patient perspective is at the forefront of every decision made related to concussion.

 

Mission, Vision, Values

 

Mission

To innovate concussion education, research, and awareness through collaborative network building and partnerships.

Vision

To be the national leader in understanding and communicating the holistic concussion experience.

Values

Learning - Inclusive - Collaborative - Leadership - Respect - Knowledge - Empathy

 
 
 

OUr dedicated team

 

The work our organization does to help the concussion and TBI community wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of our team members. Our team is comprised of Board of Directors, Staff, and Volunteers who all share the same passion and drive to spread awareness on concussions and educate people on the severity of the injury.

Ryan Sutton -

executive director

Ryan experienced 5 concussions throughout his amateur sport career and 3 concussions outside of sport. Ryan deals occasional persistent symptoms such as vision problems, anxiety and headaches. He was advised by doctors to stop playing contact sports at the age of 18. Around this time, Ryan began to fully understand how concussions can affect peoples lives. That was also the time where he decided to dedicate his life to helping others who have experiences with concussions.

Ryan has now completed his Master’s Degree at Brock University writing a thesis project called “The Sport Related Concussion Experience”. He has also completed the Knowledge Translation Professional Certificate (KTPC) from Sick Kids and the University of Toronto School of Medicine to further his passion and skill set for Knowledge Mobilization.

His ultimate vision is to blend leading edge research with high level knowledge mobilization to positively shift peoples understanding of concussions. Ryan is actively working to build HeadsupCAN education, events and research programs while emphasizing a community approach that includes learning from people with concussions.

Seth Mendelsohn -

creative director

Seth suffered his only diagnosed concussion in his senior year of high school playing football. He was told to have suffered a mild concussion, yet still was unable to play for the majority of the season. Throughout his amateur football career he noticed an alarming trend of his teammates not handling their concussions properly, often returning to the field after taking substantial hits to the head regardless of dizziness or disorientation. These experiences and observations drove Seth to help create HeadsupCAN as a way to enrich peoples understandings of traumatic brain injuries and the often lackadaisical culture and attitudes around managing head injuries in sport.

Seth has found a passion for content creation to go along with his natural storytelling ability. His new passion has allowed HeadsupCAN to expand our ability to create unique and engaging awareness initiatives. Seth has been on the journey to building a life-long-learning mindset that has directly impacted his new projects and his love for meditation, mindfulness, yoga.

Michael Jorgensen - Research Director

Michael Jorgensen is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Michael’s research seeks to improve current approaches to sport-related concussion prevention by furthering our understanding of why athletes engage in risk-taking and protective behaviours. Specifically, his research critically examines how constructions of risk influence athlete behaviour. Michael is exploring the tensions between risk tolerance and risk aversion and how these affect athletes’ thresholds of acceptable risk. In collaboration with provincial and national sporting bodies, his research has also examined the roles and experiences of actors within a sport system as novel policies and risk management strategies are introduced into competitions. Alongside his research programme, Michael serves as the research director for HeadsupCAN and as a research coordinator at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Division of Neurology. 

Emma Pownall - Research & Education Lead

Emma Pownall is a recent graduate of the Bachelors of Science Kinesiology program at Trent University. Her passion for concussions stemmed from being personally affected during her ski racing career and today as a student from multiple head injuries. In the hopes to change the concussion landscape of the Peterborough area and grow the field of research, Emma did her undergrad thesis in Assessing Executive Functioning and Eye Movement Performance in Concussions. She is continuing her education and love for research at Trent, pursuing a Master’s in Psychology growing her undergrad work. In collaboration with HeadsupCAN, Trent University, and Brock University Emma’s research will be a part of a Mitac’s funded project that aims to increase knowledge, bring awareness, and propel research forward within the field.

 

Board of directors

 

Stephanie Cowle

Director of Knowledge Translation, Parachute Canada

Network Coordinator, Knowledge Translation, Canadian Concussion Network

Alexander Salomie

Program and Communications Manager, Canadian Mental Health Association

Pina Petrielli

Owner, Petrielli Accounting Services

Judy Gargaro

Program Manager,
Neurotrauma Care Pathways and Ontario Neurotrauma to Neurorecovery Dataset Prioritization Initiative
KITE Research Institute - Toronto Rehab, University Health Network (UHN)

 

Our volunteers

Become a volunteer today by emailing headsupcan@gmail.com

 

Mitchel Tunnell

Volunteer Blog Writer

Silvana Castro

Advocate Program Coordinator

 
 
 

Community Partners

 

One of the best things about being in the concussion and mental health sector is partnering with amazing organizations and businesses who are actively trying to better the lives of people affected by these injuries or illness. We are passionate and dedicated to partnering with other organization in the sector as a way to produce more meaningful impact to those affected by the injury. We appreciate our dedicated community partners and the amazing work they do in the sector.

 
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ONTARIO BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION (OBIA)

We have partnered with the OBIA to produce an experience driven, multi-media podcast series that seeks to educate, support and spread awareness on the many facets of concussion and TBI recovery.

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Rhea Health

Rhea is a rehabilitation platform that’s grounded in science and uses prescribed physical exercises to heal and care for the brain. Right now, we’re successfully using Rhea to improve quality of life and accelerate recovery for people suffering from concussion. Our plan is to develop evidence-based Active Recovery programs that clinicians and individuals can use to support a range of mental health concerns – from anxiety and depression to other brain health conditions.

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University of Toronto

We work with a few different researchers out of the University of Toronto, most namely Dr. Michael Hutchison, Dr. Nick Reed, HeadsupCAN Research Director Michael Jorgensen PhD(c), Roxy O’Rourke PhD(c), Katie Mitchell (PhD).

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Peterborough athletics concussion awareness (PACA)

HeadsupCAN co-founder Ryan Sutton is Project Manager for PACA. HeadsupCAN works with PACA create local strategy and projects for concussion awareness in the Peterborough area that utilizes all community stakeholder groups.

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Ontario Brain Institute (OBI)

Establishing Ontario as a world leader in brain research, commercialization and care.

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University of Waterloo

We work with Dr. Kaleigh Pennock, Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo to bring to life innovative concussion evaluation and programming for youth athletes.

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Trent University

In partnership with Trent University, Professor Liana Brown and master’s student Emma Pownall and Mitacs, we are proud to be collaborating on a research project that looks into the use of Ocular Motor Therapy Rehab for concussion.

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Brock University

In partnership with Brock University and Mitacs, HeadsupCAN is embarking on its first research project that explores the Sport Related Concussion Experience (SRCE) through a phenomenological research method.

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District School Board of Niagara - Specialist High Skills Major Program

We have partnered with DSBN SHSM to offer students leading edge concussion awareness education.

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Concussion Priority Setting Partnership

We aim to shape the future of research in concussion by bringing patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals together to identify and prioritize the top 10 unanswered questions about concussion.

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Mitacs

The right connections for the right solutions for your business or your organization.

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ONTARIO ATHLETIC THERAPIST ASSOCIATION

The OATA is a health profession association dedicated to advancing the profession of Athletic Therapy in Ontario. Concussion research, education and treatment are all priorities for Ontario ATs. The OATA has over 1,000 members.

LEARN MORE
 

Book a meeting to learn how your organization can get involved

 
 

Contact Us

 

Contact Information

Main Email: headsupcan@gmail.com

Phone: 1 (705) 868-9125

Mailing Address: 124 Winding Lane, Vaughan, ON, L4J 5H8

Staff Email

Ryan Sutton, Executive Director: headsupcan.ryan@gmail.com

Seth Mendelsohn, Creative Director: headsupcan.seth@gmail.com

 
 

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