Paul van Donkelaar, PhD

(He, Him, His)

Professor

School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Office: ADM006K
Phone: 250.863.3230
Email: paul.vandonkelaar@ubc.ca

Graduate student supervisor



Research Summary

Dr. van Donkelaar's research focuses on gaining a better understanding of traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to sports concussion or intimate partner violence.

Dr. van Donkelaar is currently not accepting any new graduate students.

Websites

Community Partner: Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research

Knowledge Translation Tool: CATT-Women’s Support Workers Module

YWCA PSA with Trevor Linden: My Concussion Story

Degrees

1987: B.P.E. – University of British Columbia
1990: M.P.E. – University of British Columbia
1994: Ph.D. – University of Calgary

Research Interests & Projects

The research taking place in my lab focuses on gaining a better understanding of traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to sports concussion or intimate partner violence. For this purpose, we measure cerebrovascular, neurocognitive, sensorimotor, and blood biomarker variables using a suite of state-of-the-art equipment.

For our research on intimate partner violence, we are using an integrated knowledge translation approach with the goal of co-designing and creating TBI-informed tools and resources for those working in a variety of sectors supporting survivors.

Current Lab Members:

Recent Lab Alumni:

Selected Publications & Presentations

Peer-reviewed publications (last 5 years)

Nicol, B., Adhikari, S., Shwed, A., Ashton, S., Mriduraj, A., Mason, K., Gainforth, H., Babul, S., van Donkelaar, P. (2023) The Concussion Awareness Training Tool for Women’s Support Workers Improves Knowledge of Intimate Partner Violence-Caused Brain Injury. Inquiry, in press.

Adhikari, S.P., Maldonado-Rodriguez, N., Smiley, S.C., Lewis, C.D., Horst, M.D., Lai, C.W.J., Matthews, N.L., Mason, K., Varto, H., van Donkelaar, P. (2023) Characterizing possible acute brain injury in women experiencing intimate partner violence: A retrospective chart review. Violence Against Women, in press.

Adhikari, S.P., Maldonado-Rodriguez, N., Smirl, J.D., Boyle, Q., Mason, K., van Donkelaar, P. (2023) Cognitive-motor deficits and psychopathological comorbidities in intimate partner violence-related brain injury. In C. Martin, V.R. Preesy, V.B. Patel (Eds). Handbook of Anger, Aggression, and Violence, 1-27.

Boyle, Q., Illes, J., Simonetto, D., van Donkelaar, P. (2022) Ethicolegal considerations of screening for brain injury in women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 9.

Trotman, M., Kennefick, M., Coughlin, S., van Donkelaar, P., Dalton, B.H. (2022) The effect of increased cognitive processing on reactive balance control following perturbations to the upper limb. Experimental Brain Research, 240:1317-1329.

Smirl, J.D., Peacock, D., Burma, J., Wright, A.D., Bouliane, K.J., Dierijck, J., Kennefick, M., Wallace, C., van Donkelaar, P. (2022) An acute bout of controlled subconcussive impacts can alter dynamic cerebral autoregulation indices: A preliminary investigation. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 122: 1059-1070.

Boyle, Q., van Donkelaar, P., Illes, J. (2021) Methods in neuroethics. Encyclopedia of Behavioural Neuroscience, 2nd Ed. (Della Sala, S. (Ed)), pp. 240-245.

Esopenko, C., Meyer, J., Wilde, E.A., Marshall, A.D., Tate, D.F., Lin, A.P., Koerte, I.K., Werner, K.B., Dennis, E.L., Ware, A.L., de Souza, N.L., Menefee, D.S., Dams-O’Connor, K., Stein, D.J., Bigler, E.D., Shenton, M.E., Chiou, K.S., Postmus, J.L., Monahan, K., Eagan-Johnson, B., van Donkelaar, P., Merkley, T.L,, Velez, C., Hodges, C.B., Lindsey, H.M., Johnson, P., Irimia, A., Spruiell, M., Bennett, E.R., Bridwell, A., Zieman, G., Hillary, F.G. (2021) A global collaboration to study intimate partner violence-related head trauma: The ENIGMA consortium IPV working group. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 15:475-503.

Maldonado-Rodriguez, N., Crocker, C.G.V., Taylor, E., Jones, K.E., Rothlander, K., Smirl, J., Wallace, C., van Donkelaar, P. (2021) Characterization of cognitive-motor function in women who have experienced intimate partner violence-related brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 38:2723-2730.

Nicol, B., van Donkelaar, P., Mason, K., Gainforth, H (2021) Using behavior change theory to understand how to support screening for traumatic brain injuries among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Women’s Health Reports, 2: 305-315.

Smirl, J.D., Peacock, D., Wright, A.D., Bouliane, K.J., Dierijck, J., Burma, J.S., Kennefick, M., Wallace, C., van Donkelaar, P. (2020) An acute bout of soccer heading subtly alters neurovascular coupling metrics, Frontiers in Neurology, doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00738.

Kennefick, M., McNeil, C.J., Burma, J.S., Copeland, P.V., van Donkelaar, P., Dalton, B.H. (2020) Modulation of vestibular-evoked responses prior to simple and complex arm movements. Experimental Brain Research, 238:869-881.

Dierijck, J.K., Kennefick, M., Smirl, J.D., Dalton, B.H., van Donkelaar, P. (2020) Attention is required to coordinate reaching and postural stability during upper limb movements generated while standing. Journal of Motor Behavior, 52, 79-88.

Smirl, J.D., Jones, K.E., Copeland, P., Khatra, O., Taylor, E., van Donkelaar, P. (2019) Characterizing symptoms of traumatic brain injury in survivors of intimate partner violence. Brain Injury, 33:1529-1538.

Fraser, S., Wright, A.D., van Donkelaar, P., Smirl, J.D. (2019) Cross-sectional comparison of spiral versus block integrated curriculums in preparing medical students to diagnose and manage concussions. BMC Medical Education, doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1439-0.

Kennefick, M., Burma, J.S., van Donkelaar, P., McNeil, C.J. (2019a) Corticospinal excitability is enhanced while preparing for complex movements. Experimental Brain Research, 237, 829-837.

Kennefick, M. Burma, J.S., van Donkelaar, P., McNeil, C.J. (2019b) The time course of motorneuronal excitability during the prepartion of complex movements. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 31, 781-790.

Lo, O.Y., van Donkelaar, P., Chou, L.-S. (2019) Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation over the right posterior parietal cortex on attention function in healthy young adults. European Journal of Neuroscience, 49:1623-1631.

Selected Grants & Awards

Health Innovation Funding Investment (UBC Health)
Title: Virtual Reality training tool to facilitate police investigations of head injury and strangulation in intimate partner violence cases
Amount: $25,000
Period: 2022-2023
Principal Investigators: Babul, S., van Donkelaar, P.

Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health Kickstart Grant
Title: Characterizing tau pathology in survivors of intimate partner violence-related traumatic brain injury
Amount: $30,000
Period: 2020-2023
Principal Investigator: van Donkelaar, P.

CIHR Project Grant
Title: Using Cerebrovascular Biomarkers to Characterize Traumatic Brain Injury associated with Intimate Partner Violence
Amount: $252,450
Period: 2020-2023
Principal Investigator: van Donkelaar, P.

Anonymous Donor
Title: Changing the Conversation: Integrating Traumatic Brain Injury Knowledge into Community-Based Supports
Amount: $500,000
Period: 2019-2022
Principal Investigator: van Donkelaar, P.

Department of Women and Gender Equality
Title: Generating and Translating Knowledge on Intimate Partner Violence and Traumatic Brain Injury
Amount: $1,000,000
Period: 2019-2024
Principal Investigator: van Donkelaar, P.

Media

Recent Media Coverage:

‘This Isn’t My Story’. CTV News Vancouver, May 2023

Former Canuck partners on hair-raising domestic violence awareness video with YWCA. Global News, May 2023.

The legal system works against survivors of intimate partner violence. CBC Daybreak South, April 2023.

‘I Got a Brain Injury and a Life Sentence’: The Hidden Legacy of Male Violence Against Women. The Guardian, April 2023.

Women Suffering Brain Injuries from Intimate Partner Violence At Risk of Injury Being Used Against Them in Court. Globe & Mail, March 2023.

Brain Injury from Abuse Puts Women at Risk in Court. The Tyee, February 2023.

Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence. BBC Radio Women’s Hour, February 2023.

Strangulation Clinic in Surrey offers Specialized Care for Survivors of Partner Violence. CBC News, February 2023.

How Does Intimate Partner Violence Affect Women’s Brains. Globe & Mail, December 2022.

Domestic Violence Causes Concussion. Vancouver Sun, October 2022.

The Hidden Epidemic of Brain Injuries from Domestic Violence. The New York Times Magazine, March 2022.

 

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