Editor in Chief Message

Beth S. Slomine, PhD, ABPP

from the editor in chief

I am delighted to serve as Editor-in-Chief for this edition of Brain Injury Professional that explores sex and gender differences in brain injury. Over the last decade, there has been increased focus among brain injury professionals about the unique issues faced by women and girls after brain injury. The impetus for this attention is in large part due to efforts of the PINK Concussions. PINK Concussions is a non-profit organization that focuses on education and care for women and girls with brain injuries from concussion, violence, accident, or military service.

Our guest editor for this special edition on Women Vs. Concussions, Katherine Price Snedaker, is the founder and Executive Direct of PINK Concussions. Through her tireless advocacy, including multiple speaking engagements, mobilization of leaders in the field and strong presence on social media, she has championed the movement to ensure that the unique needs of women and girls with brain injury are identified, understood and addressed. I am so pleased that Ms. Snedaker has taken her time and efforts to organize this stellar issue.

Snedaker has assembled an all-star cast of brain injury experts to showcase our understanding of brain injury in women and girls. The edition starts with discussion of the past, present, and future directions of PINK Concussions. Articles that follow cover a range of topics including sex differences following concussion in women and girls, unique issues facing female Veterans and those injured through intimate partner violence, and differences in endocrine functioning among males and females. The issue also includes an interview with Dr. Angela Colantonio, an internationally recognized researcher who studies issues related to women and brain injury.

Finally, while we are not able to meet in person in the upcoming months, please mark your calendars for webinar series organized by the International Brain Injury Association, the International Paediaric Brain Injury Society, and North American Brain Injury Society. Upcoming events include TeleTherapy through Pandemic and Beyond (September 29, 2020), Updates on Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Management of Pediatric Disorders of Consciousness (November 12), and Childhood stroke: implications for clinical interventions (on behalf of the Swedish National Network for Rehabilitation after Childhood Acquired Brain Injuries – SVERE) (January 14). Also, please mark your calendars for the upcoming 34 Annual NABIS Medical and Legal Issues Conference in Brain Injury which will take place virtually January 14 – 15, 2020. For more information on the upcoming webinars and events, please visit to https:// www.internationalbrain.org.

Editor Bio

Beth Slomine, PhD, ABPP is co-director of the Center for Brain Injury Recovery and director of neuropsychology training and neuropsychological rehabilitation services at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is a Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a licensed psychologist, board certified clinical neuropsychologist, and board certified subspecialist in pediatric neuropsychology. Research interests include developing neurobehavioral assessment tools and understanding factors influencing outcome following pediatric neurological injury. Dr. Slomine has authored >80 peer-reviewed manuscripts, numerous book chapters, and co-edited a textbook entitled Cognitive Rehabilitation for Pediatric Neurological Conditions.