From Weill Cornell Medicine, “Approximately 500,000 children a year visit an emergency room for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) – among adolescents they are the single largest cause of emergency room visits. Eighty to ninety percent of these are mild (mTBIs), or concussions, and are not life-threatening, but even a mild TBI may sometimes have ongoing effects.

“Many mTBIs are sports-related, but children can also suffer concussions from falls, fights, or abuse.

“Children who have suffered a concussion are not only more likely to have another concussion, but the consequences of subsequent concussions are potentially even more significant. That makes it particularly important to ensure full recovery after a concussion, as it helps prevent future concussions and avoid cumulative damage from repeated concussions.”

Dr. Michelle LaPlaca is a tenured Professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, where she has spent the last 24 years. She also holds a Ph.D. in bioengineering in neural injury biomechanics and earlier this year, Dr. LaPlaca also accepted a Research Biomedical Engineering position at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 

On November 16, 2022, Dr. LaPlaca spoke with Georgia Tech Chief Engineer of Pediatrics Leanne West about Copy: how the problem of concussion can affect overall health, the current state of technologies available to aid in the diagnosis, monitoring, and prevention of concussion, the unique challenges of assessing concussion in children and opportunities for innovation in medical technologies to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries.

Perfect for faculty, clinicians, allied health professionals, and trainees who want to learn about the promise and challenges of pediatric neurotechnologies for TBIs including concussion and other neurological conditions, we proudly offer the recording of this Pediatric Tech Talk here.