Okanagan College receives 1st ever grant to research student brain injuries
Published 10:15 am Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Colin Wallace, a professor in the department of kinesiology, has been awarded Okanagan College’s (OC) first-ever grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to continue his research around traumatic brain injuries.
The Planning and Dissemination grant will support the mobilization and development of a return-to-learn pathway for post-secondary students recovering from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The grant is funded by CIHR’s Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health.
“It’s amazing to see Dr. Wallace’s research recognized at a national level by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research,” said Dr. Mary Butterfield, director of Applied Research at OC. “This success speaks to the high-quality applied research carried out at Okanagan College and will create exciting opportunities for kinesiology students to gain hands-on experience that will support them in their future careers.”
Around 200,000 Canadians sustain a mTBI every year. Younger people, specifically post-secondary students, are 5.2 times more likely to suffer a mTBI, with 30 per cent experiencing persistent symptoms. For those young adults, navigating a full course load at a post-secondary while suffering from a head injury can be very challenging. However, the injury comes with a lot of accommodations that instructors and staff struggle with due to lack of training.
“We have excellent research and guidance in Canada on returning to school, but it is focused primarily on elementary and secondary school settings,” said Stephanie Cowle, Parachute’s Director of Knowledge Translation. “Dr. Wallace’s work breaks new ground to support youth and adults in post-secondary, and we see its potential to have impact across the country.”
Wallace’s project, called Return-to-learn following concussion: Knowledge translation of a novel care pathway, is in collaboration with Parachute, a Canada-wide charity dedicated to injury prevention, as well as researchers from Langara College and Trinity Western University. The project aims to help colleges and universities improve support for students going back into academics following a concussion.
“This grant will allow us to close a critical knowledge gap between what concussion research tells us and what actually happens when students return to the classroom,” said Dr. Wallace. “By building evidence-informed, holistic return-to-learn programs, we can improve students’ recovery experiences and empower faculty with the tools they need to provide consistent, supportive academic environments.”
With the grant, workshops will take place to equip OC faculty, administration, and students with strategies to those recovering from mTBI injuries. The workshops will be built on an NSERC-funded Mobilize research project that is currently underway at OC.
The work completed in relation to this grant will form an application to the NSERC College and Community Social Innovation Fund this year.
“Applied Research at Okanagan College connects research, industry leaders and community partners to transform ideas into real-world solutions,” said Samantha Lenci, OC provost and vice president academic. “Projects such as this one strengthen the College’s commitment to developing responsive programs that enhance learner well-being, support academic success and remove barriers to participation.”
More information can be found on OC’s website.
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