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Dr. Deana Simonetto is a sociologist and Assistant Professor of History and Sociology at UBC Okanagan. Her research examines crime and deviance, gender, families, and sport, with a focus on how women navigate public identities while married to professional athletes.

Dr. Daniel Sailofsky is an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto. A sociologist with a background in law and sport management, his work explores violence, gender, social harm, and the political economy of sport. He is the author of Playing Through Pain: The Violent Consequences of Capitalist Sport.

01:40 - How Dr Simonetto Become Involved in Concussion, Sociology of Sport & gender

04:10 - How Dr Sailofsky Become Involved in Concussion, Sociology of Sport & gender

09:55 – What is a Concussion/ CTE (Dr Simonetto)

13:50 - What is a Concussion/ CTE (Dr Sailofsky)

17:20 – Athlete’s as a Commodity, Fans as the Consumer and Sporting Work Place Injuries

21:15 – Athlete’s Identity and Cognitive Decline Post Career

29:00 – Impact of Neurodegenerative Disease

32:15 – Autonomy and Informed Consent of One’s Decisions

36:45 - Care Giver Burden of Neurodegenerative Disease and Inter Personal Violence

46:00 – The CTE Defence and Removal of Blame For Inter Personal Violence

50:15 – Relationship Breakdowns

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Social media:

Twitter: @first concussion

Facebook: Headfirst: A concussion podcast

Instagram: Headfirst_ Concussion

Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com

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Wendy Smith is a dedicated advocate for concussion awareness, athlete wellbeing, and brain safety in sport. Following the tragic loss of her son, Antonio Lo Lacono, in 2023 after a head injury on the sporting field, Wendy transformed profound heartbreak into purpose. She is the driving force behind Happy Lid Hats, with proceeds supporting the Concussion Legacy Foundation and vital brain health research. We are deeply grateful to Wendy for sharing her story and for her unwavering commitment to making sport safer for all.

02:40 - Happy Lids Mission

03:40 – Incident on the Football Field

06:25 – Air Lifted for the Football Field

10:00 – Explanation in the Hospital

12:04 - Organ Donation and Antonio Saving the Lives of Others

17:00 – Second Impact Syndrome

19:33 - Education and Meaningful Culture

23:20 – Concussion Awareness

26:11 – Removing Stigma of Concussion & Happy Lid

Happy Lids

https://www.happylids.com.au

Instagram: @happy_lids

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Social media:

Twitter: @first concussion

Facebook: Headfirst: A concussion podcast

Instagram: Headfirst_ Concussion

Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com

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Nick is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of success founding and leading innovative marketing and technology companies, with background spaning direct-to-consumer marketing, advanced media analytics, and high-performance sports, bringing a unique blend of business leadership and competitive insight to Light Helmets.

Kodiak is Engineering & Production Manager at Light Helmets, brings more than a decade of experience across engineering, design, manufacturing, and supply chain management. Kodiak leads product development and quality control with a focus on athlete safety and performance.

01:00 - Nicks Journey to CEO of Light Helmets & How Kodiak Got into Engineering and Helmets

06:30 - Light Helmets and Practical Application

11:10 – Helmet Design, Testing and the ‘Mirror Test’

14:00 – What Are Helmets Trying to Achieve?

19:15 – How Do You Approach Teams Getting Helmets into Circulation?

25:15 – Keeping Up to Date with Research

27:30 – Refurbishment of Helmets

34:00 – Cost Burden and Access to Equipment

38:00 – What Are the NFL Requirements for Helmets?

44:35 - What Should Athletes Look for in A Helmets & Where Can People Find Light helmets?

Light Helmets: https://lighthelmets.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoouVTWUPkX0QXH2OWKSOHj9vtUSTcVMJc9jPJ2XGJCxPjmycobV

Instagram: lighthelmets

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Social media:

Twitter: @first concussion

Facebook: Headfirst: A concussion podcast

Instagram: Headfirst_ Concussion

Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com

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Dr Povall, a Sydney-based physiotherapist with over 15 years of experience in neurological health and rehabilitation, holding a Doctor of Physiotherapy from Boston Universityfocusing in the recovery of both acute and persistent concussion symptoms. Dr Provall specialises in functional rehabilitation for conditions including concussion, balance and dizziness disorders, neck pain, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

01:00 - Journey into Physiotherapy and Concussion

02:45 - What is a concussion

03:50 - What is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

08:00 – Signs and Symptoms of ‘POTS’

10:40 – Diagnosis

14:25 – Assessment Process

16:35 – Why is Vison Important?

18:00 – Rehabilitation Process (Return-to-Learn/Work/Play)

24:40 – Addressing Psychosocial Components

27:35 – Tolerance Nudging During Rehabilitation

30:00 – Treatments Tools Along Side Exercise Therapy

33:00 – Advice/ Misconceptions Around Concussion

35:00 – Assessing Difference Systems

37:15 - Where to Find Dr Provall

The Brain Hub: https://brainhub.com.au/drjessicapovall/

Dr Jessica Povall: https://www.drjessicapovallphysio.com

Instagram: dr.Jessica.Povall

Social media:

Twitter: @first concussion

Facebook: Headfirst: A concussion podcast

Instagram: Headfirst_ Concussion

Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com

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In this episode, we’re joined by acclaimed investigative journalist Brian Deer, one of the most influential figures in modern medical reporting. A two-time British Press Awards winner and Honorary Doctor of Letters recipient from York St John University, Brian is best known for his rigorous investigations into public health, drug safety, and medical ethics.

His work for The Sunday Times exposed major failures in pharmaceutical oversight and unethical medical practices, including the investigation that dismantled the fraudulent research behind the claim that the MMR vaccine causes autism.

That reporting culminated in his award-winning book, The Doctor Who Fooled the World, a detailed examination of how a single false study triggered a global health crisis and lasting damage to public trust. Today’s conversation explores that story and its continuing impact.

01: 55 - Brian’s Journey into investigative Journalism

03:00 - The Vaccine Story

06:50 – What Made Brian Look into The MMR Vaccination and Andrew Wakefield?

10:00 – Turning Points in the Investigation

17:25 – How Did the Paper/ Study Get Published

20:00 – Push Back, Lawsuits and Personal Attacks

34:26 – Has the Public Completely Lost Trust in Vaccinations After Covid-19

38:55 – Was it Coincidence Book Released During Covid-19?

Website: https://briandeer.com

Twitter/X: @deerbrian

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Professor John J. Miller is the director of the Dow Program in American Journalism at Hillsdale College and one of the nation’s most respected literary journalists. A regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, he previously spent many years as a writer and podcaster for National Review. Miller is also the founder and executive director of the Student Free Press Association, the non-profit organization behind The College Fix, which supports and promotes collegiate journalism.

The Chronicle of Higher Education has described him as “one of the best literary journalists in the country,” a reputation reflected in his body of work. He is the author of several books, including The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football, which explores the surprising truths behind presidential intervention that helped shape the sport’s modern identity and the topic of today discussion.

01:20 – Journey into Journalism and What Inspired Writing: The Big Scrum

06:00 - Walter Camp and Theodore Roosevelt History with Football

10:30 – Early Violence and Brutality of Football & Charles Elliot’s Dislike for Football

17:40 – The Introduction of the Forward Pass

24:00 – Fights, Yale vs Harvard and the Flying Wedge

27:00 – Moments in Researching the Big Scrum

32:40 – Walter Camps Wife and Football

34:10 – Where You Can Find and Support Professor Miller

Twitter/x: @heymiller

https://www.heymiller.com/

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Welcome back to HeadFirst: A Concussion Podcast.

Today we have the honour and privilege of welcoming Dr Elisabeth Bik.

Trained originally as a microbiologist, Dr Elisabeth Bik has become a global authority on research ethics and scientific credibility. She is best known for her meticulous investigations into altered images and questionable data practices in academic publishing. Her work has flagged potential problems in thousands of research papers and has played a role in more than a thousand formal retractions tied to compromised scientific standards.

Beyond her investigative impact, Dr Bik’s own research has been widely cited, and her efforts to safeguard the integrity of science have been recognised with several prestigious international honours. Now working independently, she advises on research integrity while continuing to advocate for transparency and ethical responsibility across the scientific world.

01:59 – Dr Elisabeth Bik Journey into Microbiology and Plagiarism

04:44 – Why is Scientific Integrity Important and Why Should We Care?

07:44 – Reasons People Fabricate Result

10:54 – Choosing Research to Sleuth and Common Fabrications

15:44 – Process When Investigating Paper’s

18:53 – Biggest Case Dr Bik Has Worked on and Personal Attacks / Push Back

26:14 – Collateral Damage of Fabricated Research

29:49 – What Questions to ask About ‘Catchy’ Headline’s?

33:14 – How We Can Support and Help Dr Bik’s Work

Dr Elisabeth Bik

X/Twitter: @MicrobiomDigest

Patreon.com/elisabethbik

Website: https://scienceintegritydigest.com/about/

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In this special episode of Headfirst: A Concussion Podcast, we’re revisiting some of the most powerful, challenging, and eye-opening moments from our past conversations. If you’ve missed any of our critical discussions featuring athlete’s perspective and experiences with concussion, this episode brings the best of it all together.

Best of Episode 4: Athlete

02:20 - Andy Clarke - Episode 87: How Knock Differs from Other Sports

06:00 - Robbie O’Davis - Episode 106: Robbie’O Grand Final Dance

09:50 - Wally Lewis - Episode 73: Concussion Overtime + Awareness and Education

16:30 - Ian Roberts - Episode 63: Culture Over Time and Playing Experiences

22:00 - Hamish Brayshaw - Episode 78: The Open Letter to the AFL

24:10 - Will Schofield - Episode 79: Unrealistic Expectations of a Player

27:17 - Ian Greener - Episode 90: FA Guidelines and Old vs New Balls