William J. Panenka

Contact via University of British Columbia

Key Research Areas
Associated Researchers
Associated Organizations

Recent Research Projects

Characterization of Traumatic brain injury as a contributor to chronic neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive impairment in a marginally housed population.

2018/19-2020/21 • $597,655 • PI,CO
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs with an alarmingly high rate and severity in people who are homeless or marginally housed and causes disproportionate damage because brain health is already compromised. Mental illness and addictions are common and are strong risk factors for prolonged...

Behavioural profile matching: A precision medicine approach to concussion rehabilitation

2018/19-2020/21 • $333,319 • PI,CO
Concussions are very common. Although many people recover well from concussion, at least 1 in 5 will have persistent symptoms and difficulties with daily activities. How people cope with their symptoms following concussion powerfully influences their recovery. We have recently identified two...

Neuropsychiatric complications of co-morbid illness in people living in homelessness or precarious housing

2020/21 • $272,867 • PI,CO
Recent research indicates a high prevalence of co-occurring addiction, mental and physical illness in people living in homelessness or precarious housing such as single room occupancy hotels. The standardized mortality rate is over eight times higher than a Canadian sample matched for age and...

Mobilizing early management of mental health complications after mild traumatic brain injury (M4)

2020/21 • $187,425 • PI,CO
People who sustain a concussion (also known as a mild traumatic brain injury) often develop mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Mental health problems can make concussion symptoms worse and magnify difficulties with daily activities. Best practice guidelines recommend that...

A prospective and longitudinal investigation of concussive and subconcussive mild traumatic brain injury mechanisms in ice hockey

2020/21 • $125,971 • PI,CO
Sports concussion is a major public health concern. Even more alarmingly, recent findings show that repeated subconcussive head impacts in sports may also lead to long-term brain changes. Despite the prevalence of sports-related brain injuries, we still have very limited understanding of how the...

Delineating between pathophysiologic phenotypes of hypoxic ischemic brain injury after cardiac arrest

2020/21 • $99,451 • PI,CO
Cardiac arrest, an entity where the heart stops beating, results in a brain insult called hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIBI). HIBI occurs from a lack of blood and oxygen supply to the brain when the heart has stopped. beating. HIBI is the main determinant of clinical outcome in patients who...

Using cerebrovascular biomarkers to characterize traumatic brain injury associated with intimate partner violence

2020/21 • $92,927 • PI,CO
We propose to characterize brain blood flow measures in people who identify as women who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) from intimate partner violence (IPV) and compare these measures to those obtained in appropriately matched controls. We will relate changes in brain blood flow...

Longitudinally evaluating the impact of traumatic brain injury on the brain structure and health of individuals who are homeless and precariously housed

2020/21 • $50,000 • Scholarship/Fellowship,Other
Homeless and precariously housed individuals (i.e., those living in housing that lacks security or stability) experience a higher burden of mental and physical illness, and higher mortality than the general population. Recent studies have suggested that traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be...

Canadian Traumatic brain injury Research Consortium (CTRC)

2015/16-2019/20 • $1,824,513 • PI,CO,Other
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of death in the first half of life and the most frequent cause of long term handicaps for Canadians of all ages. TBI can be quite variable. Individuals who experience the mild form, called concussion, can appear normal on the outside but be...

Neuropsychiatric complications of co-morbid illness in people living in marginal housing

2014/15-2019/20 • $1,062,955 • PI,CO
Recent research indicates a high prevalence of co-occurring addiction, mental and physical illness in people living in marginal housing such as single room occupancy hotels. The standardized mortality rate is also nearly five times higher than a Canadian sample matched for age and gender. Nearly...

Scaling up Trauma and Violence Informed Outreach with Women Affected by Violence

2018/19 • $207,723 • CO
Violence against women is a significant societal concern and a fundamental violation of women's human rights. On average, one woman in Canada is killed every 6 days by her intimate partner and 1 in 6 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual assault. Women who are most severely...

Effects of access to regulated cannabis on a vulnerable population

2018/19 • $125,000 • PI,CO
Marginally housed or homeless people are a vulnerable population. Substance use disorders are common in some vulnerable groups, and may include cannabis use disorder. As regulated cannabis becomes available, the possible risks and possible benefits in vulnerable groups need to be understood....

Precision Fluid Biomarkers of Traumatic Brain Injury

2018/19 • $100,000 • PI,CO
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the most challenging brain disorders to study. TBI can happen to anyone at any time, at any level of severity. TBI spans a wide range of severity from mild (including concussions) to life-threatening injuries, and there is much uncertainty about how to...

Patents