Jeffrey R. Brubacher

Contact via University of British Columbia

Key Research Areas
Associated Researchers
Associated Organizations

Recent Research Projects

Evaluation of the effect of cannabis legalization on road safety.

2017/18-2020/21 • $693,893 • PI,CO
Marijuana is the second most widely used recreational drug in the world after alcohol. It impairs the skills required for safe driving, and increases the risk of car crashes. The Canadian federal government will introduce laws to legalize marijuana in Apr 2017. It will then take approximately 18...

Predictors of poor health and functional recovery following road trauma: An emergency department inception cohort study.

2018/19-2020/21 • $543,827 • PI,CO
BACKGROUND: Each year in Canada, road trauma causes over 2,000 deaths and 10,000 serious injuries. Disability after an injury is a major public health concern, but the long term health outcome after road trauma is poorly investigated and based mostly on outdated research that does not reflect...

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...

Syncope and the subsequent risk of motor vehicle crash: A population-based analysis

2016/17-2019/20 • $180,000 • PI,CO
Motor vehicle crashes result in 1.3 million deaths and 78 million injuries worldwide each year. Some individuals have a higher crash risk because medical conditions such as sleep apnea and seizures may briefly impair driving ability. Once a potential risk has been identified, patients, doctors...

Trajectories of marijuana use across a decade: Their predictors in adolescence and impact on health, academic, social, and economic outcomes in young adulthood.

2017/18 • $99,974 • PI,CO,Other
Plans for the legalization and regulation marijuana in Canada focus attention on youth as a sub-group of considerable concerns. This is not unwarranted. Despite its current status as an illegal drug, Canadian adolescents are already among the youngest and most frequent users of marijuana in the...

Prescription medications and the risk of motor vehicle crashes.

2012/13-2016/17 • $526,268 • PI,CO
Each year in Canada, 125,000 motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) result in over 12,000 serious injuries, and 2,400 fatalities at a cost of $63 billion. Many drivers use medications that slow reaction time, cloud judgment and impair the skills required for safe driving. This problem may be increasing...

Alcohol, energy drinks and other stimulants: an emergency room study assessing the effects of gender, context and substance use on injury risk

2012/13-2016/17 • $522,556 • PI,CO
Alcohol use increases the risk of injury according to the quantity consumed. This relationship varies according to where drinking takes place (e.g. a bar, public place, private home) and type of activity engaged in (e.g. driving, eating a meal). The present study will explore how injury risk...

Evaluation of speed limit changes in British Columbia.

2015/16-2016/17 • $249,662 • PI,CO
Many drivers exceed the posted speed limit and most do not fully appreciate the risks associated with higher speed travel. Groups opposing speed control push for increased speed limits and reduced speed enforcement. Most experts believe that higher speed limits are dangerous, but some believe...

Cannabis and Motor Vehicle Crashes: A Multicentre Culpability Study.

2010/11-2015/16 • $910,151 • PI,CO
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in Canada and many drivers, especially young adults, report driving after using marijuana. Although there is abundant experimental evidence that marijuana, either alone or in combination with alcohol, impairs the skills required for safe driving,...

Examining the Effects of Alcohol Misuse on the Neuropsychological and Neuropathological Outcome from Traumatic Brain Injury: A Longitudinal Study.

2010/11-2014/15 • $769,167 • PI,CO
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability in persons under the age of 50 years. Alcohol misuse is a significant risk factor for TBI. The prevalence of alcohol intoxication in hospital patients presenting to the Emergency Department with head trauma ranges...

Evaluation of traffic safety interventions in British Columbia.

2011/12 • $199,868 • PI,CO
Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), the leading cause of death in young adults, are a major societal problem. The majority of fatal crashes are caused by speeding, driving after using alcohol, and distracted driving. British Columbia recently changed its Motor Vehicle Act with laws that target these...

Cross-substance patterns of use, consquences and policy responses (research in addictions: Innovative approaches in health research - new emerging team grant)

2010/11 • $192,169 • PI,CO
Much of the literature that informs current understandings of psychoactive substance use and addictive behaviour and which shapes policy responses is based on studies that focus on a single substance type or problem outcome. This is in distinct contrast to actual patterns of use and related...

Patents