Injury Prevention with Hailey Barrell

Written by Mia Cooper

Here at Wheelhouse Health, we hope to share a wide range of information on understanding and affording one's healthcare. A piece of healthcare though that can be often overlooked is prevention. Holistic health involves keeping your physical, mental, and social health in check! November 18th is National Injury Prevention day, and we wanted to learn a bit more about what centers are doing to prevent accidental injuries. Accidental injuries are the leading cause of death for children aged 1-18 years old. The most jarring part of this statistic is that these deaths can be prevented through interventions and safety measures. Rhode Island Hasbro Children's Hospital has an Injury prevention center that works to prevent injuries by conducting research, doing community-based programs, and educating policy makers about the importance of injury prevention.

To learn more about these important topics,  I interviewed Hailey Barrell, a second-year Masters in Public Health student at Brown University studying Epidemiology.  After graduating with a Bachelors in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Washington, Hailey worked in TBI research at Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, and has extensive knowledge about brain health and injury prevention. Hailey has spent the last few months interning at Hasbro Children's hospital and working on events  and communication surrounding for injury prevention. Interviewing Hailey was such a lovely experience as I got to learn a bit more about her love for neuroscience as well as her extensive knowledge for TBI  and injury prevention.

Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence Rhode Island

 I first asked Hailey what piqued her interest in Neuroscience, and she responded that while she was drawn to anatomy and biology, she was intrigued by the brain and its ability to control the body's functions. She first began her Neuroscience journey by doing research on neuroactivity in mice in a lab at the University of Washington. Although this was not her ultimate passion, she felt this work set a strong foundation for future work on the brain (most likely in humans next time). Hailey explained that after graduating, she worked in a level 1 trauma center as a research assistant, where her main focus was on traumatic brain injury. They looked at biomarkers present in individuals that indicate a sign of a traumatic brain injury, such as an elevated level of protein in the blood. Her research involved evaluating individuals who have experienced a TBI by completing a process of neuro-cognitive exams and then doing a blood test to diagnose TBIs. Her interesting and diverse work represents the need to deepen our understanding of traumatic brain injuries from a multitude of perspectives.

 Individuals who are at higher risk of TBIs are older, individuals who have a more difficult time accessing  healthcare, and young children. Hailey explained that older adults and younger children are at higher risk due to their higher rates of accidental and more limited communication. She also mentioned how individuals who experience marginalization also have worse outcomes from TBIs because they tend to have less access to health care and safety equipment. This is also a theme seen with  injury prevention, as many unintentional injuries come from a lack of or improper safety equipment. For example, Hailey shared how individuals who play high-contact sports for a sustained period of time (such as football) are at a higher risk of injuries that can lead to more serious neuro-cognitive ailments such as CTE. She also explained that lack of car seats and incorrect carseat installation are a huge cause of unintentional injuries in children. Hasbro's "4-Safety Program” ensures car seats are accessible and installed correctly for families in the community. When Hailey explained this to me, I realized how accessible this intervention  is; teaching people how to correctly install a carseat could save so many lives.

 Hailey works directly on these outreach  projects, such as teaching parents how to accurately install car seats or participating in free helmet giveaways provided to the community. These outreach activities generate a culture of prevention and safety as a value in the community. Hailey shared that policy makes a big difference, too. Seatbelt laws, helmet laws, and sports concussion test requirements are great examples of regulations that are set to help prevent people from getting injured in the first place. These enforcements also create a culture of keeping oneself safe and caring about brain health. This week, she participated in National Injury Prevention Day at the Hospital by talking with parents of children admitted about injury prevention and handing out goodie bags filled with educational and safety tools.

     Hailey’s work expands to communicating injury prevention in general. She explained to me how much can be preventable with the right education and tools. This sentiment works well with her future plans of merging a clinical and public health role. Although Hailey still has one year left at Brown, she sees herself pursuing more  medical or graduate education with a focus in neurology or neuro-epidemiology. She explained she’s interested in working at the intersection of medicine, clinical research, and community outreach sharing “I want to work with the community and inform people with the research I do to prevent disease and injury before it occurs.”

     To read more inspirational stories like this, check out the rest of our blog!! Check out Hasbro Injury Prevention Center here, https://www.brownhealth.org/centers-services/injury-prevention-center