Violent hits to the head and the body, being strangled or choked can cause a brain injury. This type of violence-inflicted brain injury has rarely been studied and is often misdiagnosed, recurring, and mistreated. The PINK Concussions Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury Task Force seeks to improve the lives of those impacted by violence by creating an open space for learning, support, and collaboration. Escalation of IPV during the COVID-19 has been widely reported due to more time at home, isolation, fear of exposure to COVID, and limited access to social services. This will undoubtedly lead to an increase in brain injury with more limitations on the capacity to access any type of support from family, friends, doctors, or social workers. Dr. Eve Valera is a member of the Pink Concussions Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury Task Force. She is an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a Research Scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital where she continues a 25-year career of the pioneering research of the neural, neuropsychological, and psychological consequences of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) caused by intimate partner violence (IPV). Recently she investigated and published a research article revealing significantly increased risk, frequency, and severity of IPV and TBI of women during the COVID-19 pandemic in The Lancet. Halina (Lin) Haag, MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker, Ph.D. candidate at Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Social Work in Ontario, Canada, and a member of the Pink Concussions Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury Task Force. Ms. Haag and an interdisciplinary team developed an educational tool kit for intimate partner violence service agencies. Her outreach and presentations at international academic, professional, and community-based organizations improve clinical knowledge, mental health treatment, and social understanding of brain injury.
