Brain Injury Awareness Week

Heads up: Concussion, Safety & Sports

Mon 18 Aug 2025 6:00pm–9:00pm

Registration:

4 July 2025–18 August 2025

Venue

State Library of Queensland
Stanley Place, South Bank

Room:

Auditorium 1

Join us for Brain Injury Awareness Week as we spotlight concussion. Hosted by the Queensland Brain Injury Collaborative (QBIC).

Be part of the conversation that’s changing the future of contact sport.

As part of Brain Injury Awareness Week, the Queensland Brain Institute’s premier research hub for brain injury, QBIC, invites you to a compelling public event highlighting concussion, brain recovery, and the urgent need for innovation in brain injury research.

Discover the game-changing science behind making contact sports safer, today and into the future. Hear from experts on the frontlines of brain research as they explore:

The hidden risks behind concussion
What puts athletes at greater risk of long-term injury
The real-world impact of new safety initiatives
Future technologies to improve diagnostics and player safety

Date: Monday 18 August 2025

Time: 6.00pm – 9.00pm

Location: Auditorium 1, State Library of Queensland, Stanley Place, South Bank

Cost: $30*

*All proceeds go to concussion research at QBI.

Register here

Doors open at 6.00pm. Event commences at 6.30pm and will include an interactive Q&A session. Light refreshments between 8pm-9pm.

Chair

Dr Stephen Townsend

Dr Townsend is an historian and Research Fellow with the UQ Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, whose research focuses on sociocultural aspects of brain trauma in sport. He has published widely in academic outlets and popular media, including his 2025 book Head in the Game: Sociocultural Analyses of Brain Trauma in Sport. He was an invited expert witness before the 2023 Australian Senate Inquiry into sports concussion and is passionate about connecting researchers, sportspeople, and the public on issues around concussion.

Expert Speakers

Professor Bruno van Swinderen

Trevor Gillmeister

Trevor ‘The Axe’ Gillmeister is a well-known ex rugby league player. A former captain of the Queensland Maroons he also played for the Australian Kangaroos. Currently a defensive coach, he founded ‘Gilly’s Tackling Academy’ after he received a phone call asking him to help “keep the young ones safe while playing football.”

Professor Jason Mattingley

Professor Warwick Bowen

Professor Bowen is Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology and leads the Quantum Optics Laboratory at UQ. He is recognised both nationally and internationally for research at the interface of quantum science and nanotechnology. He brings valuable insight into the future of diagnostics and technologies for head injury.

Professor Jason Mattingley

Dr Gary Mitchell
Dr Mitchell is a Team Physician for Rugby Australia’s Wallabies and an Emergency Medicine Physician with Queensland Health. He also lectures at The University of Queensland and has provided medical support to the Queensland Reds and Fiji Rugby Union. With a background in trauma care at the Jamieson Trauma Institute, Dr Mitchell brings extensive expertise in sports and emergency medicine.

Associate Professor Fatima Nasrallah

Associate Professor Fatima Nasrallah
Associate Professor Nasrallah is a neuroscientist with a background in magnetic resonance and interdisciplinary brain research. Her research spans basic and clinical brain research with the overall aim of understanding how the brain functions in health and injury, specifically, developing methods for early diagnosis of primary biomarkers following moderate to severe brain injury and translating these findings.

More details

Parking

Parking is available under State Library and the Queensland Art Gallery, accessible via Stanley Place. A flat fee of $17 per entry, per day. Payment to be made on entry by credit card only (Visa or MasterCard).

Public transport

The State Library of Queensland is very well serviced by public transport. Please visit the TransLink website for specific information regarding the best route from your location.

Tickets are $30