ā€˜Journal Tribuneā€™ publishes article by Michael Burman on brain injury awareness

Michael Burman
Michael Burman

Michael Burman, Ph.D., associate professor and K-12 outreach coordinator in the Center for Excellence for the Neurosciences (CEN), wrote an article that was published in the Journal Tribuneā€™s February/March issue of York County Health & Wellness.

Burman discussed the topic of brain injury awareness, sharing his personal story of suffering a concussion as a teenager as the result of a skiing accident. He explained both the pervasiveness and seriousness of brain injury and addressed its ā€œinvisibleā€ nature.

ā€œOne of the most difficult parts about brain injury is that the damage is hidden. Itā€™s hard for anyone, including the victim to understand how severe the injury is,ā€ he explained. ā€œInjured joints swell; broken bones have casts. Brain injuries are not visible. Moreover, the brain is not a good judge of its own health. It often fails to realize how impaired it is.ā€

Burman described CENā€™s work to spread the message of the importance of brain safety in the community. ā€œOur innovative K-12 outreach program has reached tens of thousands of local students, helping them understand how their brains work and why they should keep them safe,ā€ he noted.

Burman also shared that CEN will bring brain safety awareness activities to the community on March 18-19 at the Maine Science Festival in Bangor and on April 8, when it hosts the third annual Brain and Health Fair on UNEā€™s Biddeford Campus.

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