Project 466827

In Canada, 300,000-3,000,000 people are affected by homelessness and precarious housing (housing that lacks security or stability) (Fazel et al., 2014). These individuals experience high rates of mental and physical illness and higher rates of mortality than the general population (Aldridge et al., 2018; Hwang et al., 2009). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health challenge (Maas et al., 2017); however, there is little research on how the health of homeless and precariously housed individuals is affected by TBI. Current research is limited due to a lack of objective measures for TBI and the use of cross-sectional designs (Stubbs et al., 2020). The objective for my masters is to utilize data from a comprehensive longitudinal study of health in homeless and precariously housed individuals (The Hotel Study, PIs: Honer Panenka) to characterize how brain structure and health trajectories are affected by TBI. The Hotel Study worked with the Downtown Eastside residents to evaluate health and functioning and measure the effects of TBI. I will analyze the neuroimaging and health data from this study to model health trajectories and evaluate risk factors for brain degeneration. I expect that this work will clarify the complexities in how health trajectories of this vulnerable population are affected by TBI. This research will have implications that may benefit homeless and precariously housed individuals around the globe, while improving the general understanding and awareness of health and functioning in this population.