Follow these links to recent samples of SMARTRISK in the news:

SMARTRISK No Regrets

Many of our SMARTRISK No Regrets staff advisers are terrific media interviews. Listen to a 6-minute interview with Robert Radway on Hamilton’s CHML AM 900, talking about No Regrets activities in his Burlington high school.

SMARTRISK’s Board Chairman, Ned Levitt has begun presenting for No Regrets Live, having lost his own 18-year-old daughter Stacey to a preventable injury. Mr. Levitt’s presentation to students at his daughters’ former Toronto high school, caught the interest of a number of radio and TV media. See for example, the CTV News video, Accidents involving headphone-wearing pedestrians on the rise. From CITY TV News, see Northern students hear about distracting dangers of headphones. And from CBC Radio’s Metro Morning show, listen to Pedestrian Accidents.

Mr. Levitt was also part of a pedestrian safety presentation to students and parents at Valley Park Middle School in late January 2012, a couple of months after a mother and daughter, who is a student at the school, were hit and injured by a car when crossing the street. See a clip from a CBC TV newscast or see part of the presentation.

Two SMARTRISK No Regrets schools took the lead in launching a distracted driving campaign in their schools in November 2011.  Listen to radio interviews on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning in Toronto, New Brunswick Morning News on News 91.9 and News 88.9 or CBC Maritime Noon.

The same campaign is also featured on CBC.ca, Fredericton students join distracted driving campaign

The Toronto Star’s chief auto correspondent, Jim Kenzie, reports on the campaign in his blog. See High School Students Fight Distracted Driving.

A former No Regrets student and current member of our Youth Advisory Team was interviewed, along with our CEO, for Grip, an Alberta youth-focused magazine. See Risk Taking Done Right.

SMARTRISK No Regrets Live was honoured with a Let’s Keep Kids Out of Hospital award by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, as reported on the OttawaStart website.

After a spike in diving-related injuries, CTV News interviewed Blair Williams, a presenter with No Regrets Live.

Canada’s public and social affairs issues channel, iChannel, featured SMARTRISK No Regrets on its @issue 4 teens show in November 2010. Visit http://www.ichannel.ca/issue-4-teens/whats-on-issue-4-teens/ to view the episodes, entitled Risky Business.

The SMARTRISK No Regrets Live show often receives local media coverage. For example, see Students advised to make their risks Smart ones.

SMARTRISK No Regrets student teams are often successful at attracting their own media coverage. See Chippewa students show it only takes two seconds to save a life

Kelowna media have covered SMARTRISK and its programming there extensively, after the death of 21-year-old Andrew Walker in a skateboarding incident. In response to their tragic loss, his family started a memorial foundation in Andrew’s name to bring No Regrets programming to the area. Andrew’s father, Scott Walker has also become a trusted media spokesperson for the issue. For example, see Car surfing leads to tragedy.

Also see High school teams trained in injury prevention program and see A father describes his worst nightmare.
Columnist Lori Welbourne also wrote about SMARTRISK and Andrew.

Research and publications

The Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre, housed at SMARTRISK, publicly released its widely anticipated Ontario Injury Data Report on March 22, 2012. Containing injury statistics on emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths in Ontario and broken down by its 36 health units, the report was of immediate interest to local media. See, for example, The (Waterloo Region) Record’s Suicide, falls leading causes of injury death in Ontario or Clumsy and we don’t know why in the London Free Press or Leading Causes of Death in the Chatham Daily News or Falls top Oxford’s list of pressing injury issues in the Woodstock Sentinel Review.

SMARTRISK’s publication, The Economic Burden of Injury in Canada, and its predecessor provincial and federal documents, are quoted widely by injury practitioners and media. Research and data provided by the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre are also important research and statistical sources for practitioners, researchers, media and policy makers.

In November 2011, both SMARTRISK and the OIPRC were quoted in a two-part series on falls among seniors and the new iDAPT facility at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. See Rehab Revolution and After the fall.

The national Burden report was quoted in a private member’s bill dealing with sports concussions, as covered by the CBC on Oct. 4, 2011 and Feb. 8, 2011.

SMARTRISK research was even quoted in Alberta during the federal election campaign. See Pundits’ platform: health care

Also see The Canadian Medical Association Journal’s National trauma divide must be narrowed.

For another, see The Hamilton Spectator’s, Trauma rises with warmer weather; ‘A lot of people think they’re invincible,’ surgeon says.

Or see Durham health department encourages safety when renovating in Whitby This Week in March 2010.

Of course, we have no control over how people wish to use our publicly available stats. See, for example, the National Post’s Chris Selley column, Why I ski in a toque that uses statistics prepared by the OIPRC and for a nice rebuttal, see this letter.

General SMARTRISK coverage

SMARTRISK’s President and CEO, Dr. Philip Groff, joined with the Minister of State for Sport Bal Gosal, at the Blue Mountain, Ont., ski resort to announce a new SNOWSMART program that will work to reduce ski and snowboard injuries at hills in Canada. A number of local media were present. See for example, Safety program aims to reduce ski and snowboard injury risks
in The Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin.

Our new parent strategy has been of interest to health and injury organizations who requested we produce articles for them. See Parental Influence Over Teen Risk-taking in the Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin or SMARTRISK offers new programming for parents of teens in the Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research’s online newsletter.

After two teenagers were struck by trains while listening to music over headphones and died in separate incidents within days of each other, Dr. Groff appeared on the CTV National News as part of a segment on the risks of wearing headphones. Find it about half way through Part 2 of the Feb. 17, 2012 news show that night.

In December 2011, Dr. Groff was invited by CBC Radio Syndication to discuss the controversial topic of mandatory helmets on ski hills, after legislation was introduced in Nova Scotia. Dr. Groff gave interviews to 11 CBC Radio afternoon shows across the country, from Cape Breton and Halifax through Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, to Vancouver, Victoria, Yellowknife and Whitehorse. Listen to the Vancouver interview.

A Sun Media reporter interviewed Dr. Groff on helping teens learn to take smart risks. The article was picked up by more than a dozen Sun Media outlets across Canada in July 2010. For an example, see Pulling a fast one; Finding the line for kids between daredevil stunts and merely testing the waters is a challenge for parents this summer.

SMARTRISK Ambassadors, the Canadian Forces often present to students about the importance of taking smart risks. Capt. Dan Rossi visited an Alberta school with that message in January 2012 and the local Crowsnest newspapers covered his visit. See Snowbird pilot encourages students to live their dreams.

Dr. Groff has been a guest on TVO programs a couple of times. On Jan. 8, 2009, he was a panellist on an episode of The Agenda, debating risk versus the risks of a nanny state.

Useful background information on the organization and its programs.

Philip Groff

President and CEO

After more than nine years at SMARTRISK as Director, Research and Evaluation, Phil was appointed President and CEO, responsible for overseeing all of SMARTRISK's operations. Phil has wide-ranging expertise in research and evaluation, social marketing and a deep knowledge of injury prevention. Phil has a PhD in psychology from the University of Toronto with a specialty in human neuropsychology and cognition.

Kathy Blair

Writer

Kathy writes and edits for SMARTRISK and the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre and responds to requests from the media. Kathy is a former journalist. She has a BAA in journalism from Ryerson University and a BA in administration with a specialist in social issues from the University of Toronto.

Patricia Cliche

Northern Injury Prevention Coordinator

Pat coordinates and promotes injury prevention activities across Northern Ontario through the Regional Committee of the Northern Injury Prevention Practitioners Network. She has an extensive emergency/management nursing background of 30+ years with the last 11 years in injury prevention.

Emily Driscoll

Youth Program Assistant

Emily assists the SMARTRISK No Regrets and No Regrets Live programs, supporting the team with program development, implementation and logistics. She has a BA specializing in Anthropology from the University of Toronto and a postgraduate diploma in Workplace Wellness and Health Promotion from Centennial College.

Michael Gemar

Information Technology Administrator and Creative Services Coordinator

Michael is responsible for SMARTRISK’s in-house creative production and manages the organization’s computer infrastructure and online projects, including the SMARTRISK website. He has an extensive background in web technologies and interface design. Michael has a PhD in psychology from the University of Toronto.

Erica Hughes

Administrative Coordinator

Erica is responsible for providing all SMARTRISK staff with administrative assistance. She supports the No Regrets youth team with program implementation and logistics, as well as providing general office support. Erica has a B.Sc. in biology with a minor in social sciences of health from the University of Ottawa.

Alex Kelly

Senior Program Coordinator, Youth Programs

Alex Kelly is currently the Senior Program Coordinator for SMARTRISK’s Youth Programs, No Regrets and No Regrets Live. Alex has a BAH from Queen’s University in Health Studies and International Development, and is currently pursuing her Masters of Public Health through the University of London and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Alex was one of the original high school youth leaders for SMARTRISK No Regrets in its pilot year.

Sarah Marshall

Vice President

Sarah is responsible for sponsor engagement and stewardship both nationally and at a community level with the goal of increasing the reach of our programs. Sarah is also responsible for maintaining and strengthening our organizational systems. Sarah has extensive experience in community development, youth leadership and operations. She has a BA from Dalhousie University and an MA in leadership and training from Royal Roads University. Sarah works from Squamish, B.C.

Claude Meurehg

Health Promotion Coordinator

Claude works with the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre management, program and support staff to promote and arrange sessions of the Canadian Injury Prevention Curriculum and Canadian Falls Prevention Curriculum. He provides secretariat support to public health managers in Ontario in their collaboration related to injury prevention. He also coordinates the technical aspects of activities within the OIPRC. Claude holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the ITAM (Mexico City) and a master's degree in theological studies from the University of Toronto, where he is currently working on a doctoral thesis on art and the intellectual-intuitive process from figurative representation to abstraction.

Jayne Morrish

Research Associate

Jayne works in the Research and Evaluation department and with the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre organizing and aiding in various research projects. She also coordinates the annual OIPRC Forum. Jayne has a BAH in psychology from York University and a master's degree in lifespan development, with work focused on adolescent risk-taking and activity engagement, from Brock University. She has been involved in the development and evaluation of numerous programs and research projects focusing on injury prevention and behaviour change among adolescents. She has also worked in the field of activity engagement to understand how best to engage youth and incorporate them into programming.

Peter O'Neill

Operations Consultant

Peter is responsible for the overall operations of the organization, including board and government relations. Peter is also an Adjudicator with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council and sits on the Scholarship Committee for the Actra Fraternal Benefit Society. Previously, Peter had a long-term career at the CTV Television Network, holding various senior positions. Peter holds a CMA designation and is Treasurer for the Canadian Communications Foundation.

Chan Ramakrishna

Controller

Chan is responsible for SMARTRISK’s accounts receivables and accounts payables as well as the general ledger. He has seven years accounting experience in non-profit organizations. Chan is a Certified General Accountant.

Valerie Smith

Youth Program Manager

Valerie manages the SMARTRISK No Regrets youth program. She holds an MA in comparative, international and development education. Valerie has extensive experience managing both education and youth programs in Canada and overseas, as well as in program design and evaluation. Her experience includes working as a youth educational consultant for the Boys and Girls Club of Canada and Foster Parents Plan and as the Senior Country Program Manager for Youth Challenge International, managing staff and programs in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Guyana, Costa Rica and Grenada.

Nadim Sobhani

Youth Program Coordinator

Nadim coordinates the SMARTRISK No Regrets program, which involves content development, facilitation of training sessions and ongoing school support. Both internationally and at home, Nadim has over three years experience in youth engagement programming and outdoor recreation and risk management. Nadim holds a BAH in Equity Studies from the University of Toronto.

Linda Yenssen

Manager, OIPRC

Linda Yenssen coordinates the activities of the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre, housed at SMARTRISK. Linda has an extensive background in public health, including more than 12 years in injury prevention. She is a university-trained registered nurse.

 
• The leading cause of death for Canadians aged one to 44 years is injury.
 
• Approximately 700 teenagers each year lose their lives to injury– more than all other causes of death combined. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.
• In 2004:
  • injuries took the lives of 13,667 Canadians.
  • More than 211,000 Canadians were hospitalized for at least one day with an injury and over 3.1 million were treated for injuries without being admitted to hospital.
  • More than 5,000 injured people were left with a permanent, total disability and another 62,000 suffered permanent, partial disabilities.
• The total cost of injury to Canadian society in 2004 was estimated at $19.8 billion, with nearly $11 billion of that being direct, health care costs and the remaining $9 billion indirect costs related to reduced productivity.
• Suicide was the leading cause of all injury deaths (3,616) in Canada in 2004, closely followed by transport incidents (3,067) and falls (2,225).
• Falls accounted for half of all injuries that led to hospitalization and were the leading cause of disability.