Associate Member
B.P.E. [Physical Education] (University of British Columbia)
M.P.E. [Physical Education] (University of British Columbia)
Ph.D. [Clinical Neurosciences] (University of Calgary)
Director, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia – Okanagan campus
Research Interests
brain injuries; cerebrovascular function; concussion; neurocognitive function; sensorimotor controlDr. Paul van Donkelaar’s research focuses on gaining a better understanding of how the human brain is able to control movements. His lab studies this broad question in both healthy participants as well as in patients with damage to the brain due to a variety of injuries. For the basic science research, his team addresses questions related to the coordination between the eyes and hand, the interaction between cognitive/attention factors and motor output, and the predictive processes underlying motor planning and how they are implemented in the brain. For the clinically oriented research, his lab is currently focusing on the cerebrovascular, sensorimotor, and neurocognitive deficits following concussion. The lab makes use of behavioural experiments to address these issues and examine how the resulting deficits are related to changes in the underlying physiology and microstructural integrity in the brain. Finally, the basic and clinical findings are used to drive applied research in head protection.
Dr. van Donkelaar is an Associate Member at ICORD and the Director of the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at UBC’s Okanagan campus. Dr. van Donkelaar completed his undergrad and Master’s degrees at UBC and has a Ph.D. in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Calgary. He subsequently completed post-doctoral training at Oxford University before obtaining a faculty position at the University of Oregon in 1997. He moved to his current position in 2011.
Recent Collaborations
Dr. van Donkelaar works with Dr. Peter Cripton on an industry-partnered project examining the efficacy of helmet liner materials to mitigate the forces imparted on the head during contact sport impacts.
He has collaborated with Dr. Alex Rauscher (UBC Department of Pediatrics) in using advanced myelin water imaging to characterize the white matter damage resulting from sport-related concussion.
He has recently initiated a collaboration with Dr. Eve Valera from Harvard University investigating the effects of traumatic brain injury in victims of intimate partner violence.
Techniques and Technology Employed in the Lab
- B·KIN KINARM system
- Northern Digital 3D motion capture
- Magstim transcranial magnetic stimulation
- Spencer Technologies transcranial Doppler ultrasound
- Finopres automated blood pressure monitoring
Affiliations with Organizations
- Society for Neuroscience
- International Brain Injury Association
Current Lab Members
| Master Students | Ph.D. Students | Postdoctoral Fellows |
| Kevin Bouliane | Mike Kennefick | Dr. Jon Smirl |
| Jill Dierijck | Colin Wallace | |
| Sarah Markson | Sandy Wright |
Current Opportunities in the Lab
Please contact Dr. van Donkelaar with inquiries.
Recent publications
- Clarke, ADA et al.. 2024. Detecting a hidden pandemic: The current state and future direction of screening and assessment tools for intimate partner violence-related brain injury.. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105912.
- Sun, M et al.. 2025. Pathophysiology, blood biomarkers, and functional deficits after intimate partner violence-related brain injury: Insights from emergency department patients and a new rat model.. Brain Behav Immun. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.09.030.
- Exner-Cortens, D, Camacho Soto, JN, Yeates, KO, van Donkelaar, P, Craig, WM. 2024. The Association Between Teen Dating Violence and Concussion.. J Adolesc Health. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.07.019.
- Clansey, AC et al.. 2024. On-field Head Acceleration Exposure Measurements Using Instrumented Mouthguards: Multi-stage Screening to Optimize Data Quality.. Ann Biomed Eng. doi: 10.1007/s10439-024-03592-z.
- Stranges, TN, Marshall, RA, Godard, R, Simonetto, D, van Donkelaar, P. 2024. Characterizing Intimate Partner Violence-Caused Brain Injury in a Sample of Survivors in the Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning Community.. J Interpers Violence. doi: 10.1177/08862605241256390.
