Rate My Professor Karen Barlow

Professor Karen Barlow holds the position of Chair in Paediatric Rehabilitation and Conjoint Chair in Paediatric Rehabilitation at the Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland. She earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Medical Science from the University of Edinburgh, a Master of Science in Clinical Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Neurosciences from the University of Queensland, with a 2020 thesis titled Melatonin as a therapeutic agent for post-concussion syndrome after mild traumatic brain injury. Her academic career commenced after studies at the University of Edinburgh and the University of British Columbia. In 2002, she took her first academic role at the University of Calgary, where she developed and directed the Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Research Program at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, gaining extensive experience in devising and overseeing national and international clinical trials for children. In October 2017, she relocated to Australia, joining the University of Queensland's Child Health Research Centre, the Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service, and the Queensland Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Centre. As director of the KidStim Lab—the first non-invasive neuromodulation facility in Australia for children with brain injuries—she leads a multidisciplinary team exploring rehabilitation combined with techniques such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation to address mood and behavioral disorders post-injury.

Professor Barlow's research centers on paediatric neurology, neurotrauma, concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, and post-concussion syndrome, utilizing multimodal assessments including arterial spin labeling functional MRI for perfusion studies and transcranial magnetic stimulation for neurophysiological investigations to identify neurobiological signatures of subtle neurological dysfunction, particularly behavioral and cognitive impairments. She investigates novel therapies like neuraceuticals, pharmacotherapies, and non-invasive brain stimulation in clinical trials for persistent post-concussive symptoms. With 177 publications spanning 1993 to 2026, notable works include 'Mild traumatic brain injury and concussion and persisting post-concussion symptoms: new guidelines to support evidence-based assessment and management in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand' (Medical Journal of Australia, 2025), 'Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in adolescents with persistent post-concussion symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury: An open label safety and feasibility study' (Pediatric Neurology, 2025), 'Orthostatic tachycardia in children with and without persisting post concussion symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury: A prospective controlled study' (Pediatric Neurology, 2025), and 'Longitudinal changes in brain metabolites following pediatric concussion' (Scientific Reports, 2024). She contributed to the first Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Clinical Practice Guidelines for concussion management.