The Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST) and the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA) are hosting the 2025 annual Mix & Mingle on Thursday June 5 at Chefs Hall in downtown Toronto. MEA Forensic’s Matthew, Andrea, Ben and Jahvanna will be there for the evening.
The Mix & Mingle celebrates long-standing partnerships in the acquired brain injury (ABI) community and raises funds to support education, advocacy, and rehabilitation services across Ontario. Proceeds benefit both BIST and OBIA, whose programs include caregiver support, peer mentorship, and training initiatives such as the Brain Basics e-Learning Series and the OBIA/Brock University Certificate program in ABI.
The Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST) is a non-profit community established in 2004 by a steering committee made up of stakeholders – including people with ABI, family members and people who work in ABI support and rehabilitation in collaboration. The BIST supports those living with the effects of acquired brain injury. Members are children, young adults, parents, spouses, grandparents, professional and service providers – membership is open to anyone. The society’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for people in the City of Toronto, living with the effects of acquired brain injury through education, awareness, support, and advocacy.
The Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA) sprouted in 1980, as two head injury associations emerged in Ontario: one in the Niagara Peninsula and one in Ottawa. These two were followed by others through the early ’80s: in London, Toronto, Fort Erie, Durham, etc. At the time, health care, housing, and service provision issues related to brain injury were largely provincial matters, and work was put toward the creation of a provincial association. The Ontario Head Injury Association was founded in 1986, and renamed in 1995 to become the OBIA. Since its inception, the OBIA has been an instrumental force and resource for those who have decided that a brain injury will be but one characteristic of how they live their lives.
MEA’s Injury Biomechanics group is often called to investigate whether an incident could have caused a brain injury. Our research on topics such as concussion, head impacts, and injury thresholds appears in peer-reviewed journals and informs our casework. We are looking forward to connecting with the ABI community and supporting our shared goals.