Lake Forest, Ill. – Thanks to the efforts of Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital’s pediatrics department chair, Deborah Gulson, MD, the student body at Lake Bluff Middle School (LBMS) received an informative presentation on the importance of bicycle helmet safety from a Community Bicycle Helmet Initiative that Gulson formed last year.

Gulson organized the group with the help of the hospital’s sponsorship in response to the concerning lack of helmet use that she observed in the community. “As a physician, I have encountered countless injuries over the years, many of which are preventable with slight modifications in behavior. For example - wearing a bicycle helmet,” Gulson said. “As the chair of the pediatric department at the NLFH, I feel it is my obligation to reach out to my community and try to make a difference.”

To better understand the stigma surrounding helmet use, Gulson held a community forum last November with 27 teens ages 11 to 18 from Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Libertyville. Based on the feedback she received from the forum, Gulson played an instrumental role in creating informative presentations that engage and resonate with community parents and youth. In the past two months alone, the community group has given presentations at seven school curriculum nights, speaking to parents with children in preschool through high school.