Concussion in School Sports

In this episode we discuss concussion education programs for school sports.

Episode Guests:

Daniel Daneshvar, MD, PhD

Dr. Daneshvar conducts research on the long-term effects of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury, concussion, and repetitive head impacts, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Dr. Daneshvar's work has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Neurology, and Brain, and has been featured broadly including in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and ESPN. He also founded Team Up Against Concussions, the first scientifically validated concussion education program for kids. He is the Director of the Institute for Brain Research and Innovation at TeachAids, which created CrashCourse: a free, scientifically validated virtual reality and computer-based concussion education program. He received his S.B. from MIT and completed his M.D./Ph.D. at the BU CTE Center. His research resulted in the first dissertation in history to study CTE. He completed residency at Stanford University before joining the faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Esther Lovett

Esther is an analyst at Guidepost Growth Equity. She joins us in this episode because of her experience as an advocate for post-concussion syndrome. As an eighth grader in 2013, she experienced her first concussion while playing soccer. Over the next few years, Esther, who was an avid athlete playing soccer, hockey, and tennis, experienced a total of five diagnosed concussions. She shares her experiences to support others with insights, suggestions, and information on various platforms including her own website, Headstrong.

Episode Resources:

Episode Articles & Related Research

• Athlete Enjoyment of Prior Education Moderates change in Concussion-Reporting Intention after Interactive Education | Inquiry
• Evaluating the Effect of Concussion-Education Programs on Intent to Report Concussion in High School Football | Journal of Athletic Training
• Participating in Two Video Concussion Education Programs Sequentially Improves Concussion-Reporting Intention | Neurotrauma Reports

Advocacy, Education, & Community Organizations

• The Team Up Against Concussions Speech | Concussion Legacy Foundation
• CrashCourse Concussion Education | TeachAids
• Esther Lovett's Post-Concussion Syndrome Blog | Concussion Legacy Foundation
• Headstrong Concussion
• Concussion Story Wall

If you are interested in one of the articles highlighted on the show, but are having trouble accessing it, please reach out to us at [e-mail].

Credits

Shonali Gaudino, OT, Host, Producer

Chuck Clough, Editor

This production is a collaboration between, and partially funded by, the Rehabilitation Outcomes Center at Spaulding and our Model Systems: the Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System (NIDILRR Award #90DPBU0008), the Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (NIDILRR Award #90DPTB0027-01-01), and the Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System Center (NIDILRR Award #90SIM0017-01-00).