Williams & NESCAC to Host Concussion Management Seminar
HADLEY, Mass. – This Thursday members of the NESCAC will convene at Williams College in order to discuss issues in the management of concussions for student-athletes. The event is being sponsored by the NESCAC and Williams.
Administrators and medical staff representing each conference institution will meet during the afternoon for a concussion management seminar that will feature a presentation from Dr. Robert Cantu. Dr. Cantu is associated with the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University and is a co-founder of the Sport Legacy Institute. The institute's mission is to advance the study, treatment, and prevention of the effect of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups. More information about the Sport Legacy Institute can be found at http://www.sportslegacy.org/.
Dr. Cantu has authored over 325 scientific publications, including 22 books on neurology and sports medicine, in addition to numerous book chapters, peer-reviewed papers, abstracts and free communications, and educational videos. He has served as associate editor of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and Exercise and Sports Science Review, and on the editorial board of The Physician and Sports Medicine, Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, and Journal of Athletic Training. He has also appeared on 60 Minutes and testified before Congress on the NFL and concussions.
Following Dr. Cantu's presentation, Dr. Mark Peluso, Health Center Director & Team Physician at Middlebury, and Dr. Paul Berkner, Medical Director at Colby, will lead a discussion among conference members. The discussion will focus on recent areas of agreement versus areas where more work is needed and will include items such as pre-concussion education and early recognition, injury management, the treatment of injuries, and impacts on academic and athletic performance.
"NESCAC institutions already manage concussed student-athletes quite well," noted Andrea Savage, Executive Director of the NESCAC. "Our institutions employ the most recent management guidelines with respect to pre-participation testing, symptom recognition, prohibiting same-day return to play, and a multi-step return-to-play process.
"This discussion is intended to ensure consistency of concussion management practices among our members, and enable conference-wide updates as the science of concussion management evolves."
Dr. Cantu will be joined by Chris Nowinski during the evening on Sept. 22 for a presentation titled "The Impact of Concussions in Youth and College Sports". The presentation will take place in the '62 Center for Theater and Dance MainStage on the Williams campus beginning at 8:00 p.m.
Nowinski co-founded the Sports Legacy Institute with Dr. Cantu. A former Harvard football player and WWE professional wrestler, Nowinski was forced to retire from a series of concussions in 2003.
Nowinski wrote the critically acclaimed book Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis, published in 2006, in an effort to educate parents, coaches, medical professionals and children about the issue. Nowinski and his team's research has been featured in print outlets like The New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, and ESPN the Magazine. He has been featured on 60 Minutes, ESPN, ABC Nightline, CNN, Fox, TSN, NPR, and more.
The evening presentation is free and open to the public. More information can be found on the Williams athletics website.
