A sports medicine and concussion researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" to recognize his work in improving athlete safety, according to a UNC news release.
The $500,000 grant will support Kevin Guskiewicz's research over the next five years. The unrestricted award is reserved for individuals who show originality, creativity and the potential to make important future contributions to their field. He previously helped write the concussion guidelines that have been recommended by the National Athletic Trainers Association and American College of Sports Medicine.
Mr. Guskiewicz's research has documented the high correlation between retired National Football League athletes who have suffered multiple concussions during their careers and the early onset of neurodegenerative changes. He and his colleagues have measured the impact of concussions on UNC football players through the use of accelerometers and learned that the location and force of the hit did not necessarily relate to the clinical outcome of the concussion. They also found that head impact data can change a player's behavior by educating them about poor techniques that can predispose them to concussions.
Mr. Guzkiewicz began his career as an athletic trainer with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is now the Kenan Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of exercise and sport science at UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. He is also the co-director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and research director for the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes.
Related Articles on Concussions:
5 Things to Know About Concussion Management and Prevention for Young Athletes
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Mr. Guskiewicz's research has documented the high correlation between retired National Football League athletes who have suffered multiple concussions during their careers and the early onset of neurodegenerative changes. He and his colleagues have measured the impact of concussions on UNC football players through the use of accelerometers and learned that the location and force of the hit did not necessarily relate to the clinical outcome of the concussion. They also found that head impact data can change a player's behavior by educating them about poor techniques that can predispose them to concussions.
Mr. Guzkiewicz began his career as an athletic trainer with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is now the Kenan Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of exercise and sport science at UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. He is also the co-director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and research director for the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes.
Related Articles on Concussions:
5 Things to Know About Concussion Management and Prevention for Young Athletes
AOSSM: Baseline Concussion Testing Helpful for Young Athletes
NFL, NATA Join to Promote Concussion Awareness