May 29th, 2014, the White House hosted the Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit, a groundbreaking event focused on pursuing research regarding the risk, treatment, and management of concussions among our youth.
Participants include the Department of Defense (DOD), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Football League (NFL), and Pop Warner Youth Football, who joined together to discuss sports safety at an early age, how to identify and treat concussions, and how to prevent them, a factor often neglected.
Capstone feels honored to see one of our clients, the Medical College of Wisconsin, at the forefront of the DOD/NCAA research team.
President Obama announced a number of essential commitments from key stakeholders, each made with the intent to expand our scientific knowledge of concussions. Included is a $30 million pledge made by the DOD and NCAA. Together, they will use the funds for an unprecedented three-year long research study designed to involve 37,000 college athletes. Scientists hope to ultimately determine the long-term effects of concussions, as well as develop improved identification, treatment, and management of these brain injuries.
Notably, this research project marks the uniting of the public and private sector to pool resources and collaborate on how to create a safer environment for our youths in athleticism. Concussions and their ramifications are finally receiving the national press they deserve; recently, professional NFL athletes have turned concussion-awareness into a matter of national importance.
Although the study specifically involves student athletes, the research conducted by the DOD/NCAA team could have an astounding impact on the military. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of injuries in both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars
As a parent of a student athlete and as part of a firm that represents a number of institutes engaged in military research, it is gratifying to see this issue take on national importance. I welcome this new initiative with the hope that it will not only provide better understanding of TBI, but also result in better preventative measures on the playing field.
We’re enthusiastic to see how the Medical College of Wisconsin contributes to this groundbreaking research. In sports, the military, or other sectors with a high-risk for concussions, this research could affect thousands of lives.
Alan MacLeod manages Capstone National Partners Washington, DC office where he is the strategic lead for CNP clients. Alan represents the Washington, DC interests of high tech corporations, nationally known universities and research institutions and a variety of other clients. His relationships with Federal Agencies, on Capitol Hill and the Administration have developed over more than 25 years working in and around Washington, DC in public affairs and the political arena.
