Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D., a University of North Carolina professor in the field of sports medicine, became one of 22 winners of a MacArthur Fellowship. He will receive a $500, 000 “no strings attached” grant over the next five years.
Sports Medicine Professor Wins MacArthur Award
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According to the September 21 announcement, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago recognized Guskiewicz for his research advancing the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sports-related brain injuries. Guskiewicz told the Associated Press that he wants to use some of the grant money to develop rehabilitation plans for athletes and soldiers who suffer concussions.
Guskiewicz helped write concussion guidelines that are now recommended by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Football League, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the American College of Sports Medicine.
Guskiewicz works with retired NFL players to document the high correlation between those who have suffered multiple concussions in their careers and the early onset of neurodegenerative changes like depression and dementia following their retirement from sport.
“Concussion is a very complex injury. Managing this injury effectively is sort of like piecing together a puzzle, ” said Guskiewicz.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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