Partnership to Study Concussions

The Geisinger Orthopaedic Institute, Division of Sports Medicine, has designated Bloomsburg University (BU) of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Concussion Research and Service as its standard of care to assist in determining when a student athlete who is diagnosed with a concussion can safely return to the playing field.

Geisinger Sports Medicine physicians will rely on BU to provide additional assessment results, ” said Joseph Hazzard, Ed.D., director of both the institute and BU’s clinical athletic training program. “These results will enhance their clinical decision making ability, especially as it relates to return-to-play.”

According to the participants in the agreement, the partnership not only provides a high level of care for local student athletes, but it also gives students enrolled in BU’s graduate-level clinical athletic training program hands-on experience conducting assessments in the institute’s lab, located in Centennial Hall. BU is one of 30 institutions nationwide selected to participate in the NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium.

“This agreement will further the understanding of sports-related concussions, ” said BU President David L. Soltz, Ph.D. “The designation is another example of the strong partnership between Bloomsburg University and the Geisinger Health System.”

The staff at BU’s Institute for Concussion Research and Service defines the organization as a collaboration between interdisciplinary faculty and students working to better understand concussions. The institute has two main goals: to give medical professionals a better understanding of concussions, symptoms and their outcomes, and to provide a service to the medical community that will assist in making better return-to-play decisions.