Steven Broglio (left) of the School of Kinesiology and kinesiology student Griffin Feinberg discuss football impact biomechanics and how they relate to brain function. Each arrow indicates a head impact. Image credit: Scott Soderberg, Michigan Photography

ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan Biosciences Initiative has awarded $5.6 million in funding to the School of Kinesiology to create a comprehensive concussion center.

The Michigan Concussion Center will use a multidisciplinary approach to answer fundamental questions about concussion prevention, identification, diagnosis, management and outcomes. The School of Kinesiology will have dedicated space for the center in its new building, which will be completed in fall 2020.

“Our school is the perfect home for the Michigan Concussion Center because we exist at the intersection of science, business and sport,” said School of Kinesiology Dean Lori Ploutz-Snyder. “Our faculty also ‘speak the language’ of this initiative, because they work with everyone from medical professionals to executives to athletes to researchers. They’re training our students in these skills, as well.”

Steven Broglio, professor of athletic training and one of the country’s foremost concussion researchers, will lead the center. Other center leadership includes:

• J.T. Eckner, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the U-M Medical School, who will direct the Research Core.
• Andrea Almeida, assistant professor of neurology at the U-M Medical School, who will co-direct the Clinical Core.
• Matthew Lorincz, associate professor of neurology at the U-M Medical School, who will co-direct the Clinical Core.
• Kristina Ko, senior director of federal relations for research at the U-M Office of Research, who will direct the Outreach & Translation Core.

Broglio and his team will leverage U-M’s unique strengths and resources to build the center.

“The university has a long history of research excellence, and I’m looking forward to bringing together forward-thinking faculty and staff to move the needle on concussion research,” Broglio said. “I believe the center will contribute important findings to the national and international concussion discussion.”

In a true cross-campus collaborative effort, U-M faculty specializing in biomechanics, fluid biomarkers, neuroimaging, acute and persistent injury outcomes, sport business and biostatistics will lend their expertise to the center, including School of Kinesiology sport management professors Mark Rosentraub, Stefan Szymanski and Rod Fort.

Although the link between sport business and concussion research may not be immediately apparent, “the assessment of economic loss due to injury has a long history in sports economics,” Fort said. “The extension to concussions can aid in the evaluation of benefits and costs of treatment. In addition, the analysis of the relationship between players and leagues is insightful as they deal with concussion policy.”

More information:

• Steven Broglio
• School of Kinesiology