DATE: 3:30 p.m. April 5

PLACE: Main auditorium in SPH II at the University of Michigan School of Public Health

EVENT: Former Michigan football head coach Lloyd Carr will keynote “Play Smart: Injury Prevention On and Off the Field,” a symposium that coincides with National Public Health Week April 4-10. The theme of the week is “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury Free.” In addition to Carr, Jeff Kutcher, director of Michigan Neurosport, will address the clinical impact of brain injuries, and David Sleet, associate director of the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will discuss brain and recreational injuries at the population level, and how the CDC is addressing the issue. Carr believes that the publicity surrounding traumatic brain injuries in professional sports affords the perfect opportunity to educate administrators, coaches and parents at all playing levels about athletic injury prevention. He says that safety has improved significantly, but more must be done. Equipment improvements, proper training of coaches and limiting playing time and the number of games, are just a few of the areas that can be addressed, he says.

In February, Steven Threet, a former player of Carr’s for one season before transferring, chose to quit football after getting his fourth concussion over the course of several years. A source told ESPN.com that a fifth concussion could have left Threet permanently debilitated. None of those concussions occurred at U-M.

“The real issue is to protect the people who play the game,” Carr said. “That’s our number one responsibility. I think we know there is a major challenge in front of us in football and in some other sports.”

REGISTRATION: It is requested that all attendees including media register at www.sph.umich.edu/scr/playsmart

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Panelists will be available to answer questions about the topic after the event. Reporters planning to attend should contact Laura Bailey at (734) 764-1552 or (734) 647-1848 or [email protected].

SPONSOR: U-M School of Public Health & Injury Prevention Center.