University joins nationwide concussion study

Temple Athletics, the neuroscience department and kinesiology department will take part in a $30 million initiative started in 2014 by the NCAA and Department of Defense.

Temple will be part of the largest study of concussions in sport, according to a university press release on Wednesday.

In May 2014, the NCAA and Department of Defense announced a $30 million initiative to enhance the safety of athletes. It is managed by the Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium centered at Indiana University Bloomington.

The university is one of 30 institutions participating in the study and one of nine schools joining the study this year. Temple will join the University of Michigan in the Longitudinal Clinical Study Core section of the research project, focusing on the history of NCAA student-athlete concussions.

“We are thrilled to be one of the schools chosen to take part in the CARE Consortium’s concussion study,” Athletics Director Pat Kraft said in a university released statement. “The safety of our student-athletes is our number one priority. So we take pride in being part of this study, which should help not just Temple student-athletes, but student-athletes around the country.”

The study, which is “a prospective, multi-institution clinical research protocol,” according to the release, will combine the efforts of Temple Athletics, the neuroscience department and kinesiology department.

Ryan Tierney, an associate professor of kinesiology, and T. Dianne Langford, associate professor of neuroscience, are the co-principal investigators for the study.

“This unique collaboration between academics and athletics is a testament to the growing strength of concussion research across Temple and the importance of conducting research across disciplines to address this timely topic in comprehensive and innovative ways,” said Michele Masucci, vice president of research administration, in a university released statement.

Baseline concussion screening for all Temple student-athletes will begin this summer, Tierney said in a university-released statement.

Owen McCue can be reached at owen.mccue@temple.edu or on Twitter @Owen_McCue.

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