UND Center for Rural Health to host virtual concussion symposium on Sept. 15
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The 4th annual Virtual Concussion Symposium will be held online on Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. (CST). The symposium is free to attend and registration is now open.
Presentations at this year's symposium include new concussion research, trends, practice strategies, and collaborative models of care from a diverse group of experts in the field of brain injury. The symposium is facilitated by the North Dakota Brain Injury Network (NDBIN) at the University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health (CRH).
This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Chris Nowinski, CEO and co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF). Dr. Nowinski is also a social entrepreneur leading a global conversation on concussions, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and the future of sports. An All-Ivy Harvard football player-turned WWE professional wrestler-turned neuroscientist, he discovered the concussion crisis the hard way.
A 2003 kick to the chin in a WWE match ended his career, causing Post-Concussion Syndrome and sending him to the office of his eventual CLF co-founder Dr. Robert Cantu. This is when Dr. Nowinski was first exposed to medical research that revealed to him that concussions and brain trauma were misunderstood in the sports world. He earned his doctorate in behavioral neuroscience from Boston University School of Medicine and has authored more than 30 scientific publications. Today he serves as an outreach, recruitment, education, and public policy leader for Boston University’s CTE Center.
Dr. Nowinski gave a TED Talk about his journey titled “Can I have your brain? The quest for truth on concussions and CTE,” and in 2006, he wrote the investigative book Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis. Sports Illustrated has said, “It is Nowinski's figure which looms behind the doctors and the headlines and the debate roiling over sports' newfound commitment to minimizing head trauma."
Sessions at the symposium include presentations on CTE, brain injury and homelessness, concussion clinical management, and a North Dakota screening update. Register and find out more information on the 2023 Virtual Concussion Symposium.
“We are just starting to understand the lasting effects concussions can have on our brains, so working to share the research, treatments, and innovative efforts of people who specialize in the area of brain injury is important," added Rebecca Quinn, associate director for CRH and program director for NDBIN. "Survivors of brain injury, caregivers, family, friends, educators, therapists, and medical professionals will all benefit from the educational sessions of the symposium.”
Continuing education hours are available in these fields: licensed addiction counseling, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, social work, and speech-language pathology.
About the North Dakota Brain Injury NetworkThe North Dakota Brain Injury Network is funded by a contract with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services to provide information and support to individuals with brain injury and family members and to assist them with navigating the service system. The NDBIN program office is located at the Center for Rural Health within the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences.
About the Center for Rural HealthEstablished in 1980 at the University of North Dakota, the Center for Rural Health is one of the nation’s most experienced rural health organizations. It has developed a full complement of programs to assist researchers, educators, policymakers, healthcare providers, and most important, rural residents to address changing rural environments by identifying and researching rural health issues, analyzing health policy, strengthening local capabilities, developing community-based alternatives, and advocating for rural concerns. For more information, visit RuralHealth.und.edu.
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Jena Pierce, BACommunications Manager
Center for Rural Health, UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.4205 direct | 701.777-3848 main
jena.pierce@UND.edu