ATSU Sport Related Concussion Research

What is the ATSU Concussion Program?

The ATSU Concussion Program is under the direction of Tamara Valovich McLeod, PhD, ATC. Dr. McLeod is a Professor in the Athletic Training Program at A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona. She received her bachelor's degree in sports medicine from Mercyhurst College and her Master of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado. Dr. McLeod completed her doctor of philosophy degree in education with an emphasis in sports medicine from the University of Virginia. She is the director of the ASHS Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory and the Athletic Training Practice Based Research Network, and her research has focused on the pediatric athlete with respect to sport-related concussion.

Dr. McLeod was a contributing author for the NATA Position Statement on the Management of Sport Related Concussion and is on the writing team for the update to that statement. She was a consultant and contributing author on the Appropriate Medical Coverage for Secondary School-Aged Athletes and chaired the writing group for the NATA's pediatric overuse injury position statement. Dr. McLeod serves as a Section Editor for The Journal of Athletic Training, and on the editorial board for The Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, Athletic Training and Sports Health Care. Dr. McLeod is a reviewer for numerous journals, publishes frequently in the athletic training and sports medicine journals, and is a Fellow of the National Athletic Trainers' Association.

AIA Concussion Education for Athletes

in 2011, the Arizona Interscholastic Association implemented a concussion education program for all athletes participating in athletics. Completion of this program is required prior to participation in AIA sanctioned events.

For more information, watch the press conference announcing the Brainbook program.




Research

We are excited to be involved with several research studies to better understand sport related concussion in the young athlete.

The Effects of Headache on Health-Related Quality of Life in Following Sport-Related Concussion.
Funded by the National Headache Foundation. March 2009-June 2010

The goal of this project is to assess the headache-related quality of life and to collect "sport injury impact" narratives from adolescents with sport-related concussion, identify the meanings they attribute to that concussion, and qualitatively determine the effects of concussion and headache on their HRQOL.

The effect of sport-related concussion on cognition, balance, symptoms and health-related quality of life in adolescent athletes.
Funded by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE). February 2010-June 2012.

This project aims to: 1) assess the immediate and prolonged effects of concussion on HRQOL in adolescent athletes, 2) asses the relationship between the measures of impairment (cognition, balance and symptoms) and disability (HRQOL), 3) compare the effect of sport related concussion and musculoskeletal injury on HRQOL in adolescent athletes within the first 10 days post-injury and 4) collect "sport concussion impact" narratives from adolescents with sport related concussion, identify the meanings they attribute to that concussion, and qualitatively determine the affects of concussion on their HRQOL.

Evaluating the Influence of Concussion Education on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Regarding Concussion among Youth Athletes, Coaches, and Parents.
Funded by the National Operating Committee on Standard s for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE). February 2012.

The aim of this project is to to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding concussion among a group of youth athletes, parents, and coaches and to evaluate the effectiveness of two pre-season educational interventions on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding concussion among these same individuals.



Concussion Education

Dr. McLeod is available to present sport-concussion information to youth sports organizations, schools, and clubs. She has spoken nationally and internationally on pediatric sport related concussion issues and can direct presentations to athletes, parents, coaches, school administrators, and healthcare providers.

Contact Us

Tamara C. Valovich McLeod, PhD, ATC, FNATA
John P. Wood, D.O., Endowed Chair for Sports Medicine

Professor, Athletic Training Program
Director, Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory
Director, Secondary School Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network
Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Arizona School of Health Sciences
A.T. Still University
5850 E. Still Circle
Mesa, AZ 85206
(PH) 480-219-6035
(FX) 480-219-6100
tmcleod@atsu.edu
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Concussion Studies

1. Normative data using the Pediatric ImPACT program

2. Concussion education for youth sports teams ages 8-14

3. Health-Related Quality of Life Following Sport Related Concussion

ATSU Partners with Barrow

ATSU has partnered with the internationally known Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Ariz., in their Barrow Concussion Network. The network is the most comprehensive concussion prevention, treatment, and education program for young athletes in the nation.

Under the leadership of Barrow physicians and the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA), the network will include mandatory concussion education, voluntary pre-injury baseline testing, post-injury medical resources to all AIA schools and provide groundbreaking research on injured Arizona students. ATSU joins other network partners, the Arizona Cardinals and AIA. Learn more...