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RESEARCH CENTERS
College centers improve human health through innovative research
Center for Sport Concussion Research and Service The Center for Sport Concussion Research and Service is a multidisciplinary research and service center that examines residual cognitive and motor abnormalities in patients suffering from concussion. “The Center for Sport Concussion Research and Service is currently home to one of the leading facilities focused on traumatic brain injuries in athletics,” said Center Director Semyon Slobounov. “This center is unique because 3D virtual reality is incorporated with brain imaging research to examine the alteration of brain functions and structures in concussed individuals.”
Research Highlight: Preventing and Treating Concussions
Center for Health Care and Policy Research The mission of the Center for Health Care and Policy Research (CHCPR) is to create and disseminate new scientific knowledge that will help private and public decision-makers to develop cost-effective services and programs that improve people’s health. “Health and health care in the United States are heavily influenced by federal and state policy decisions, such as Medicare, Medicaid, drug and device approval, and insurance requirements,” said Center Director Dennis Scanlon. “CHCPR specializes in understanding how policy impacts health and its researchers’ work to study the impact of policy on health outcomes and to understand how policy can best be shaped to maximize the health of populations and the value for dollars spent.”
Research Highlight: Improving Health Care The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded funding to CHCPR to lead an independent evaluation of the Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative, a $300 million effort to improve the overall quality of health care, reduce racial and ethnic disparities, and provide models for national reform. CHCPR has highlighted lessons learned from the work of AF4Q for policymakers and others who seek to improve health and health care quality. CHCPR has also provided inferences about the effect of AF4Q through the data collected and continued indepth analysis. In upcoming publications, CHCPR will further address initiatives identified by AF4Q.
The center has identified residual brain dysfunctions that were missing in clinical practice dealing with concussive injuries in athletics. This research project utilized advanced neuroimaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG) in conjunction with advanced technologies, such as motion tracking and virtual reality. Research funded by Spartan, Inc. is focusing on the effect of brain cooling on neurocognitive and metabolic functions in athletes suffering from concussive injuries. This research may potentially provide a solid foundation for treatment of concussion both in acute and chronic phases of injury. Another area of research is focused on quantification of collision in full-contact sports and its effect on brain functions. Athletes at risk for concussive blows underwent MRI, neuropsychological and blood biomarkers screening prior to full contact practices and games. The same screening protocol will be implemented at the end of the athletic season to determine the effect of multiple blows on basic brain functions.