UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program & Neuromuscular Research Lab
From September 2018 till my graduation from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2020, I researched with the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Research Program (PI: Dr. Anthony Kontos). I have spent time in the research lab, both developing and answering key questions about concussions, but have also spent many hours in the clinic learning how neuropsychologists, physical therapists, and physicians treat this complex injury. From my time shadowing I've learned that the care concussion patients receive is truly a team effort and that each healthcare provider brings a different skill-set to the table designed to benefit the patients in unique ways.
Since joining the UPMC Concussion lab, I've utilized existing clinical data to investigate topics in the field such as determining how patient recovery timelines are influenced by how long the patients wait before coming into the clinic following a concussion. This work was ultimately published in the Journal of Neurosurgery - Pediatrics in April of 2020.
Additionally, in collaboration with the Neuromuscular Research Lab (NMRL), I worked with a PhD student to plan a study, called the PACER study, to investigate how a newly devised aerobic exertion test for clearance from concussion injuries compares to currently used evaluation methods. The goal of this new test was to make it easier for athletes to get cleared by their school healthcare staff in schools where treadmills may not be readily accessible. Unfortunately, progress of this study was halted due to shutdowns imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.