NFL

NFL AT Pilot Grant Program

Posted on October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Yuri Hosokawa, MAT, ATC, Director of Communication, Director of Education

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Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut is proud to announce our role in the NFL Athletic Trainer Grant Pilot Program, which is open for applications from October 19, 2016 through December 16, 2016.

As part of the Play Smart. Play Safe. campaign the NFL pledged on September 14, 2016, the NFL is heading up a pilot grant program in four states – Arizona, Illinois, Oklahoma and Oregon. Up to 150 public high schools across the four pilot states will be awarded a $35,000 grant over the course of a 3-year period to assist with securing athletic trainer (AT) services.

School administrators, or their designee, may apply if their school meets the following criteria:

A public high school with an interscholastic football program in Arizona, Illinois, Oklahoma or Oregon.
Minimal or no current athletic training program. Minimal is defined as care provided by an athletic trainer only for football games or competitions played at home.

As NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated in his letter, “… we know that having an athletic trainer on the sidelines at a high school game can be pivotal for how health and safety issues are handled. But many of our nation’s schools lack the resources to pay for one. Accordingly, we plan to expand the size of our athletic trainer program, funding additional athletic trainers for high schools that need them. Our long-term goal is to raise awareness about the important role athletic trainers can play in high school athletics.”

KSI will lead the administration of the NFL Athletic Trainer Pilot Grant Program as well as conduct research on the program’s impact, specifically the impact of athletic trainers on student athlete health outcomes. We hope that by bringing our expertise to this program, we can assist not only the schools who may hire ATs for the first time in their school history, but also to serve as the support system for the ATs who are accepting jobs in these schools in order to develop successful and sustainable athletic training programs across the nation.

To find out more about the pilot grant program, visit: www.athletictrainergrant.com.

#AT4ALL

5th Annual Korey Stringer Institute Gala and Fundraiser

Posted on May 10, 2016May 9, 2016 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Alicia Pike, Assistant Director of Youth Sport Safety

The 5^th Annual Korey Stringer Institute Gala and Fundraiser was held this past Thursday evening, May 5^th, at the NFL Headquarters. Every year we are in awe of the immense support received from colleagues, friends, and family, and this year’s Gala was no exception. The night started by greeting guests and catching up with those who traveled near and far to attend the event, but this was not just a night for socializing. After welcoming remarks from Jeff Miller, Senior Vice President of Health and Safety Policy for the NFL, guests got to hear from James Gould, Chairman of the advisory board for the Korey Stringer Institute, Jeff Seemann, Vice President for Research at the University of Connecticut, and Kelci Stringer, Founder and Spokesperson of KSI. All emphasized the impact that KSI has had on spreading knowledge and advocacy to prevent sudden death in athletes, soldiers, and laborers both locally and nationally.

We are able to achieve this mission through the immense support of passionate, motivated people, especially our corporate partners, many of whom were in attendance. It was an exciting night for the KSI staff, as two announcements were made that will undoubtedly maximize the potential for research opportunities and more. Josh Shaw, Founder and CEO of Mission Athletecare, proudly announced the building of a state of the art heat chamber and performance lab on UConn’s campus. To add to the exciting news, Scott Sailor, President of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), announced an established partnership between the NATA and KSI, which will result in collaborative research efforts and opportunities.

This was also a night of recognition. Every year, KSI acknowledges three leaders in the realms of research, service, and education who have had a significant impact on health and safety for athletes and the physically active. The 2016 KSI Lifesaving Research Award was awarded to Frederick Mueller, former Director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research. Through his research, he reduced the number of football fatalities and catastrophic injuries in high school and college sports. Rachael Oats, Associate Executive Director of the NATA, received the 2016 KSI Lifesaving Service Award. In addition to being a key advocate for KSI, Rachael has been involved in a vast number of projects and meetings, served on countless committees, and has volunteered hours of her time to advance health and safety initiatives and promote the prevention of sudden death in sport and physical activity. The final award, KSI Lifesaving Education Award, was presented to Lawrence Armstrong, distinguished professor in the Department of Kinesiology at UConn and President of the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Armstrong has dedicated years to teaching and research, primarily focused on the effects of dehydration on cognitive functioning and exercise performance, as well as factors impacting thermoregulation and physiological strain.

It was another unforgettable night spent with colleagues, friends, and family who all share and support the same passion for preventing sudden death in the physically active. To those who traveled to attend, some traveling across the country to show support, we cannot thank you enough. It is your continued encouragement, advocacy and support that allow KSI to grow, thrive and save lives.

Inaugural Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Meeting

Posted on March 30, 2015September 14, 2021 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Alicia Pike, Assistant Director of Youth Sport Safety

On March 26th and 27th, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) in conjunction with the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) and the National Football League (NFL) hosted the very first “Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport” meeting at the NFL Headquarters in New York, NY. This meeting was made possible by the lead sponsors, NATA and AMSSM. Corporate sponsorship was provided by MISSION Athletecare, Jones & Bartlett Learning, PRIVIT, and Camelback, and supported by KSI and NFL organizations.

We know from years of research that many of the deaths that occur in sport are preventable if best practices for prevention and management are in place. Therefore, the goal of this meeting was to bring together the state high school association leaders and sports medicine advisory committee members and the National Federation of State High School Associations to discuss development and implementation of best practice policies for safety in sport. We are excited to have had representation from all 50 states in one room for this meeting, and provided opportunities for key decision-makers to review and enhance safety policies currently in place in their respective states to reduce risk of sudden death in high school sports.

Chris Valletta, co-founder of MISSION Athletecare kicked off the meeting with the keynote. The remainder of this first day involved emphasis on best practices and policy implementation for heat-related illness and cardiac events. Dr. Douglas Casa, Chief Operating Officer of KSI, spoke about the importance of policies including heat acclimatization and wet-bulb globe temperature monitoring that should be in place at every high school, as well as proper recognition (via a rectal thermometer) and treatment (ice water immersion bath) of heat-related illnesses. Regarding cardiac events, Dr. Jonathan Drezner, team physician for the University of Washington and Seattle Seahawks, spoke about the absolute necessity of having AED’s readily available at all high schools and competition/practice locations, as well as the importance of regularly practicing emergency action plans and performing monthly checks of AED batteries and pads to ensure they are ready to use in case of an emergency cardiac situation.

The second day began with a keynote address from Dr. Brian Hainline, Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA. Following his speech, Ron Courson, Athletic Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Georgia spoke about emergency action plans and when properly implemented, practiced, and executed, can ultimately save the life of an athlete. To close out the meeting, Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, Director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center in UNC Chapel Hill, spoke about head injuries, including concussions, and the policies that should be in place at every school to protect the health and safety of the student-athletes. Guskiewicz brought home the idea that “This is not an injury that can be managed by a clock, calendar, or cookbook.” Head injuries should be treated on an individual basis, and policies need to be implemented to ensure the athlete is not returning to sport before he/she is physically and cognitively ready.

The meeting was an absolute success for being the first time in history that the key people from each state were together in one room for the same initiative. Great questions, comments, success stories, as well as struggles were brought up from those in attendance. We each face challenges regarding policy development and implementation, but this could be achieved more quickly if we collaborate and work together. With this meeting, the NATA, AMSSM, KSI, and NFL hope to have instilled in the attendees the knowledge and materials the attendees need to return to their respective states and make change happen; change that will follow best practices, change that will ensure athletes are getting the absolute best medical care they deserve, and change that can save a life. “A 2 millimeter difference can make a mile change.” Are you prepared? Do more than care. Think. Act. Make a change. Save a life.

For more resources and information that were shared at the meeting, please visit: www.SolutionsForAthleteCare.org.