concussions – Joanne C. Gerstner

September 2, 2014

So what’s new?

Other than a new job, a new car, half a book done, and Roger Federer wearing Air Jordans?

• I am happy to finally tell the world that I have joined the amazing faculty at Michigan State University’s School of Journalism, as their “Sports Journalist in Residence”. It’s a lovely opportunity for me to teach and mentor their sports journalism students, help create new opportunities to expand their offerings, and at the same time, continue my work as a sports journalist and book author. I can bring what I do for places such as the New York Times and teamusa.org into the classroom. I think it is a great fit for MSU and myself, and I am excited to grow and learn from the students and faculty in the School of Journalism.

• The book is coming along nicely, and I will be able to share more about it when it is…finished! Nov. 1…I promise.

• I am involved in helping organize a panel for South by Southwest 2015, and I would humbly ask if you could please vote for it.

I am part of a group, along with sports neurologist Dr. Jeff Kutcher andformer NFL player Ben Utecht, that has submitted a panel discussion proposal about sports and concussions for the 2015 SXSW festival.

The name of our panel is: “Does playing sports = brain damage?”

We want raise awareness about the topic, spur intelligent and medically/scientifically-based discussion, and foster greater understanding about a critically important subject.

How can you help? Please vote for us! The more votes/comments we get, the better chance we have at making the very competitive program.

Voting is easy:
1) Go to http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/32127 to see our proposal.
2) To vote, head to the sign in link in the upper right hand corner of the page.
3) Do the quick sign-up to gain voting access, or if you have voted in SXSW panel pickers before, you can use your previous login/password.
4) Look for the search/vote tab, click on it, and please enter “Does playing sports = brain damage” in the search field. (Or you can search by our last names, or panel number 32127 to find us.)
5) You’re now on our voting page!
6) Register your thumbs up vote, and PLEASE leave a comment why you think this is great topic/we’re great, etc. The comments + a vote show interest.

Until next time, I will be the girl furiously typing away in the corner.

Namaste.

November 5, 2013November 5, 2013

A new approach…

Been answering a lot of reader email (and if I have not gotten back to you yet, I am working on it – 500-plus to get through!) regarding my story in The New York Times on Michigan and Michigan State having neurologists on their football sidelines.

A few things I wanted to add/discuss, because as always, a writer never has enough space 🙂

– Drs. Kaufman (MSU) and Kutcher (UM) are not just for the football program. They see all the athletes at their universities. There are 900 at Michigan, and 800 at Michigan State, and a lot of the other sports, such as wrestling, basketball, volleyball, etc. can lead to concussions too.

– Some readers have questioned if the Drs. are really allowed to make their own diagnoses, even it it means taking a star player out of action. From what I was told by everybody, from the athletic directors, coaches, to the neurologists, the process seems clean. If somebody is hurt, they’re not going back in. The brain is more precious than a game.

– Why don’t more schools do this? Every athletic program has their own protocols, so just because they don’t have a neurologist on the sideline does not mean they aren’t taking care of their players. A lot use referrals out to neurologists from their primary care docs.

October 11, 2013

Thanks to WKAR…

I taped an interview appearance this week, as a guest on “Current Sports” with host Al Martin, for WKAR (the PBS station at Michigan State). I was honored to discuss concussions and other things, and I especially loved the questions from the studio audience. Live TV?!? Yikes! But the students in the audience were kind and I made it out alive. Thanks to everybody at WKAR and Michigan State.

February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

Simply put: don’t bang your head

I’ve been immersed, for as much as a non-neurologist can be, in the world of concussions and athletes. At a conference in Big Sky, Montana, listening and learning from some of the best docs on what we know – and sadly, the long list of things we do not know.

The brain is so complicated. It would be so nice to have a simple way to diagnose and treat this issue. Yes or no answers. No maybes or what ifs. It would be great to have a way to prevent it from ever happening. But the basic truth is this: some people will play in the NFL and be fine. Others will get hurt in high school and can have side effects for a long time. Science and medicine do not know why yet. The fear that is spreading among parents and athletes is approaching detectable levels by these medical professionals.

Fear is not good. Will science and medicine be able to trump the worries with evidence and more knowledge? Time will tell, and I hope to tell that story as it develops.