MCW concussion expert wins GE & NFL Head Health Challenge Award
A team of researchers led by Michael McCrea, Ph.D., professor of neurosurgery and director of brain injury research at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), have been named winners of a major research grant from the General Electric (GE) and the National Football League (NFL) Head Health Challenge 1, which is awarding up to $10 million in total awards. The MCW team will receive a $500,000 award to advance their work to accelerate the diagnosis and improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injury. This award is in addition to $300,000 previously awarded to Dr. McCrea and his team in the first round of the Head Health Challenge I.
Head Health Challenge is funded by GE and the NFL. The two entities founded the Head Health Challenge to improve the safety of athletes, members of the military, and society overall by supporting research into the diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion.
“Using the most advanced MRI scanning technology, we are determining the direct effects of sport-related concussion on brain structure and function,” said Dr. McCrea. “Given the incredibly complex nature of concussion, the aim of our study is to advance the discovery of more objective biomarkers to assist in diagnosing injury, measuring when an athlete’s brain has fully recovered, and determining when the athlete is fit to return to play after a concussion.”
Alan Gilbert, director health policy, government and community strategy for GE healthymagination, said, “We are truly impressed by the quality of the work and the measurable progress being made by these winning organizations. There are a number of breakthrough ideas that are advancing our understanding of the brain and have applications not only on the playing field but also extend to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.”
Jeff Miller, NFL senior vice president of health and safety policy said, “It’s exciting to witness the breakthroughs accomplished by the winners. Their efforts will truly advance the science around brain injury. We look forward to continuing to support this work and benefiting not only football and other sports, but society more broadly.”
Launched in March 2013, the Head Health Challenge is part of the Head Health Initiative, a four-year, $60 million collaboration between GE and the NFL to speed diagnosis and improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injury. The initiative includes a four-year, $40 million research and development program from the NFL and GE to evaluate and develop next generation imaging technologies to improve diagnosis that would allow for targeting treatment therapy for patients with mild traumatic brain injury.
About the Medical College of Wisconsin
The Medical College of Wisconsin is the state’s only private medical school and health sciences graduate school. Founded in 1893, it is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, and 26 medical students are enrolled at MCW-Green Bay. A regional medical education campus is scheduled to open in Central Wisconsin in 2016. MCW’s School of Pharmacy will open in 2017 or 2018 with an initial class size of 60 students. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In FY 2013-14, faculty received approximately $154 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes, of which approximately $138 million is for research. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 2,000 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,350 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 425,000 patients annually.
