Second Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium held

UK experts meet to discuss progress in sports concussion research.

One year on from the First Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium, media attention and public concern regarding concussion and its potential long-term effects remain high. Today, experts from across the UK are coming together to share their progress from the last 12 months and continue to strengthen research collaborations.

This Thursday sees experts from across the country come together for the Second Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium. Held at Wembley Stadium (London, UK), the event has been jointly organised and sponsored by not-for-profit The Drake Foundation, in partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and The Football Association (FA).

Speakers on the day include representatives from both the RFU and FA, in addition to representatives from the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Institute of Sport and Exercise Health. Once these sporting representatives have set the scene at the start of the day, experts at the forefront of concussion research will present their latest research projects in areas including biomarker identification, imaging and the short- and long-term effects of concussion.

The day will also include two panel discussions, bringing together a number of experts to debate current understanding and best practice in acute diagnosis and management as well as potential long-term consequences of concussion.

The organisers of today’s event hope it will serve to build the foundations laid last year for better collaborations within the UK concussion research network.

Hannah Wilson, Programme Manager at The Drake Foundation, explained: “It’s fantastic to see so many UK-based leaders come together again for this research symposium. I look forward to seeing how research collaborations have developed over the past year and the progress being made in this fast-moving field.”

Simon Kemp, Chief Medical Officer at the RFU, said: “The First Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium led to new collaborations between researchers and UK sports. I look forward to hearing more detail about key projects and sharing research ideas and solution-based approaches.”

The FA’s Head of Medicine, Charlotte Cowie, said: “The FA has benefitted enormously from the research expertise that came together in the First UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium. Our relationship with The Drake Foundation and the RFU has also been of great support in helping to develop further collaborative links to strengthen our research strategy. At this Second Symposium we look forward to sharing the significant progress we have made since last year and to hearing further from other sports for whom head injury is a key issue in player health. The calibre of attendees will be high and we expect, as before, an inspiring insight into the many excellent projects that are emerging in this area in the UK. We also hope again to create an open collaborative atmosphere in which further ideas, partnerships and projects will be fostered.”

Updates will be available throughout the day by following #UKSCR17 on Twitter.