The National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research and Education Foundation, Dallas, recently announced the creation of an endowment to support concussion research. Formed by leading concussion experts Robert Cantu, MD, FACSM, clinical professor of neurosurgery at Boston University Medical Center, and adjunct professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC, FACSM, professor and chair of the Department of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the vision for the endowment is to provide resources for young scholars with expertise in concussions to conduct research. Helmet manufacturer Xenith has agreed to donate in perpetuity $1 for the sale of every X1 football helmet to the Cantu-Guskiewicz Endowment.

The purpose of the endowment is to sustain funding for efforts to bridge the gap between sport concussion research and clinical practice for athletic trainers working with their patients on a daily basis. In order to do so, a $1,000,000 long-term goal has been established for the endowment. Once funded, annual income through the endowment mechanism will allow for ongoing research to be supported perpetually.

Cantu said, “Kevin and I are recognizing a long-held dream of facilitating dedicated research and a deeper scientific understanding of concussions. We are strongly committed to expanding this endowment well into the future with the help of valuable partners such as Xenith.”

Guskiewicz added, “The more we study head injuries, the more we discover about their long-term consequences, particularly in impact sports where concussions are more prevalent.”

Joining with the personal commitments of Cantu and Guskiewicz, Xenith LLC has committed to be a major contributor to the endowment. “We are proud to partner with the NATA Research and Education Foundation,” said Vin Ferrara, founder and CEO of Xenith. “We believe that research is critical to better protect our athletes from the dangers of concussive episodes.”
 
For more information, go to www.natafoundation.org.

[Source: NATA]