Third Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium

As the Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium enters its third year, experts are coming together to share their progress from the last 12 months and look to the future of concussion research in the UK

This Wednesday sees experts from across the UK come together for the Third Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposium. Held at Twickenham Stadium in London, the event has been jointly organised and sponsored by not-for-profit The Drake Foundation, in partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), The Football Association (FA) and, for the first time, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Speakers on the day include representatives from all three sports, in addition to experts at the forefront of concussion research. Speakers will present their latest research projects in areas including biomarker identification, novel imaging findings and the epidemiology of concussion and its long-term effects.

The day will also include a session focusing on the potential for longitudinal studies in the sports setting, with the aim of encouraging discussion on the advantages and challenges such studies could bring.

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

Hannah Wilson, Programme Manager at The Drake Foundation, explained: “It’s fantastic to see the research symposium continue to evolve each year. I look forward to seeing how research collaborations have developed and the progress being made in this fast-moving field.”

Simon Kemp, Medical Services Director at the RFU, said: “The first two Annual UK Sports Concussion Research Symposia led to new collaborations between researchers and UK sports. I look forward to hearing more detail about the 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 previous UK Sports Concussion Research Symposia. 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 Third 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.”

Nick Peirce, Chief Medical Officer, England and Wales Cricket Board, said: “The ECB and indeed wider cricket community are actively looking to improve the understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of head injuries and most importantly, their prevention. The work of the RFU and The Drake Foundation in driving this forward and pulling together expertise has proved a unique framework for collaboration and advances in this area.”

4Updates will be available throughout the day by following #UKSCR18 on Twitter.