Sports Concussion Organized Research Efforts

The SCORE arm of REST technologies brings together various talents and resources that bridge diverse skill sets, to focus on research efforts to improve concussion identification, management and prevention. The TEAM of SCORE was initiated by Jerald H. Simmons, MD, who brought together the diverse group to achieve this goal. This collaboration is not governed by a financial end-product, but rather to achieve new innovations that can enhance the contributors core specialization that they bring to the group. The main realization that Together Each Achieves More is the real meaning of TEAM work. The TEAM of SCORE (otherwise known as the SCORE BOARD) consist of the following members:

• Jerald H. Simmons, M.D. is the Founding-Director of S.C.O.R.E.. He is Triple Board-Certified in Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Medicine. A graduate of Ohio State University, he trained in Neurology at Washington University, Sleep Medicine at Stanford University and Epilepsy at University of California (Davis). He held an Assistant Professor of Neurology position at UCLA co-directing the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center and Clinical Neuro-physiology lab at Olive View UCLA while orchestrating three NIH STTR grants. In 1999 was recruited to Houston to establish a neurology and sleep disorders practices. Most of his focus until recently has relating to sleep disorders and epilepsy, developing methods to enhance the assessment and treatment of patients with these conditions. In 2006 he established Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Associates (CSMA) and through team building, now consists of 4 locations throughout the Greater Houston area and a location in Austin, Tx. Managing patients with concussions has always been part of his practice and handling the sleep disturbances in concussed patients has provided practical insight into the challenges and solutions of post concussive syndromes. Team building has always been a natural tendency for Dr. Simmons. Naturally, when becoming more involved with sports concussion he established key relationships which led to the development of S.C.O.R.E. with the mission of tackling monumental aspects of concussion identification, pathology and, most importantly, prevention.

 

• Harry Kesasidis, MD, Medical Director of Pure Recovery California and the Center for Neuroscience at CalvertHeath, is one of few elite neurologists in the world specializing in the impairment of cognitive and emotional performance resulting from concussions. He completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology, with focus on cognitive evoked potentials, QEEG, and sleep medicine after his medical and neurology residency training at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He founded the XLNTbrain Sport concussion program after 25 years of clinically treating TBI and studying the changes of the electrophysiology of the brain as it relates to behavior, cognitive, and emotional function resulting from various brain trauma, including concussions. Kerasidis has treated thousands of concussion injuries and has interpreted over 30,000 QEEGs throughout his career. Dr. Kerasidis has authored the book Concussionology: Redefining Sport Concussion Management for All Levels. A highly sought-after cognitive neurologist, he has helped patients with a variety of cognitive and behavioral disorders including cognitive impairment due to stroke, sleep deprivation, attention deficit disorder, dementia, and traumatic brain injury.

 

• Robert Lowry, MD is a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation specialist and Medical Director of The Concussion Center in San Antonio. He was initially trained as a general surgeon, before doing fellowships in Hand and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He has over 20 years' experience in San Antonio as a boxing, ringside physician, for both professional ranks and USA boxing teams. He has been named a Hall of Famer (physician) with the Golden Gloves boxing club and has become well known in the boxing community throughout South Texas. This has allowed him to develop key relationships within the boxing community with athletes, promoters, coaches, and Texas state boxing officials that has positioned him to be able to initiate and coordinate this unique opportunity to study concussion in boxers for the S.C.O.R.E. team. Dr. Lowry also holds a Masters Degree in Neurophysiology from Cal State (Long Beach), and while in medical school at George Washington University, he developed two computer-based Neuroanatomy Atlas programs for teaching Neuroanatomy to medical students. His practice mainly consists of diagnosing and treating patients with concussive injuries, including head & Neck as well as whole-body concussive events that occur in military explosions. His group takes a multi-specialty approach to the treatment of concussions and post-concussive syndrome, developing a unique individual program of treatment for each patient. He has obtained support from the boxing community to participate in this monumental endeavor that will shed light on concussion pathology and prevention.

 

• Gerald J. Maher, D.M.D., F.A.H.N.P. has practiced dentistry for more than 30 years, specializing in TMJ and Facial Pain and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Facial Pain. He received his D.M.D. from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 1973. Dr. Maher has been the team dentist for the New England Patriots since 1979 and was a judge for over 20 years for the Massachusetts Boxing Commission. In these capacities, he recognized the significance of TMJ positioning and stability in the propensity for concussions. With this knowledge, he developed a sports mouth guard that provided protection for athletes, lowering the likelihood of a concussion from an traumatic impact to the head. He has outfitted athletes with his dental appliance with a recognized reduction in concussions. A retrospective study that demonstrate this benefit was published in Dental Traumatology in 2008. Dr. Maher has lectured on the subject of concussions for over two decades in national and international forums, to audiences that include, the NFL Concussion Committee and the NHL Concussion Committee. He is an active member of multiple organizations which includes the American Academy of Sports Medicine. With his experience as a boxing judge, advisor to several committees on concussion and the developer of a mouth guard that reduces concussion risk, he is a significant contributor to the S.C.O.R.E. board.

 

• Sal Rodas, MBA has had a long history with involvement within the field of sports concussions. Having been in the US military, he saw first hand the effects of head trauma. Currently he is the Chief Product Officer for SleepArchiTx™ , the Executive Director for the Foundation for Airway Health and sits on the board of the Sleep Education Consortium. Mr. Rodas has over 15 years of professional senior level experience. Throughout his career, Mr. Rodas has led and collaborated on research projects designed to determine the efficacy of oral devices to address medical and dental conditions. In 2006, Mr. Rodas began a research project to determine the role of oral devices to reduce or mitigate minor traumatic brain injuries in athletes and service members. His efforts resulted in presentations to the NFL Concussion Committee, the International Olympic Committee, the Acamedy of Sports Dentistry and a peer-reviewed study. Mr. Rodas also served as an advisory board member to an international appliance manufacturer that was responsible for outfitting over 200 professional and Olympic athletes with dental appliances designed to improve performance and potentially reduce concussions. Before assuming duties at the Foundation for Airway Health, Mr. Rodas was the Chief Strategic Officer of a sleep diagnostics company. Previously, he led operations, sales, marketing and service efforts as the Chief Operations Officer for Space Maintainers Lab, an international organization with offices in the United States and abroad that serve the needs of dentists and orthodontists worldwide. During his tenure at Space Maintainers Lab, Sal presided over the SMILE Foundation – the educational division of the company – organizing seminars nationwide with leading lecturers in the dental community. Mr. Rodas has designed and developed a wearable sensor that embeds into dental appliances to monitor head position that has applications related to sports concussions. Mr. Rodas earned his MBA from Babson College, a Bachelor of Information Technology and served as a US Marine. His experience fits into helping meet the objectives of the SCORE team.

 

• Timothy E. Van Meter, PhD will lend his expertise in molecular biochemistry and biomarker assay development to the SCORE initiative. Dr Van Meter is currently Head of Research and Development for the Program in Neurological Diseases at a successful biotech company based in Richmond, Virginia. His expertise as a scientist includes assay design and all stages of development for molecular diagnostic tests, as well as technical and bioinformatics analysis. Previously, he has worked as a an academic faculty member at several institutions, teaching and pursuing translational research in cancer and the neurosciences. He has authored numerous publications in these areas and has been awarded numerous grants for his research. With 20 years of experience in immunoassays, genomics, bioinformatics and biomarker research, he will draw on this expertise to contribute to the SCORE objectives.