{"id":32447,"date":"2019-10-17T14:06:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T18:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=32447"},"modified":"2024-07-02T17:12:42","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T17:12:42","slug":"concussion-care-on-the-front-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=32447","title":{"rendered":"Concussion care on the front lines"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>A current multidisciplinary initiative led by Carolina&#8217;s Jason Mihalik is tracking neurological function in elite warfighters.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Concussion care on the front lines\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5VDzlZbLtUo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>In August 2008, high school athlete Matthew Gfeller sustained a fatal traumatic brain injury during his first varsity football game. One year later, Matthew\u2019s family and friends turned their grief into hope by funding the creation of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n<p>Established in 2010, the Gfeller Center has received more than $12 million in funding for studies that run the gamut of concussion research. World-class faculty, including founding director Kevin Guskiewicz, now interim chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, and co-director Jason Mihalik, associate professor of exercise and sport science in the College of Arts &amp; Sciences, are leading the way in this field of research and discovery. Their findings impact the lives of our country\u2019s elite warfighters and athletes in the state of North Carolina and beyond.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-32452\" src=\"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2019\/10\/THBT_Primary_Logo\" alt=\"Tar Heel Bus Tour logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/>A current multidisciplinary initiative led by Mihalik \u2014 in partnership with U.S. Army Special Operations Command \u2014 is tracking neurological function in elite warfighters. Special Operations Forces soldiers complete a series of tests, including neurocognition, balance, vision and sensory performance, blood biomarkers and neuroimaging. These tests are repeated following brain injuries and at various points throughout their career to determine the effects of blast exposures and military environments on long-term neurological health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve recently added elements of human performance to these tests,\u201d noted Mihalik. \u201cThese soldiers are asked to do a lot, and we wanted to make sure we\u2019re tracking them well throughout their careers and lifespans. By repeating the same measures years later on the same people, we are able to identify who is changing or deteriorating and intervene appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mihalik has tested almost 400 soldiers to date, and the study, supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, is expanding to other Special Operations Forces populations, including a pilot project with 3rd Special Forces Groups (Airborne) at Fort Bragg.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is humbling to watch the growth of the Gfeller Center from two faculty and two Ph.D. students to an organization that is home to 30 world-class faculty, staff, postdoctoral research associates, graduate students and undergraduate research fellows \u2014 all working together in a diverse and inclusive scientific environment,\u201d added Mihalik. \u201cNone of our work would be possible without strong support from our federal, foundation, industry partners and, most importantly, the individual philanthropists who support the Gfeller Center\u2019s ongoing mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><span class=\"author-name\">Story by Angela Harwood, UNC Development. Video by Johnny Andrews, University Communications<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A current multidisciplinary initiative led by Carolina&#8217;s Jason Mihalik is tracking neurological function in elite warfighters. In August 2008, high school athlete Matthew Gfeller sustained a fatal traumatic brain injury during his first varsity football game. One year later, Matthew\u2019s family and friends turned their grief into hope by funding the creation of the Matthew 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