Headfirst: A Concussion Podcast

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Dr. Allyssa Memmini, PhD, LAT, ATC, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences at the University of New Mexico and an internationally recognised researcher in concussion management. Her work has focused on improving recovery pathways for individuals with concussion, particularly university students and performing artists—groups that have historically lacked evidence-based return-to-activity guidelines. During her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan Concussion Center, she developed one of the first structured Return-to-Learn protocols specifically designed for post-secondary students, helping universities better support students' safe return to academic participation following concussion.

01:22 – Journey into Athletic Training and Concussion Research 
04:40 - What is a concussion?
6:45 - Difficulties in assessing and diagnosing concussion in collegiate/ university athletes
07:50 – Barriers & Difficulties in Assessing Students and Athletes for Concussion
12:10 - What’s the Return-to-Learn Process Look Like 
21:20 – Concussion in Preforming Arts 
24:50 – Concussion in Sport
29:40 – Return-to-Learn in Preforming Arts
33:20 – Favourite Moments in Sport/ Work
35:45 – Where to Find and Support Dr Memmini
 
Assistant Professor Allyssa Memmini 
https://coehs.unm.edu/faculty-staff/profiles/memmini-allyssa.html
 
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=m1a6H_QAAAAJ&hl=en
 
Twitter: @first concussion
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Dr. John J. Leddy is a primary care sports medicine physician with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and Professor of Clinical Orthopaedics at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He serves as the Medical Director of the University at Buffalo Concussion Management Clinic, where he has played a leading role in advancing the clinical assessment and management of concussion. In collaboration with Dr. Barry Willer, Dr. Leddy co-developed the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test (BCTT), a validated exercise tolerance assessment that has become an internationally recognised tool for guiding safe, individualised return-to-activity protocols following concussion. His work has significantly influenced contemporary concussion rehabilitation by challenging the traditional recommendation of prolonged rest and supporting the use of carefully prescribed sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise as an evidence-based treatment strategy.
Dr. Leddy's contributions to sports medicine and concussion research have been recognised through numerous prestigious awards, including the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine's Best Overall Research Award and the 2022 Stockton Kimball Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement and Service from the University at Buffalo. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, with his research receiving over 20,000 citations, reflecting his substantial impact on the scientific understanding and clinical management of concussion worldwide. His body of work continues to inform international clinical guidelines and best-practice approaches to concussion diagnosis, rehabilitation, and return-to-sport decision-making.
 
 
 
01:30 - Journey into Medicine, Concussion research and Introduction to Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test
11:20 – Shifting From ‘Cocooning to Exercise’ Induced Recovery 
19:25 - Differences Between the Treadmill and Bike Test
25:30 – Completing Exertion Testing Without Heart Rate Monitor 
30:25 – Full Return-to-Play 
35:50 – ‘Myth Around Concussion/ Evolving Research’
40:20 – Supporting and Where to Find Professor John Leddy

Professor John Leddy 
https://www.buffalo.edu/news/experts/john-leddy-faculty-expert-concussions.html
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Leddy-3
 
 
Twitter: @first concussion
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Dr Bridie O'Donnell is a valedictorian graduate of the University of Queensland Medical School who paused her medical career to become one of Australia's most accomplished cyclists. A multiple-time Australian National Time Trial Champion, she represented Australia on the international stage for more than a decade, racing for the national team in Europe and competing at three UCI Road World Championships as well as the Commonwealth Games. In 2016, at the age of 41, she made cycling history by setting the UCI Women's Hour World Record, covering 46.882 kilometres at the Adelaide Super-Drome. Beyond competition, Dr O'Donnell has become one of Australia's most influential voices in sport—as a leading advocate for women in cycling and high-performance sport, a broadcasting pioneer who became the first woman to commentate the Tour de France for SBS, and the author of Life and Death: A Cycling Memoir. She has also served in senior leadership roles in sport, including as Head of Sport at the Victorian Institute of Sport and Chair of the independent review into Australian cycling.
 
01:30 – Journey into Medicine and Professional Cycling 
04:30 – Mentality of Entering as Older Athlete
07:00 – Approaching Professionalism 
10:10 – Reconciling Injury form Athlete vs Doctor Point of Views
16:30 – Functioning on Low Caloric Intake
18:40 – Tour de France, Current Cycling HIA Protocol’s, Addressing Cycling Injuries 
27:40 – Course Surfaces and Selection, 
32:30 – Power Imbalances and Women in Sports
39:45 – Dr O’Donnell UCI Record 
42:30 - Favourite Moments From her Career
   
Dr Bridie O'Donnell
@bridie_od
Book: Life and Death: Bridie O'Donnell: a Cycling Memoir

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Professor Doherty holds the Ellen Mayston Bates Chair in Neurology at Trinity College Dublin's School of Medicine and serves as a Consultant Neurologist in the Epilepsy Service at St James's Hospital. He is also a Principal Investigator at the Research Ireland FutureNeuro Centre, one of Ireland's flagship national research programmes for neurological disease. His research spans brain imaging in epilepsy, mild traumatic brain injury, and neurological disorders, uniquely positioning him to explore the critical intersection between head injuries and seizure disorders.
 

01:30 - Journey into Medicine and Research Epilepsy, Blood Brain Barrier and Concussion
09:00 - Concussion, Sub-Concussive Blow, Repetitive Head Impacts and Epilepsy
17:00 – Epilepsy & Seizures Like Activities During Concussion
28:00 - Blood-Brain Barrier and Concussion
35:00 – How is Blood-Brain Barrier Damaged
44:00 – Multi-disciplinary Groups and How to Make Sport’s We Love Safer 
47:50 - Where to Find Professor Colin Doherty, help support and follow your research?

https://futureneurocentre.ie/breakthroughs/lasting-blood-brain-barrier-damage-linked-to-cognitive-decline-in-retired-athletes/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=1AS5w58AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
 

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Welcome back to Headfirst: A Concussion We are honoured to introduce returning guest Dr Eric Windholz, a leading expert in regulatory theory practice and sports law. Dr. Windholz has made significant contributions to academic literature with numerous publications in esteemed journals and substantial involvement in various books and chapters and currently Associate Professor at Monash University. Dr. Windholz also holds notable roles, including serving on the Editorial Board for the Australia New Zealand Sports Law Journal and as a Committee Member for the Law Institute of Victoria Sports Law Committee. Join us as Dr. Windholz explores complex topics such as athlete coverage, workers' compensation in sports, and clarifies the differences between class actions and individual lawsuits.
 
Episode 28 - Sports Law and Concussion
Episode 49 – Australian Sports Commission Concussion Updates, Navigating Workers Compensation and Concussion in Sports 
Episode 96 - Class Actions, AFL Concussion Claims and the Legal Fallout
 
 
01:35 - The more things change, the more they stay the same ... 
05:30 - Class action update
11:50 – Class Action Litigation vs Individual Trial 
14:50 - Technology updates - Helmets
23:18 – Zurich Health Insurance and Angus Brayshaw 
28:06 – Aiden O'Driscoll from Western Bulldogs  
35:30 - Adrain Whitehead; Carlton Player Who Got Workers Compensation
 
Dr Eric Windholz
Journal: Professional athletes and injury insurance: A better way forward
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1037969X251337131
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7n5Zr5sAAAAJ&hl=en 
X/Twitter: @ELWindholz
 
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Twitter: @first concussion
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Email: headfirstconcussion@gmail.com