PRESS RELEASE - for Embargo until Feb. 3  

Debate The Need for "Female-Specific Concussion Protocol” 

New York, NY – On March 30, 2023, the international nongovernmental organization, PINK Concussions will host top international brain injury experts in Dublin, Ireland, to debate whether it is time for Female-Specific Concussion Management Protocol in sports.

This ground-breaking 12th PINK Concussions Summit will be held during the IBIA 14th World Congress on Brain Injury, organized in partnership with Acquired Brain Injury Ireland at the Convention Centre Dublin from 4-5:30 PM GMT. 

Founder and Executive Director of PINK Concussions, Katherine Snedaker will moderate this event where top medical experts will debate the changes needed to level the playing field for female athletes.

1. Should there be "Female-Specific Concussion Management Protocol” in sports?

2. Should women’s sports teams have to equal access to medical care on the field/pitch as men’s teams? 

3. Should women's sports teams consider modifications in "rule-specific engagement" based on current concussion research?

“For over a decade, PINK Concussions has been advocating for recognition of sex differences in brain injury mechanisms, symptoms, and recovery trajectories to support practitioners in delivering individualized medical care,” said Katherine Snedaker, LCSW, PINK Concussions, “We believe a debate on a female-focused concussion protocol in sport will highlight the updated medical training needed on sex differences in brain injury. This is essential as brain injury is not identical in women and men.” 

Back in 2012, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine issued a position statement stating that “in sports with similar rules female athletes sustain more concussions than their male counterparts. In addition, female athletes experience or report a higher number and severity of symptoms as well as a longer duration of recovery than male athletes in several studies." Research over the last decade has continued to support these findings yet there has been no change in the protocol and care for female athletes.

“World-wide research into female concussion continues to support and strengthen the view that females suffer an increased incidence of concussion compared to males in contact sport. Their symptoms also appear to be more persistent and cognitive defecits more pronounced than males,” said Dr. Marshall Garrett MbChB, L/RAMC, MEWI, MIDF, University of Glasgow School of Medicine, “World Sporting bodies need to acknowledge this difference and make provision for female specific assessment and recovery protocols.”

And while this event focuses on women athletes, PINK Concussions believes the impact will also be broad reaching to girls in youth sports as well as women with brain injuries from accidents, domestic violence, and military service.  

Top world experts participating include:

From the UK

• Willie Stewart MBChB, PhD, DipFMS, FRCPath, FRCP Edin, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

• Dr Marshall Garrett MbChB, L/RAMC, MEWI, MIDF, University of Glasgow School of Medicine

From USA

• Katherine Snedaker, LCSW PINK Concussions

• Abigail C. Bretzin, PhD, ATC University of Michigan

• Christopher C. Giza, M.D. Mattel Children’s Hospital, UCLA

• Christina L. Master, MD, FAAP, CAQSM, FACSM, FAMSSM University of Pennsylvania USA - Perelman School of Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 

From Germany

• Prof. Dr. med. Inga Katharina Koerte Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Harvard Medical School (HMS)

For tickets and press passes for this debate only, please fill out this form bit.ly/pinkdebate 

To register for the four day IBIA conference, https://braininjurycongress.org 

For speaker bios and more information https://www.pinkconcussions.org  

Social Media @PINKconcussions @I_B_I_A 

Event hashtag #pinkTBI 

Contact

Katherine Snedaker, Executive Director, PINK Concussions Katherine@PINKconcussions.org

Aoife Lucey, Communications & Engagement Manager, Acquired Brain Injury at Ireland Alucey@abiireland.ie for media queries in Ireland 

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PINK Concussions is the first international nongovernmental organization to focus on female brain injury including concussions from sport, domestic violence, accidents or military service. Based in the USA, Canada, and the UK, PINK Concussions’ mission is to educate the general public as well as civilian and military medical professionals on the sex and gender differences in female brain injury to improve the pre-injury education and post-injury care/support for women and girls. https://www.pinkconcussions.org

The 14th World Congress on Brain Injury will be held March 29-April 1, 2023, at the Convention Centre Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland. Organized by the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA), the World Congress on Brain Injury is the largest gathering of international professionals working in the field of brain injury. The World Congress is being held in partnership with Acquired Brain Injury Ireland. To register for the conference, see https://braininjurycongress.org

Hosted by PINK Concussions

PINK X Opening Event

Join our event to hear our panel of interns as well as Keynote Speaker Anna Bowers for incredible stories of recovery.

Also in the event, Cristabelle Braden, an award-winning singer/songwriter, speaker, writer, podcast host, and advocate for brain injury will perform at the end of the night.

Cara Ferber, the Advocacy and Policy Director of PINK Concussions, will host and moderate the panel. The mission of PINK perfectly aligns with her goals to advocate for health equity, civil rights, and progressive reform. She is dedicated to increasing awareness, diagnosis, pioneering research, and progressive, holistic treatment of brain injury of women.

Cara has presented at the International World Brain Injury Congress in Toronto, Federal Interagency Conference on TBI in DC, Mount Sinai and Columbia University in NY. She was honored with the Victory Award in 2020 by the Brain Injury Association of NY for her impact and accomplishments with PINK Concussions.

PANELISTS:

Panelist #1:

SAMANTHA

Hometown: Palmer, Massachusetts

Age: 23 (College Graduate)

Description:

Samantha Lukaskiewicz is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. There she received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Samantha sustained her first concussion at the age of fourteen while cheering for her high school competitive team. She got her second concussion at the age of sixteen and her most recent at the age of twenty after slipping on an icy sidewalk in front of her college dorm. After Samantha’s first brain injury she switched high schools in order to receive the proper academic accommodations she needed during her recovery. Feel free to ask Samantha questions about self-advocacy, living with a TBI, coping with school, and the mental health aspect of dealing with a TBI.

Panelist #2:

SAMMI

Hometown: New York, New York

Age: 17 (High School Student)

Description:

Sammi Stern is a high school student at Columbia Grammar Preparatory School in New York City. Sammi is a soccer goalie who has been playing competitive soccer since she was five years old. She has sustained three concussions from playing sports while in middle school. Sammi has had to navigate returning to school after each of her concussions as well as experiencing the pressures associated with recovering quickly as an athlete. During her recovery, Sammi worked very hard during physical therapy to ease her way back into soccer, which she is still able to play today. Feel free to ask Sammi questions about playing sports after experiencing a TBI, handling the stigmas associated with concussions in sports and physical therapy for TBIs!

Panelist #3:

AVELINE

Hometown: San Diego, California

Age: 20 (college student)

Description:

Aveline Langmead is a college student studying biological sciences at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Aveline has sustained three serious concussions over the span of five years. She grew up playing competitive soccer where she experienced her first two brain injuries and received her third serious concussion playing Division I college soccer. With this third injury, Aveline had to make the decision with the help of her doctors to medically retire from college sports. With her most recent injury taking over a year and a half to recover, Aveline knows all about the post-concussive syndrome and its accompanying symptoms. Feel free to ask Aveline anything related to dealing with a TBI and school, sports, transitioning out of sports, handling friendships, and post-concussive syndrome!

Panelist #4:

CALI

Hometown: Cheshire, Connecticut

Age: 20 (college student) 

Description:

Cali Lonardelli is a college student in a Dual-Degree, Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Quinnipiac University. Cali grew up in gymnastics and pole-vaulting. She sustained a serious injury while pole-vaulting, landing on her head on the track. Amidst this recovery, she was hit in the head with a lacrosse ball. Unfortunately, Cali missed her senior year of high school due to injury and had to decide to retire from both pole-vaulting and gymnastics. Cali is driven to raise awareness about diabetes insipidus and neuroendocrine disorder after experiencing a traumatic brain injury, and the relationship between RED-S/underfueling and injury risk in athletes.

Enter Our Raffle for the chance to win a PINK Concussions Sweatshirt

Each entry is $2

PayPal link below

The IBIA World Congress is the largest gathering of international professionals working in the field of brain injury.

Pink Concussions is very honored to have our next conference as a post-conference day during IBIA. On Sunday, April 2, an expert faculty will address a broad range of issues specific to female brain injury, and will provide cutting edge research and training for medical providers while stimulating conversation and collaboration among researchers working in the field. For more info, click here

We plan to have a table again this year for this amazing event on Capital Hill with national brain injury organizers and lawmakers.    

Katherine was been invited to present a workshop with Dr. Alex Donaldson, Australia.