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[Buddhahead]

Obama Vs. Concussions: Why The White House Made Head Injuries A Presidential Issue in Forbes Pharma and Healthcare, Dan Diamond, 5/29/2014

Excerpts:
"There are many reasons why President Obama might have decided to host the first-ever White House summit on concussions. He’s a sports fan. He’s a parent.

And he’s a lifelong athlete who likely had a couple concussions of his own, Obama acknowledged on Thursday. (An admission that I don’t believe he’s made before.)"

“When I was young and played football briefly, there were a couple of times where I’m sure that that ringing sensation in my head and the need to sit down for a while might have been a mild concussion,” the president said at Thursday’s White House Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit.

“At the time you didn’t think anything of it. [And] the awareness is improved today, but not by much.”

The presidential summit brings together sports officials, researchers, parents, and athletes. And the day is packed with a mix of activities. In the morning, Obama gave his most extensive remarks yet on concussions; in the afternoon, the president will participate in drills with local youth athletes. FOX Sports reporter Pam Oliver—who suffered her own high-profile concussion—will moderate a panel with General Ray Odierno, the Army’s chief of staff. Academics will be on hand to discuss their latest findings.

As Sean Gregory writes at TIME, it’s unclear exactly how much the summit will actually accomplish—although it’s already served to boost awareness and gin up more research dollars.

The president announced a $30 million joint study between the NCAA and the Pentagon that purports to be “the most comprehensive clinical study of concussion and head impact exposure ever conducted.” The NFL and NIH have announced significant new research efforts, too."

"At Thursday’s summit, Obama stressed that while many young athletes experience head injuries, the sheer volume of concussions remains little-understood. “The fact is, we don’t have solid numbers, and that tells me that at every level we’re all still trying to fully grasp what’s going on with this issue,” he said.

But the president shared his hope that by finding out more data on head injuries, and changing awareness, more youth athletes will ultimately be protected.

According to Obama, “we have to change a culture that says ‘you suck it up’” and try to play through head injuries.

“It doesn’t make you weak” to admit that you’ve had a concussion, the president added. “It means you’re strong.”

Article at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/05/29/obama-vs-concussions-why-the-white-house-made-head-injuries-a-presidential-issue/?ss=pharma