ISSUED: 20 February 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Common Reading program will delve into strategies to minimize sports concussions during a panel discussion on Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium. A Concussion Discussion: Minimizing Safety Risks for Student Athletes is free and open to the public and will explore how to make student athletes aware of the risks associated with various sports, concussion protocols for players who are injured during a game, the latest enhancements in training and equipment, and what equipment improvements are on the horizon.
The panelists will be Dr. Ryan Sprouse, team physician for Shepherd Athletics and assistant clinical professor with the WVU School of Medicine; Kevin Lynott is a former Shepherd All-American football player who coached 25 seasons of high school football in Frederick County, Maryland, and currently works with USA Football teaching safety protocols to players and coaches around the country; Jenny Miller, Shepherd head women’s lacrosse coach; and Nyc Duncan, who administers baseline standardized concussion testing and provides progress monitoring for injured athletes in Shepherd’s athletic program, working closely with local orthopedic and general medical professionals to refer players for treatment. Jay Menke, visiting assistant professor of biology, will moderate the discussion.
This year’s Common Reading book is “Concussion” by Jean Marie Laskas, the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the former Allegheny County Coroner’s Office pathologist who made the discovery of CTE in a retired Pittsburgh Steelers football player, setting off a nationwide discussion of how playing the game impacts brain function.
For more information, visit https://www.shepherd.edu/commonreading.
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