Dr. Brian Hainline is the NCAA’s chief medical officer and oversees the Sport Science Institute.
“No matter what else we focus on, if we don’t take a really well-demonstrated leadership role on concussion, I think everything else will fall on deaf ears,” says Dr. Brian Hainline, the NCAA’s chief medical officer, who oversees the Sport Science Institute. “So concussion[s] did become a big priority. That was in my head 24/7 and really still is.”
The institute has taken a scientific approach to finding a solution, partnering with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on a $30 million study to conduct brain imaging exams on all college athletes at 14 schools before and after sustaining a concussion. Also underway is a systematic search for effective ways to educate coaches and athletes on how to prevent head injuries.
Less predictably, the Sport Science Institute has tackled another problem: mental health. College athletes suffer from the same mental issues as many other college students, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and substance abuse.
“Our vision is [that treatment for] mental health will be accessible to student-athletes, [just] as for an injured ACL or a back sprain,” says Hainline, who is also a neurologist with a background in sports medicine.
Directors of counseling and sports medicine services on campuses hailed the NCAA’s decision to take on mental health issues, for which college students in general appear to be seeking help more often.
“I think it’s definitely significant,” says Dr. Gregory Eells, associate director of Gannett Health Services and director of counseling and psychological services at Cornell University. “I think the burden of being an athlete and a student, together, creates some unique challenges and some unique stressors, for sure.”
