Tracey Covassin, Ph.D., ATC, FNATA, FNAK

Dr. Covassin is a Full Professor and licensed athletic trainer in the Department of Kinesiology at Michigan State University. Her research in sport-related concussion includes sex differences in concussion outcomes, epidemiology and risk factors associated with sports-related concussion. Dr. Covassin currently directs a multi-site high school and college sport-concussion outreach program in the Mid-Michigan area. Dr. Covassin has over 150 publications, 200 professional presentations, and has received over 2 million dollars in funding as a principal investigator from external sources including the National Operating Committee of Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), BrainScope, National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Research and Education Foundation, NFL Charities, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2013 she was appointed to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council Sport-Related Concussion in Youth Committee. The committee reviewed current literature on concussions, their causes and the relationship of hits to the head during sport, effectiveness of protective devices and equipment, screening and diagnosis, prevention, management and treatment. The evidence-based report titled “Sport-related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture was released October 2013. Dr. Covassin was invited to the White House for President Obama’s Healthy Kids & Safety Sports Concussion Summit, and has been an invited speaker at the NIH Pediatric Concussion Workshop, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and the Department of Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health. Contact Dr. Covassin at covassin@msu.edu.