University of Connecticut Athletics
Dr. Brian Hainline Visits UConn for Lecture
4/10/2018 12:00:00 AM | General
STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut received a special guest visit from Dr. Brian Hainline, the Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA, last Thursday when he lectured to a crowd of nearly 100 people at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center on campus.
Hainline, the overseer of the NCAA Sport Science Institute, spoke to those in attendance on the topics of concussion research and mental health awareness on his site visit to UConn. The Institute's mission is to promote and develop safety, excellence and wellness in student-athletes across the country.
"As the medical director for the NCAA, (Dr. Hainline) likes to do site visits at as many of the 1,100 member schools as he can," said Dr. Deena Casiero, the Director of Sports Medicine at UConn. "We partnered with InCHIP, a department here on campus to try to get as many people as possible for a collaborative guest lecture."
Casiero has history with Hainline, as she became one of his predecessors as Director of Player Medical Services for the U.S. Open Tennis Championship. He served an instrumental role in helping her get the job and ever since, they have stayed in touch.
"He is certainly one of my mentors in the field of sports medicine," said Casiero. "Between him wanting to do a site visit at UConn and someone he has known for almost 10 years being here, we figured this would be a great opportunity for him to visit."
Concussion and mental health were chosen as the topics due to their prevalence in the world of collegiate athletics. The goal was to inform people about what the NCAA is doing to help, including the research being conducted in those areas to support the overall health and wellness of student-athletes.
Hainline lectured for about an hour, staying another 35 minutes afterward to meet with attendees and field a variety of questions based on his talk.
"(It was) terrific. He hinted at some of the new research coming out that will be released in a few months," said Bob Howard, the Head Athletic Trainer at UConn. "He's a professional who is truly looking out for the student-athlete...that's what we're all trying to do."
When it comes to concussion research and the findings of recent studies as it relates to head trauma, the progress recently, compared to over the past 20 or 30 years, has been exponential, according to Casiero. Over the past five years, there has been a big jump, with more to come in the future.
"One of the big research projects Dr. Hainline talked about is a collaborative effort between the Department of Defense and the NCAA," said Casiero. "Right now they are in the process of doing the biggest concussion study that has ever been performed. We're excited to see what comes out of that data."
NCAA CMO Brian Hainline visited @UConnHuskies today and met with AD David Benedict, Director of Sports Med Dr. Deena Casiero and head athletic trainer Bob Howard, among others. pic.twitter.com/NKiRPJrA9y
-- Sport Science Inst. (@NCAA_SSI) April 5, 2018
On the mental health front, Hainline stressed the need for better resources to cope with such illnesses - not just for student-athletes, but for society as a whole. UConn's resources are second-to-none when it comes to on-campus care.
"We have a phenomenal mental health support system here at UConn. I think we're very lucky compared to other NCAA member institutions," said Casiero. "We want to make sure mental health treatment programs are as available to student-athletes as getting their ankle sprains treated."
When it comes to the topics discussed in Hainline's lecture, Howard echoed the sentiment that UConn has positioned itself in an excellent way when it comes to considering the latest and most informed concussion and mental health research available.
"We are ahead of the curve and on top of that research that is coming out," said Howard. "We're already implementing some of the recommendations that are being made."
Casiero was pleased with the diversity of the audience for the lecture, which consisted of faculty, staff, students, student athletic trainers, team physicians, representation from the mental health department and even some head coaches.
"I was really excited about (the diversity)....Multiple people came up to me afterwards asking if he could come back again and give another lecture soon," said Casiero.
Following the lecture, Hainline met individually with Director of Athletics David Benedict and Howard for one-on-one meetings to get a sense of what those individuals want from the NCAA to assist in terms of medical research and resources.
Prior to serving as the NCAA's Chief Medical Officer, Hainline was CMO at the U.S. Open for 16 years, followed by a stint as CMO of the United States Tennis Association. He has served on the New York State Athletic Commission and the USOC Sports Medicine Committee, while co-authoring a book entitled "Drugs and the Athlete."
"It's learning points both ways," said Howard of his chat with Hainline. "You're seeing what's going on out there, then we can self-reflect on our operation. He also took points from our sit-downs...that's how collaboration works."
