North Carolina Scientist Wins MacArthur Genius Award

This feels like a win for everyone in North Carolina, and for everyone who loves an individual with traumatic brain injury (TBI):

Kevin Guskiewicz, Ph.D., works at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center. Through is research, he has made strides in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sports-related concussions. According to an article in the News & Observer, Dr. Guskiewicz, 45, said he wants to use some of the grant money to develop rehabilitation plans for athletes and soldiers who suffer concussions. The foundation noted Guskiewicz’s combination of laboratory and in-the-field investigations to further his research.

Based on the idea that balance and posture can help to evaluate concussions objectively, his diagnosis and rehabilitation system uses a symptom checklist as well as an inexpensive device made of foam and a stopwatch. According to an article in The New York Times:

Acknowledging that his work has the potential to save lives, Mr. Guskiewicz said he was still “floored, surprised and honored, all at the same time,” by the MacArthur grant.

Congratulations, Dr. Guskiewicz!
To read the full article in The New York Times, click here:  MacArthur Foundation Selects 22 ‘Geniuses’

To read the full article in the News & Observer, click here:  http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/20/1503230/macarthur-foundation-reveals-2011.html#ixzz1YVMuEd1h