USOPC and Lakeshore Foundation Support Concussion Research
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, August 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a significant leap forward for athlete health and safety, researchers from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), along with a multinational group of experts, are developing a first-of-its-kind concussion assessment tool specifically designed for athletes with disabilities.
Spearheaded by Dr. Eric Post, manager of sports medicine research at the USOPC, and Dr. Travis Anderson, manager of research and innovation at U.S. Soccer, the initiative addresses a critical gap in sports medicine: the lack of validated concussion assessment tools tailored for athletes with disabilities. While tools like the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT6) are commonly used across professional and amateur sports, none had been adapted or validated for wheelchair athletes—until now.
Thanks to early funding from Lakeshore Foundation’s Sport Science and Performance Center (SSPC), the USOPC research team assembled a multidisciplinary and international group of diverse expertise to create the Para SCAT6-Wheelchair (Para SCAT6-WC), a customized version of the standard SCAT6.
“The early-stage support from Lakeshore was instrumental,” said Dr. Post. “It provided the credibility and momentum we needed to scale the work and bring more partners into the fold.”
That momentum translated into a $300,000 research grant awarded in late 2023 by the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) to Dr. Post and Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, Chief Medical Officer for the USOPC Department of Sports Medicine. With this additional support, the team recently convened a two-day summit of internationally recognized leaders in concussion, neuropsychology, and adaptive sport to further refine the tool.
Following expert review, the team will begin an expansive data collection phase—including test-retest reliability measures and broader validation across multiple adaptive sports.
“This work is about more than just diagnostics,” said Dr. Anderson. “It’s about equity. It’s about making sure Paralympic and adaptive athletes receive the same gold-standard care and protections as every elite athlete.”
Looking ahead, the USOPC team is preparing several abstracts for upcoming sports medicine conferences and aims to establish the Para SCAT6-WC as a global standard in concussion care for adaptive sport.
The USOPC remains committed to driving innovation that ensures athlete well-being across all disciplines—and this project exemplifies what’s possible when sport science and equity intersect.
About Us
The Lakeshore SSPC supports cutting-edge research to optimize performance, health, and safety for athletes with physical disabilities. Through funding, mentorship, and collaborative partnerships, the SSPC accelerates innovation in adaptive sport science to improve outcomes for athletes across the country.
With roots dating back to 1925, Lakeshore Foundation, a Birmingham, Ala. nonprofit organization, has emerged as a world leader in health promotion, research, fitness, recreation, sports, and advocacy for people with a disability, veterans, seniors and parasport activities. As a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, Lakeshore is home to the Lakeshore National Adapted Sports Organization (LNASO) which serves as the National Governing Body for USA Wheelchair Rugby, US Para Powerlifting and Boccia United States. For more information on Lakeshore Foundation, visit www.lakeshore.org.
Spearheaded by Dr. Eric Post, manager of sports medicine research at the USOPC, and Dr. Travis Anderson, manager of research and innovation at U.S. Soccer, the initiative addresses a critical gap in sports medicine: the lack of validated concussion assessment tools tailored for athletes with disabilities. While tools like the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT6) are commonly used across professional and amateur sports, none had been adapted or validated for wheelchair athletes—until now.
Thanks to early funding from Lakeshore Foundation’s Sport Science and Performance Center (SSPC), the USOPC research team assembled a multidisciplinary and international group of diverse expertise to create the Para SCAT6-Wheelchair (Para SCAT6-WC), a customized version of the standard SCAT6.
“The early-stage support from Lakeshore was instrumental,” said Dr. Post. “It provided the credibility and momentum we needed to scale the work and bring more partners into the fold.”
That momentum translated into a $300,000 research grant awarded in late 2023 by the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) to Dr. Post and Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, Chief Medical Officer for the USOPC Department of Sports Medicine. With this additional support, the team recently convened a two-day summit of internationally recognized leaders in concussion, neuropsychology, and adaptive sport to further refine the tool.
Following expert review, the team will begin an expansive data collection phase—including test-retest reliability measures and broader validation across multiple adaptive sports.
“This work is about more than just diagnostics,” said Dr. Anderson. “It’s about equity. It’s about making sure Paralympic and adaptive athletes receive the same gold-standard care and protections as every elite athlete.”
Looking ahead, the USOPC team is preparing several abstracts for upcoming sports medicine conferences and aims to establish the Para SCAT6-WC as a global standard in concussion care for adaptive sport.
The USOPC remains committed to driving innovation that ensures athlete well-being across all disciplines—and this project exemplifies what’s possible when sport science and equity intersect.
About Us
The Lakeshore SSPC supports cutting-edge research to optimize performance, health, and safety for athletes with physical disabilities. Through funding, mentorship, and collaborative partnerships, the SSPC accelerates innovation in adaptive sport science to improve outcomes for athletes across the country.
With roots dating back to 1925, Lakeshore Foundation, a Birmingham, Ala. nonprofit organization, has emerged as a world leader in health promotion, research, fitness, recreation, sports, and advocacy for people with a disability, veterans, seniors and parasport activities. As a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, Lakeshore is home to the Lakeshore National Adapted Sports Organization (LNASO) which serves as the National Governing Body for USA Wheelchair Rugby, US Para Powerlifting and Boccia United States. For more information on Lakeshore Foundation, visit www.lakeshore.org.
Terry Schrimscher
Lakeshore Foundation
terrys@lakeshore.org
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