Mac Parkman Foundation for Adolescent Concussive Trauma Inc

The Mac Parkman Foundation has taken the lead in promoting research, studies, and awareness about the risks of children playing contact sports and the associated damage to their brain and mental illnesses that can result. With partnerships across the country with CTE, Neurology, Family Foundations and leading research centers like Boston University Center for CTE and the Mt. Sanai Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research CoRE, the Mac Parkman has supported numerous studies to demonstrate that our children are being harmed by early participation in contact sports. Although a connection has been made between sub-concussive trauma/CTE and repeated head injuries (RHI), and the impact these have on the athlete's mental health, this type of research is still in its infancy. The current focus on CTE and concussions doesn’t include the impact of repeated head injuries which most parents feel to be harmless but are suffered every time our kids put on a helmet, head a ball, make a tackle, hit the ice or mat. Additionally, this focus is solely on adults and ignores the population most vulnerable and impacted by RHI and sub-concussive trauma – Our Children. The lack of focus on sub-concussive trauma/RHI has resulted in a knowledge gap surrounding the long-term impact of sports-related concussive and sub-concussive trauma to the adolescent brain effecting parents, coaches, athletic trainers, and medical professionals.

Our organization will continue to fund research around the impact on adolescents in the areas of CTE and brain damage as we help develop protocols for diagnosing Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES) as well as studies around early identification/intervention of adolescents with mental illness and brain studies. Until more is known, the best approach is more research, greater awareness, and prevention.

We will continue to create greater awareness around sub-concussive trauma/RHI and how these injuries impact our children with overexposure. There are millions who are living with mental illness, it is a constant battle every day of their lives; we need to ensure this stops happening for today’s children and future generations, but also provide coverage for those who are suffering now.

We will also lead efforts to establish and implement best practices in concussion and sub-concussive/RHI protocols. We aim to create a centralized community of trust for parents, coaches, athletes, and athletic trainers to learn about the risks of concussions and sub-concussive/RHI related trauma, encouraging open dialogue so treatments and preventative measures can be set up and utilized to ensure proper healing and a safer return to play. Compile a list of the best practices and create a safe and informative path forward for all involved.

Most importantly we are pushing for a safer environment of play for children in sports, proper evaluation and treatment protocols, and to educate coaches on how to identify and respond properly to head injuries.

The best strategies we can use are more research, greater awareness, and prevention.

- Between 1.7 and 3 million sports and recreation-related concussions happen each year. Around 300,000 of those are from football. 5 in 10 concussions go unreported or undetected. 2 in 10 high school athletes who play contact sports — including soccer and lacrosse — will get a concussion this year.
- 40% of people diagnosed with a concussion will experience mental health issues.
- A child athlete can experience up to 1,500 sub-concussive hits in a single season

As we work to learn more about sub-concussive trauma/repeated head injuries (RHI) and the impact on our children's mental health, we share what we do know so we can spread awareness and educate the community - parents, coaches, doctors, and trainers on sub-concussive trauma and its links to mental illness. Our efforts focus on funding research that will further show that concussive and sub-concussive trauma is detrimental to a young developing brain. Leveraging our message and community growth The Mac Parkman Foundation has gotten the attention of media. From national news outlets and podcasts to local news and radio the community recognizes the importance of this critical issue.

We are focused on ensuring that this information is available to all families, regardless of the communities they are located within, with a specific focus on underserved and underrepresented communities who are sometimes the last to learn best practices or treatment protocols that will help and protect children from within the community. To support safer environments of play, our organization will work with partners like Project Play to create safe leagues where children play for free and provide training for coaches and sports trainers at no cost to ensure they have best practices in identification, treatment and prevention methods.

The Mac Parkman Foundation has taken the lead in promoting research, studies, and awareness about the risks of children playing contact sports and the associated damage to their brain and mental illnesses that can result. With partnerships across the country with CTE, Neurology, Family Foundations and leading research centers like Boston University Center for CTE and the Mt. Sanai Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research CoRE, the Mac Parkman has supported numerous studies to demonstrate that our children are being harmed by early participation in contact sports. This is not something we can tackle alone...we encourage and seek partnerships that help us meet the goals we have established.

Our organization has the right staffing and partnerships to accomplish what we are setting out to do. A mix of digital resources in combination with on-site trainings in partnership with key organizations within their communities helps to disperse information and training for coaches and medical professionals. An annual conference allows us to reach out to medical professionals from around the country who can share best practices and learn treatments and protocols.

Up until now there has been minimal research specifically on the impact of contact sports on a young brain, but there has been substantial research on Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) in children and adults. It is logical to extrapolate the research done and apply that to a developing brain which research indicates is more susceptible to trauma. We believe the damage is magnified in children due to their brain’s underdeveloped state. Impacts to a developing brain have been proven to increase both the damage and the possibility of mental illness in adults, but this has not yet been studies in children. If exposure to concussive trauma is sufficient to damage an adult brain, we can only imagine the damage that can be done to a child whose brain is still developing.

From 2021, we have conducted analysis on existing research studies and started advance studies that will continue to uncover the links between concussive and sub-concussive trauma and mental health surrounding contact sports and young athletes. The initial research was used to publish the first book for parents, teachers, coaches, administrators, schools, athletic directors, medical trainers, kids and athletes of all ages on the science and research behind brain injuries beginning with an understanding of how a child’s brain develops, why it is at such risk of injury, and how these injuries can damage the brain and lead to mental health issues and even suicide. Additional booklets will be published as findings in the advanced studies are uncovered.

The book has been distributed to over 350 individuals around the country, including families and youth sports leagues in and around Sarasota County, Florida. In addition, the organization has outreached to over 10,000 individuals through public speaking events at schools and medical research conferences, and interviews conducted on live television, radio, and articles in the Tampa Bay Times.