Heads in the Game: A STEM High School Concussion Outreach and Research Program

Participation in youth sports has a demonstrable impact on a young person's health, virtues, and educational success. Growing concerns about the impact of concussions on student athletes has driven a decrease in sports participation. Mississippi faces unique challenges in providing access to education and health care in impoverished and medically underserved communities. The Heads in the Game outreach and research program was developed to motivate STEM education and empower students through their love of sports. Sixteen rising junior and senior scholars participated in a month-long program where they attended seminars on coding methodologies, biomedical and computer engineering, health and sports performance, concussion protocols and impact detection devices, applications in telemedicine, and principles and practices of scientific research methods. Heads in the Game scholars used the skills gained in order to perform research in student athlete healthcare. Scholars conducted interviews with athletic trainers, medical professionals, and coaches, and applied the skills learned in the seminars towards the development of a program for an improved athletics digital health information infrastructure. We objectively report the results of the student outreach process, seminars, research methods, research accomplishments, and how the scholars have applied what they learned in their communities. We also describe future plans for augmenting the developed curriculum with rural telemedicine and NASA's Human Research Program.