Julianne Schmidt laughs when she describes the journey that led her to concussion research. She did her honors thesis on the ankle, her master’s thesis on the spine, and “just kept moving up” until she got to the head.
Now, as co-director of both the UGA Concussion Research Laboratory and the Biomechanics Laboratory, Schmidt works to better understand and improve brain health for college athletes. Using sensors to capture the frequency, magnitude, and location of head impacts during games, she builds on work that began with youth ice hockey during her master’s program and now extends to college football. Her lab also puts that research into action by providing post-concussion testing as a service to UGA Athletics.
“We’re seeing a huge shift in the concussion field where we’re being more proactive about treatment methods and working toward the goal of better athlete brain health.”
