Ontario’s Minister of Sport, the Honourable Neil Lumsden, stopped by the Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to announce his decision to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada (CLFC) for research into Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease linked to repetitive head trauma.
"I am fortunate to have played a high-collision sport for many years without experiencing any negative effects from concussions, but many of my teammates have not been as lucky,” said Lumsden. “With this donation, I hope to support ongoing research that will help protect athletes in the future.”
Lumsden also announced the Ontario Ministry of Sport will be providing up to $52,500 to Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada (CLFC), who is partnering with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) on a research project on traumatic brain injuries.
The project, whose lead investigator will be Jessie Young, an assistant professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a scientist at CAMH, will identify patterns and risk factors associated with sports-related traumatic brain injury, as well as its impact on mental health.
“The findings will be critical in shaping future prevention and intervention strategies for athletes and youth involved in sports,” said Young, who specializes in psychiatric epidemiology with leading expertise in data linkage methodology.
Professor Gretchen Kerr, dean of U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), was on hand to welcome Lumsden, Young and Tim Fleiszer, the first player in Canadian Football League history to win four Grey Cup championships with four different teams, currently serving as the executive director of the CLFC.
“U of T is home to one of the first comprehensive programs in the country dedicated to concussion surveillance, prevention and treatment among student athletes, so it seems fitting to host this event on the Varsity Stadium,” said Kerr.
The Concussion Research Program at KPE was established in 1999 by researchers and clinicians, whose unique expertise into concussions and athletics has been adding to the body of knowledge on concussions, and helping to inform policy around return-to-play protocols and concussion prevention.
“Our Faculty – and university - are proud champions of concussion research and education, as well as concussion treatment and management through institutions like the David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, housed in the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport,” said Kerr.
The clinic, which also serves as a teaching centre for staff and students, has been treating sport-related injuries in the U of T community, including concussions, for over 80 years.