Headfirst: A Concussion Podcast

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Dr Francisco Javier López Frías, an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at Utah State University. Trained in philosophy at the University of Valencia, where he earned his PhD in Philosophy, Ethics and Democracy, Javi is internationally recognised for his work on the ethics of sport, particularly doping, human enhancement technologies and the “spirit of sport”.  With more than 100 academic publications and over 1,000 citations, he is one of the leading voices in his field.

02:30 – Journey into Sport, Ethics and Philosophy 

06:00 – Super League Split

09:40 – Ethical Questions in Sport

21:35 – Technology in Sport and ‘Cheating’

38:27 – ‘The Spirit of the Game’ 

51:30 – What Message Enhancements in Sport Send?

105:00 - Dr Francisco Javier López Frías Book

Dr Lopez Frias:

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.is/citations?user=z3_i9-AAAAAJ&hl=en

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Dr Parry is a Principal Academic at Bournemouth University and formerly led the Concussion Legacy Foundation’s UK Media Project. An award-winning writer and educator, he is also a recipient of a UN Day Media Award. His research explores how the media shapes our understanding of sport, from masculinity and rugby culture to the language we use around head injuries.

Today, we’ll explore why the words we use to talk about concussion matter, how the media shapes public attitudes, why athletes still struggle to speak up, and the big question: is all this conversation translating into meaningful change?

01:30 - Dr Parry Journey into Research of Media Representation

03:35 - Why Does Language Around Injurie’s Matter 

10:50 - Does the Media Reflect or Create What Society Thinks About Concussion?

14:50 – Cultures, Complexities and Pressures on Athletes

21:00 – Concussion and Media Fatigue

26:00 – Implementation of Change

28:30 – Look at Effects on Family with Repetitive Head Impacts

34:10 – Organisation and Cultural Lag

40:40 – If We Could Change Few Things What Would It Be

45:10 – Favourite Sporting Moments and Where to Find and Help Support Dr Parry

Dr Keith Parry

https://staffprofiles.bournemouth.ac.uk/display/kdparry

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Dr Moore is the founding Director of England’s National Football Museum, which he built from the ground up over more than twenty years, bringing together world-class collections, including the FIFA Collection. He opened the museum in Preston in 2001 before relocating it to Manchester in 2012, where it attracted over half a million visitors annually. He has advised sports museums internationally and written extensively on football history and museum culture.

His latest book, Heading for Trouble: Football’s Head Impact Crisis – And How We Save the Game, published by Bloomsbury Sport, draws on research and interviews with former players and neurological experts to explore the links between repetitive heading and brain disease, football’s slow response, and how the game can protect its players while preserving everything we love about it.

02:00 - Running a Sports Museum, 

04:24 - Writing a Book on Football & Concussion?

08:00 - How Heading Became Part of the Game 

15:45 – Concussion, CTE & Repetitive Heading Impacts

21:10 – Differences in Men, Women and Children

32:20 – Who Creates the Rules and Changes the Rules

36:40 – Ball Size, New vs Old

41:20 – Personal Views on Changing Rules for the Game 

45:20- Favourite Sporting Moment and Piece of Memorabilia from a Museum 

49:50 - Purchasing the Book and Supporting Dr Kevin Moore’s Work?

Dr Kevin Moore

https://doctorkevinmoore.org

https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/heading-for-trouble-9781399428248/

Audio Book on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1iA6Tpl5kqida5p0VJnZcN?si=32466a2f1b524e1d

Twitter: @first concussion

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Email: [email protected]

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Dr Hardwicke is a Senior Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Nottingham Trent University and a leading UK voice on brain injury in sport. A former competitive cyclist who suffered a brain injury himself, he now works with colleagues on how to better care for former athletes living with neurodegeneration and their families. Through his research and his writing for the British Journal of Sports Medicine and The Conversation, he challenges sport to focus on preventing brain injuries rather than only managing them after they happen. 

01:30 – Journey into Concussion and Sociology Research

09:30 - What is a Concussion in Sociology Research

13:00 - “Knowledge Doesn't Equal Safety" Paradox

20:00 - Brain Injury in Women’s Sport and Misconceptions

30:08 - Suspected CTE and Families Research

46:15 – Children and Brain Injury 

54:53 - Where to Find Dr Jack Hardwicke

Dr Jack Hardwickie 

https://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/science-technology/jack-hardwicke

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=riOu_9AAAAAJ&hl=en

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Professor Stern is a Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. As co-founder of the BU CTE Center and former Director of Clinical Research, he has spent nearly two decades pioneering ways to detect and diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during life, while uncovering the long-term neurological impact of repetitive head trauma in former athletes. His ground-breaking work includes major projects such as the landmark DETECT and DIAGNOSE CTE studies, the Head Impact & Trauma Surveillance Study, and numerous investigations into biomarkers and diagnostic criteria for concussion and CTE. With more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, key advisory roles with the NFLPA and NCAA, and recognition such as the 2025 Leon Thal Prize for Research Excellence, Professor Stern is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts shaping modern concussion and CTE science.

06:50 - Dr Robert Stern’s Journey into Neurology, Neurodegenerative Disease and Repetitive Head Impacts

13:00 - What Does Boston University CTE Do?

15:55 – Repetitive Head Impacts 

20:45 – Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy 

24:35 – Dementia 

28:25 – Neurological Disease’s and Clinical Testing In vivo 

32:24 – Biomarkers, Diagnosis Dementia and Growth in the Field

40:00 – Nocebo Effect and Understanding/ Misunderstanding of What is Known

45:35 - Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome and Diagnostic Criteria

01:02:00 – Summary of Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome

01:07:00 – How to Help and Support Dr Stern’s Work

Professor Robert Stern: 

https://www.bu.edu/cte/

https://www.bu.edu/cte/profile/robert-stern/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=42mlewcAAAAJ&hl=en

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Social media:

Twitter: @first concussion

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Email: [email protected]

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Dr Daneshvar is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, Chair of physical medicine and Rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation, and Co-Director of Sports Concussion at Mass General Brigham, whilst also a long-time collaborator with the Boston University CTE Centre. Lastly, Dr Daneshvar earned the National Neurotrauma Society's 2024 Rising Star Award, whilst publishing more than 100 papers and being cited over 18,000 times by his academic peers. One of those articles is “Prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at death in National Football League players: retrospective population-based cohort study, 2008-21” The topic of today’s conversation. 

01:15 - Journey into Neurosciences and Brain Injury 

02:50 – What is and Difference Between Concussion and CTE

05:16 -  “Prevalence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy at Death in National Football League Players: Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study, 2008-21” What are the major findings? How was it conducted…. Etc

09:10 – Extrapolation of CTE in Populations & Correlation Against Death Certificates

12:13 – Stage’s of CTE

15:10 - Accelerometer Data as a Predictor of CTE vs Career Length 

18:10 - Significant Challenges in Conducting Studies Around CTE

23:10 – Risk Reduction 

27:40 - How Can we Help Support Dr Daneshvar Research

Dr Daniel Daneshvar

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YF2omqkAAAAJ&hl=en 

Prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at death in National Football League players: retrospective population-based cohort study, 2008-21 : https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100418

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Dr Buckland is Head of the Department of Neuropathology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. He founded and directs the Australian Sports Brain Bank, established in 2018, which has since become a leading centre for research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He is also a co-founder of Brainstorm, a brain cancer research initiative at RPA, and leads research across gliomas, neurodegenerative diseases and molecular neuropathology.

01:17 – Dr Buckland’s Journey Neuropathology and What is Neuropathology

04:25 - Concussion, repetitive head impact

07:50 – What is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

10:20 – How is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Diagnosed 

13:00 – Separating Different Types of Neurodegenerative Disease 

16:54 – Does Response Relationship 

19:00 -Brain Donation and Difficulties in Approaching Donations

23:00 – Brainstorm and Cancer

Google Schoolar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=A4mEg3QAAAAJ&hl=en

Australian Sports Brain Bank: https://brainbank.org.au

BrainStorm: https://brainbenefit.org/causes/brainstorm-at-rpa/

Twitter: @first concussion

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Dr. Wolf is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the founder of Healing Response Acupuncture & Functional Neurology in Stillwater, Minnesota. With more than 20 years of clinical experience, she specialises in neurological acupuncture, post-concussion syndrome, and traumatic brain injury recovery. Her approach combines functional neurology and applied clinical neuroscience, supported by post-doctoral training at the Carrick Institute, where she serves as an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine.

Dr. Wolf has also worked as a team acupuncturist for UFC and Legacy fighters at Fortis MMA in Dallas. She is the host of Life After Impact: The Concussion Recovery Podcast and the author of The Art of Concussion Recovery and The Concussion Breakthrough: Discover the Missing Pieces to Recovery.

01:40 - Journey from Acupuncture to Concussion Care 

08:50 – Concussion, What It Means in and Functional Assessments in Dr Wolf’s Clinic 

16:30 – Where it Fits in Concussion

23:00 – Clinical Approach on Female Population

29:20 – Acupuncture Needles Gauge Explained

31:15 – Dr Wolf’s Books

40:30 - Life After Impact: The Concussion Recovery Podcast

48:00 – Where to Find Dr Wolf

Dr Ayla Wolf

https://lifeafterimpact.com/podcast

https://acupunctureneurology.com/about

IG: @lifeafterimpact

FB: https://www.facebook.com/amy.ayla.wolf/

Twitter: @first concussion

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Email: [email protected]

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Paul captained the Socceroos throughout the 1990s, earning 84 caps and playing 345 National Soccer League games for clubs including Croydon, Green Gully, Brunswick and South Melbourne. He led Australia from 1990 to 1996, including at the Olympics and through two World Cup qualifying campaigns, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.

More recently, Paul has bravely spoken publicly about his diagnosis of probable CTE, linked to repeated head impacts throughout his career, using his experience to advocate for better brain health protections in football.

01:40 - Paul's Journey into football

04:05 - Football at Barnsley

06:00 – How Paul and Val Met

08:30 – Diagnosis of Probable CTE

11:30 – Process of Diagnosis

19:40 – Perspective of a Diagnosis and Day to Day life

24:30 – Impact on Work

27:20 – Paul’s Epilepsy 

30:30 – Advocacy, Training with Probable CTE

39:25 – Pauls Favourite Footballing Moments

43:00 – Old National Soccer League/ NLS Day’s

44:50 – Val’s Favourite Moments 

47:07 – Find Paul/ Support 

49:10 – Dad Joke’s

• Paul Wade Life Skills: www.paulwade.com.au
• Epilepsy Action Australia / Paul Wade: www.epilepsy.org.au
• Dr Rowena Mobbs: www.rowena.mobbs.com.au
• ConneCTErs Australia: www.connecters.org.au

Twitter: @first concussion

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Email: [email protected]

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Dr Channon is a Principal Lecturer in Physical Education and Sport Studies at the University of Brighton, UK. His work covers sociology of sport, in particular martial arts and combat sports, examining topics such as gender and sexuality in participation, the role of martial arts in physical education curricula and media portrayals of professional fighters. Dr Channon has authored over 43 publications serves as an editor for the journal of Martial Arts Studies and Special Advisory Board Member, International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development. 

01:25 - Journey into Sociology, and Martial Arts

06:10 – What is Edgework/ Consent

12:00 – Fighting and Violence Paradox 

25:10 - Protecting fighters in unregulated combat sports 

36:54 – Mixed Fighting/ Sparing 

46:10 - Sexualisation of the fighter's body 

51:00 – Where to Find Dr Alex Channon and Support His Work

Dr Alex Channon

https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=wVLoke8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=wVLoke8AAAAJ:e5wmG9Sq2KIC

Additional Resources for further viewing and context

Lecture 1 – violence/consent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdhWnqo3naQ (starts around 12 mins), 

Lecture 2 – risk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddx9VYR0sEo,

Lecture 3 – gender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWnymS6_gEQ.

Subscribe, review and share for new episodes, which drop weekly 

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Twitter: @first concussion

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Email: [email protected]