Newswise — Old Westbury, New York, June 13, 2018 – New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Center for Sports Medicine has received $15,000 from the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) to fund a future study on concussion and helmet safety.
The award is a critical first step in launching the study, “The Computational Assessment of Helmets and Concussion,” which will be led by NYIT simulation expert Milan Toma, Ph.D., assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and Computing Sciences. Using sophisticated simulation software, Toma will test the protection of various helmet designs, and share his data with other researchers examining head trauma in professional sports in order to determine the best head protection under a variety of racing conditions.
“While much of the discussion regarding helmet safety has been focused on other sports, such as football, I am happy to lend my expertise to help deliver much needed awareness for horseracing,” said Toma.
“We take jockey health and safety very seriously,” NYTHA President Joe Appelbaum said. “We are thrilled to be able to help further research in the vital area of head trauma and concussion, so that we will be better able to protect our riders going forward.”
Toma’s research is currently one of two NYIT initiatives aimed at elevating visibility for jockey concussions. Hallie Zwibel, D.O., director, NYIT Center for Sports Medicine, recently partnered with rider advocacy organization The Jockey’s Guild to develop “return to ride” rules that will provide instruction on when injured jockeys can safely return to racing. National protocols do not currently exist in U.S. horseracing.
For more information about the Center for Sports Medicine, click here.
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NYIT (New York Institute of Technology) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 10,000 students in programs and campuses in New York (Manhattan and Old Westbury, Long Island) and Arkansas as well as China, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. NYIT sponsors 13 NCAA Division II programs.
NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. More than 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.
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