College of Education and Human Development

Continuing Education on Preventing Sudden Death in School-Age Athletes

A group of athletic trainers and directors, school nurses, and primary care physicians are meeting at George Mason University today to learn how to prevent sudden death in children and adolescents participating in sports. 

The focus of the community outreach event is on preventing as much as possible the deaths of young athletes at practice, on competition or game day, at any time. Called "Preventing Sudden Death in School-Age Athletes," the free program at the Verizon Center on the Science and Technology Campus of George Mason is from the ACHIEVES Project. Participants will also receive six continuing education units.

Students from the Mason Athletic Training Society volunteer at the continuing education program offered by the ACHIEVES Project.

 

Renowned experts are providing the school and community participants with the latest information, protocols, and research in sports medicine and health. They include:

• Peter C. Rowe, MD, professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
  
  
• Captain Steve J. Blivin, MD, US Navy, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
  
  
• Captain Scott W. Pyne, MD, US Naval Academy, Annapolis
  
  
• Scott Galloway, ATC, LAT, Texas Health Ben Hogan Sports Medicine
  
  

Also presentating are Shane Caswell, PhD, executive director of the Mason's sports medicine research center (SMART Lab: Sports Medicine Assessment Research & Testing Laboratory), and Jatin Ambegaonkar, PhD, SMART Lab operations coordinator.

Topics include:

• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) in Children
  
  
• Prevention and Treatment of Heat-Related Illness in School-Aged Sports
  
  
• Commotio Cordis: Sudden Cardiac Death
  
  
• Exertional Sickling in Athletics
  
  

This outreach program exemplifies George Mason's university-wide commitment to research of consequence that translates discoveries into interventions and applications with social, cultural, and economic impact.

The ACHIEVES Project is made possible by a generous grant from the Potomac Health Foundation. 

ACHIEVES is an innovative collaboration between George Mason University and the Prince William County Public Schools. The full name of the project is Advancing Healthcare Initiatives for Underserved Students, and it aims to increase access and quality of healthcare for student athletes, provide education about the emerging health issue of concussion, and build a centralized injury surveillance system necessary to inform evidence-based prevention efforts within Prince William County high schools and middle schools.

 

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About CEHD

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the largest teacher preparation and education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a comprehensive range of degrees, certificates, courses, and licensure programs on campus, online, and on site. The college is distinguished by faculty who encourage new ways of thinking and pioneering research supported by more than $75 million in funding over the past five years.

For additional information:

• CEHD Communications: cehdnews@gmu.edu
• School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism: rht.gmu.edu
• ACHIEVES Project: achieves.gmu.edu

Follow CEHD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MasonCEHD or Twitter at @MasonCEHD.