The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Scientific Department has recognized the University of Calgary, Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre as an international leader in researching and preventing sports injuries.
The Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, in the Faculty of Kinesiology, will be named one of the IOC's four international sport injury prevention research sites at a special reception to be held on June 18, from 6 – 7:30pm at the Olympic Oval. The other Centres are located in Cape Town, South Africa, Melbourne, Australia and Oslo, Norway.
"It's a real honour for the Sports Injury Prevention Research Centre, The Faculty of Kinesiology, and University of Calgary," says Dr. Willem (Winne) Meeuwisse, the co-chair of the centre, "and this partnership reflects the international leadership role that our Centre has taken in researching and preventing injury in a variety of sports."
According to the IOC website, Calgary has been tasked with: "establishing long-term research programmes on injury and disease prevention (including studies on basic epidemiology, risk factors, injury mechanisms and interventions for the protection of athlete health.)"
The Centre is co-chaired by Meeuwisse, MD, PhD, and Carolyn Emery, PT, PhD.
Meeuwisse is a sport medicine physician and an internationally recognized sport injury prevention researcher, who has worked with soccer's international governing body FIFA, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the National Hockey League and many others. Meeuwisse is also the editor-in-chief of the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.
Dr. Carolyn Emery, PT, PhD, is a well-known sport epidemiologist and physiotherapist with a research focus in injury prevention and rehabilitation in child and adolescent sport and recreation. Her recent work examining policy related to body checking in youth ice hockey has led national debate on the issue and has informed policy change in Canada and the USA. Dr. Nick Mohtadi and Dr. Brent Hagel are co-investigators on the IOC award.
In Canada, sport injuries are the number one cause of injury among adolescents. In Alberta, 35% of youth (ages 11-18) sustain a sport or recreational injury requiring medical attention each year. These injuries are often predictable and preventable. The University of Calgary Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre is committed to reducing sport injuries and maximizing the health benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle.