Newswise — The American Academy of Neurology(AAN) has named sports neurologist Jeffrey S. Kutcher, MD, MPH, of Ann Arbor, Mich., as the AAN Donald M. Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum Advocate of the Year. Kutcher received his award at the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum on January 16, 2011, in San Diego, Calif. Kutcher received the award for his exemplary work in raising awareness about the role of the neurologist in treating sports concussion.
The award recognizes the efforts of graduates of the Donald M. Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, a skills-development program designed by the American Academy of Neurology to train selected members to be effective advocates for their patients and their profession. Kutcher, who chairs the AAN’s Sports Neurology Section, received the award for the substantial headway he has made to help raise the profile of the neurologist’s role in the management of sports concussion. In addition, he has worked to improve the educational resources available for doctors to treat sports concussion.
One of Kutcher’s many accomplishments in this arena include his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee's hearing on "Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries, Part II" on January 4, 2010.
Kutcher is also a representative of the AAN as a member of the National Football League’s committee which addresses concussion among athletes. He also was the lead author on the AAN’s recent position statement on sports concussion and is a co-lead author on the update to the AAN’s evidence-based guideline on sports concussion, which is scheduled to be released in late 2011.
Kutcher has also been featured in several high-profile media interviews examining sports concussion and its effects on athletes and on a wide range of sports. “The Forum has helped me master the power of effective communications, bringing significant attention to improving outcomes for athletes who have experienced concussions,” said Kutcher, who serves as chief of inpatient neurological services for the University of Michigan, as well as director of Michigan NeuroSport, a comprehensive academic program in sports neurology. “Our goal is to increase the neurologist’s role in clinical care, education and research activities involving the neurological care of athletes.”
The Forum was named in memory of former AAN Board of Directors member Donald M. Palatucci, MD, and honors his spirited efforts as an advocate for his patients and chosen profession.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 22,500 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com.
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