Keynote presenters:
Martin Raftery, World Rugby, Dublin, Ireland
Dr Martin Raftery is a Sports Physician having been awarded a Fellowship from the Australasian College of Sports Physicians in 1992. He is currently Chief Medical Officer for World Rugby having been appointed in August 2011. Prior to this appointment Dr Raftery was Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Rugby Union from 2004-2011.
Dr Raftery has extensive experience as a Team Physician in elite sport which includes the Wallabies (Australian National Rugby team) from 2002-2008, St George Illawarra Dragons, professional Rugby League team (1990-2006) and the Sydney Kings basketball (1994-98). Dr Raftery was also invited to act as Team Physician for NSW State of Origin Rugby League team in 2011 (Rugby Leagues equivalent to the Super Bowl). In addition, he has also been personal physician to a boxer who held two world titles. Dr Raftery has also worked extensively in private sports medicine practice in Australia since 1987.
Dr Raftery has previously provided injury prevention consultancies to teams within Rugby Union, Rugby League and Australian Football both within Australia and Europe.
Grant Iverson, Harvard University, USA
Dr. Grant Iverson is a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, the Director of the MassGeneral Hospital for Children Sports Concussion Program, and the Associate Director of Traumatic Brain Injury at the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. He leads an internationally recognized research program in two broad areas: (i) outcome from mild traumatic brain injury in athletes, civilians, military service members, and veterans; and (ii) improving the methodology for assessing and identifying mild cognitive impairment. He has published more than 310 empirical articles, reviews, and book chapters.
Presenters:
Dr. Teemu Luoto, MD, PhD, is a neurosurgery resident working at the Tampere University Hospital. He is an adjunct professor in experimental neurotraumatology at the University of Tampere. His main research interests include traumatic brain injury, especially mild traumatic brain injury and sport-related concussion. During the last years, Luoto has been working to improve concussion management in the Finnish Ice Hockey League.
Dr. Markku Tuominen, IIHF Medical Committee
Kati Peltonen (MA, MSc.) is working at the University of Helsinki in the “Heads in the Game-project”. In her PhD studies at the research group of clinical neuropsychology, she has focused on sport-related concussions in youth ice hockey.
Matti Vartiainen, PT, MSc, is specialized in neurological physiotherapy. During the last decade, Vartiainen has been working to improve the awareness and management in the field of Finnish sport and concussions.Last years he has been working on his PhD in Helsinki university, faculty of behavioral sciences, psychology. Main research interests are traumatic brain injuries, concussions and sports.
Tiina Laitala-Leinonen, University of Turku
Olli Tenovuo (MD, PhD) is an Adjunct Professor of Neurology and Neurotraumatology at the University of Turku and Chief Physician of Brain Trauma Care at the Turku University Hospital. He has led a multidisciplinary research group on TBI for 20 years and participated in several international projects. He is also a member of the Board of Governors at the International Brain Injury Association. Currently one of his research projects aims at developing new metabolomic biomarkers for sports concussion.