Head Health Challenge Looks To Protect The Brain

In late January I told you about the Head Health Challenge II. This is a collaboration to improve protection against brain injury in the NFL. They are attacking this from two areas, prevention and detection. So Under Armour, GE and the NFL have ponied up a 10 million dollar prize to the group that submits the best idea for attaining that goal.

As of February 25th, there have been more than 450 entries. These entries are now being evaluated by a panel of judges that include leading experts in brain research and engineering solutions for training protocols.

The specific focus for the challenge included:

• Potential to improve the prevention and identification of brain injuries
• Monitoring and identifying injury
• Protection against injury or its consequences
• Training

"The response to this challenge demonstrates the global interest in brain protection," says Jeff Miller, NFL Senior Vice President of Health and Safety Policy. "The number of great scientific minds committed to protecting the brain provides hope that we will see great innovations that have the potential to protect athletes in all sports at all levels. We are proud to work with innovative partners like GE and Under Armour to help advance science."

The desire to innovate in this case is supplemented with a desire to get 10 million dollars to fund an idea but the end goal is still an honorable one. To protect the brains of anyone that plays a contact sport. I can't wait to see what comes of this in the future.