Sports Concussion New England

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About Dr. Neal McGrath

Neal McGrath, Ph.D. is the Clinical Director of Sports Concussion New England and New England's first Credentialed ImPACT Consultant. He has been a clinical neuropsychologist in the Boston area for over 25 years. Dr. McGrath has specialized in the evaluation and rehabilitation of traumatic brain injuries, working with patients with mild to severe injuries.

He is the Consulting Neuropsychologist for the Center for Comprehensive Services-New England's Acquired Brain Injury Program. He is also a consulting neuropsychologist for the Massachusetts Statewide Head Injury Program and the Massachusetts rehabilitation Commission. He developed and consulted to New England Rehabilitation Hospital's Head Injury Community Services program. He has collaborated on clinical research for the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Grant at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Dr. McGrath maintains a private practice in neuropsychological assessment of adults and adolescents in Brookline, Massachusetts, seeing patients with sports-related concussions and a variety of acquired brain injuries as well as for evaluation of learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder. He is a member of the American Psychological Association - Divisions 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) and 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology), and the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society.

Schools Using ImPACT

Brookline High School, Brookline, MA
Thayer Academy, Braintree, MA
St. Mark's School, Southborough, MA
Brooks School, North Andover, MA
Milton Academy, Milton, MA
Westwood High School, Westwood, MA
St. George's School, Newport, RI
Nantucket High School, Nantucket, MA
Dedham High School, Dedham, MA
Rivers School, Weston, MA
Weston High School, Weston, MA
Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA
Needham High School, Needham MA
Boston College High School, Boston, MA
St. Sebastian's School, Needham, MA
Noble and Greenough School, Dedham, MA
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, Martha's Vineyard, MA
New England Huskies Junior Hockey Club, Tyngsboro, MA
The Winchendon School, Winchendon, MA

Community Work and Involvement

Conference Presentations:
·Sports Concussion Management of the Student Athlete. Invited workshop at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, Franklin, Massachusetts February 2009.
·Screening and neuropsychological assessment of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans with traumatic brain injury. Invited presentation at the 2008 Homelessness and Brain Injury Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2008.
·Neuropsychological assessment of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. Invited presentation at the 19th Annual Meeting of the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators, Williamsburg, Virginia, September 2008.
·Sports Concussion Management in the Public High School Setting: What Every Athletic Director Needs to Know. Invited presentation at the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association Annual Conference, Hyannis, Massachusetts, March 20, 2008
·Sports Concussion and the Student Athlete: An Athletic Director's Overview. Invited presentation at Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association District C Meeting, Franklin, Massachusetts, January 18, 2008
·Sports Concussion Management of the Student Athlete. Invited presentation at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital's 28th Annual Neurorehabilitation Conference. Boston, Massachusetts, November 4, 2007
·Creating a School Concussion Management Program that Works: A Panel Discussion. Invited presentation at the Youth Sports Concussion Conference, Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts. Marlboro, Massachusetts, October 30, 2007
·Sports Concussion Management of the Student Athlete. Invited presentation at the 26th Annual Statewide Conference of the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts. Marlboro, Massachusetts, March 2007.
·Comprehensive Management of Sports Concussions. Invited presentation at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Athletic Trainers Association. Boston, Massachusetts, January 2007.

Dr. McGrath is available for presentations to youth sports organizations and schools to provide education to players, coaches and parents about the risks and proper management of sports concussion injuries.

ImPACT History:

Dr. McGrath first became involved with ImPACT when he used it as a cornerstone of a concussion management program he developed at Brookline High School with BHS Athletic Trainer Rob Burke and Athletic Director Pete Rittenburg. That model program is now in its fifth year and Dr. McGrath and Sports Concussion New England have expanded to provide concussion management services to over 20 other schools in New England. In addition to school consultation, Dr. McGrath uses ImPACT for evaluating athletes of all ages at his Sports Concussion New England office in Brookline.

Dr. McGrath has also presented at ImPACT training workshops with Dr. Micky Collins. Topics have included:
·Supporting the Student-Athlete's Return to the Classroom Following a Sports-Related Concussion
·Baseline Testing with ImPACT
·Clinical Case Studies

Local Articles:

Dr. McGrath's recent paper entitled 'Supporting the Student Athlete's Return to the Classroom Following a Sports-Related Concussion' is currently under journal review.

Dr. McGrath appeared on WGBH TV's Greater Boston news magazine program on December 1, 2004. The show featured a segment on his work developing Brookline High School's Sports Concussion Program, including use of ImPACT. He also appeared on WCVB-TV Chronicle's episode on sports concussions entitled 'Head Games.' Video clips of these programs are available online at www.sportsconcussion.net.
Dr. McGrath's work with Sports Concussion New England and ImPACT has been featured in the Brookline TAB newspaper on October 19, 2006 ('Giving athletes a heads up: Local doctor creates concussion management program.')

Links

Schools Tackle Sports Concussions Head On (September 15, 2009, wbur.org)
http://www.wbur.org/2009/09/15/concussion-management

Test Gauges Player's Game Readiness After Concussion (December 1, 2009, The Boston Channel)
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/21723996/detail.html

Concussion Care for Student-Athletes
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/12/30/concussion_care_for_student_athletes/

Supporting the Student-Athlete's Return to the Classroom After a Sport-Related Concussion
www.impacttest.com/pdf/McGrath_N.pdf