EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 12 PM ET, January 18, 2015
Arizona Neurologist Honored by 好色先生 for Sports Concussion Awareness
MINNEAPOLIS -
The (AAN) has named neurologist Javier C谩rdenas, MD of Phoenix, Arizona as the AAN Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum Advocate of the Year. C谩rdenas received his award at the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum this week, for his exceptional work in creating Barrow Brainbook, the nation鈥檚 first mandated concussion education and test for student athletes in Arizona. C谩rdenas and Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital and Medical Center collaborated with the Arizona Cardinals and the Arizona Interscholastic Association to design BarrowBrainbook, a module that all Arizona high school athletes are now required to pass before participating in any sport. The award recognizes the exemplary efforts of graduates of the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, a skills-development program designed by the AAN to train selected members to be effective advocates for their patients and their profession. C谩rdenas graduated in the advocacy class of 2008, and served as an advisor in 2009. He has been a member of the AAN since 2007. C谩rdenas created the Barrow Concussion and Brain Injury Center, the nation鈥檚 most comprehensive concussion prevention, treatment, and education program. 鈥淢any cases of brain injuries are under diagnosed and mishandled for a lack of education on diagnosing and treating sports concussions,鈥 said C谩rdenas. 鈥淭his program is created to prevent harmful practices that can cause or exacerbate a concussion as well as offer treatment options.鈥 Barrow Brainbook is an online educational module about concussion designed for the high school athlete. The module features computer-generated animation, interviews with physicians, peers, and local professional athletes, as well as video footage of actual concussions. Since its 2012 creation, 260,000 Arizona high school athletes have completed the innovative training. C谩rdenas serves on Arizona State Governor鈥檚 Advisory Council on Spinal and Head Injuries as well as the Arizona Neurological Society. He also serves on the National Football League鈥檚 (NFL) Head, Neck, and Spine Committee where he advises the NFL on best practices for concussion prevention and management. The Academy鈥檚 Palatucci Advocacy Leadership 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.