Neuropsychologist Summer Ott, Psy.D., one of the nation's foremost authorities on sports concussion and catalysts behind Texas Senate Bill 2038 that established proper management and return-to-play guidelines for school-aged athletes who have sustained a concussion, has joined Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute as its Sports Concussion Program Director.
"Dr. Ott joining Memorial Hermann is a huge win for our patients and our Institute," said Craig Funk, CEO of sports medicine services at Memorial Hermann. "She is extremely well-versed in this very common brain injury - from education to prevention and management - and she's a terrific addition to the incredible network of healthcare providers we've built to care for athletes of all abilities across our city."
In her new role, Dr. Ott will:
Expand and refine the hospital system's comprehensive sports concussion program;Further educate coaches, trainers, school nurses, teachers, parents, physicians and the media on the seriousness of concussion, how to identify and manage the injury, and the proper return-to-play protocol; and Develop and manage custom-made treatment plans for athletes who have sustained a concussion. Most recently, Dr. Ott served as co-director of the Methodist Hospital Concussion Center, where she was actively involved in pre-injury baseline assessment and post-concussion evaluations of professional, collegiate, and amateur athletes. She also previously served as the clinical director of CHRISTUS St. John Hospital Concussion Center.
In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Ott has co-authored publications on neuropsychological assessment in scholarly journals and frequently conducts presentations regarding proper management of concussion. Her current research interests include gender differences in recovery from sports concussion and proper baseline testing of athletes.
Dr. Ott earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. She completed her internship at the VA Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA prior to accepting a neuropsychology fellowship position with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the Sports Concussion Program. Dr. Ott currently serves as an assistant professor in the orthopedics department at UT Medical School at Houston.
For more information on the Ironman Sports Medicine Institute's Sports Concussion Program, call 713-704-9647.