Dr. Bennet Omalu, founder of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a highly respected and renowned physician in medical communities around the world. In 2005, Dr. Omalu et al caused disruption in the National Football League (NFL) with their research linking repetitive head trauma to Neuro-degenerative disease (Omalu, Hamilton et al 40). The medical term Neuro-degenerative covers a wide-range of medical conditions that affects the nerve cells in the brain, causing encephalopathy or brain disease (Omalu, Hamilton et al 43-44). Over the years, Dr. Omalu has collaborated in studies and written numerous academic papers on CTE. The goal of the collaborations was to determine and confirm the commonality and epidemiology of the disease in
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These proteins stabilize and regulate the nerve cells; however, an excessive accumulation of Tau protein causes a unique pattern of entanglement in patients with CTE causing the brain over time to deteriorate (Smalls et al 138). This is monumental because physicians no longer have to wait until post-mortem to diagnose CTE in their patients. Because of this discovery, the medical communities understand that CTE not only affect professional football players and boxers, but all sports at all levels of play, as well as the general population (Saulle, et al …show more content…
Grant Iverson, Harvard University, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation has been the most critical regarding Dr. Omalu’s CTE research and findings. In 2016, Dr. Iverson suggested in a paper title “Suicide and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy” that Dr. Omalu’s et al research appears to be premature; therefore, the empirical studies being conducted by organizations, like UPMC have no true validity due to the limited number of case studies (Iverson 12-13). Nevertheless, Dr. Iverson acknowledges some of the progress as it relates to early detection in the living. However, in his opinion the fact still remains CTE has no cure and without adequate case studies the disease is and will be a continual threat to athletes (Iverson 12-13). Despite the fact that the following has occurred over the past 12 years: (1) Dr. Omalu et al uncovered the commonality and epidemiology of the disease that has plagued American athletes for over 80 years (Omalu, Hamilton et al 40); (2) UPMC 2015 empirical research determined that 113 of the 262 case studies included erroneous and duplicated data (Maroon et al 3); (3) UPMC 2015 empirical research indicates that there has been no CTE reported post-mortem cases since 2013 (Maroon et al 3); (4) UPMC 2015 empirical study indicates that the number of athletes diagnosed post-mortem with CTE cause of death was not due to encephalopathy or brain disease (Maroon et al 2-4); (5) medical communities have the ability to
These proteins stabilize and regulate the nerve cells; however, an excessive accumulation of Tau protein causes a unique pattern of entanglement in patients with CTE causing the brain over time to deteriorate (Smalls et al 138). This is monumental because physicians no longer have to wait until post-mortem to diagnose CTE in their patients. Because of this discovery, the medical communities understand that CTE not only affect professional football players and boxers, but all sports at all levels of play, as well as the general population (Saulle, et al …show more content…
Grant Iverson, Harvard University, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation has been the most critical regarding Dr. Omalu’s CTE research and findings. In 2016, Dr. Iverson suggested in a paper title “Suicide and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy” that Dr. Omalu’s et al research appears to be premature; therefore, the empirical studies being conducted by organizations, like UPMC have no true validity due to the limited number of case studies (Iverson 12-13). Nevertheless, Dr. Iverson acknowledges some of the progress as it relates to early detection in the living. However, in his opinion the fact still remains CTE has no cure and without adequate case studies the disease is and will be a continual threat to athletes (Iverson 12-13). Despite the fact that the following has occurred over the past 12 years: (1) Dr. Omalu et al uncovered the commonality and epidemiology of the disease that has plagued American athletes for over 80 years (Omalu, Hamilton et al 40); (2) UPMC 2015 empirical research determined that 113 of the 262 case studies included erroneous and duplicated data (Maroon et al 3); (3) UPMC 2015 empirical research indicates that there has been no CTE reported post-mortem cases since 2013 (Maroon et al 3); (4) UPMC 2015 empirical study indicates that the number of athletes diagnosed post-mortem with CTE cause of death was not due to encephalopathy or brain disease (Maroon et al 2-4); (5) medical communities have the ability to