Steve Tisch Donates $10 Million to UCLA to Support BrainSPORT Program

Philanthropist Steve Tisch has pledged $10 million to the department of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for the BrainSPORT Program, which has been renamed the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program.

Announced by President Barack Obama on Friday at a White House summit on youth and sports concussions, the new funding -- the single largest gift from an individual to a medical center for a concussion-related initiative -- will enable UCLA to create the first US fellowship program to train pediatric neurologists who specialize in sports concussions, and establish the world’s most sophisticated research, prevention, diagnosis and treatment program for concussions and brain injuries, with a particular emphasis on young athletes.

Tisch said, "As the father of children who are athletes, and as an NFL owner, I greatly value the positive role that sports play in people’s lives and am personally concerned about sports concussions. UCLA runs one of the best youth concussion programs in the nation, and I’m honored that my gift will allow the program to accelerate and expand its efforts to help kids, parents and coaches understand how to prevent and treat concussions and enjoy the sports that they love."

The UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program will establish the world’s most advanced diagnostic and treatment program for athletes who have suffered concussions and use the latest techniques in brain imaging, molecular biology and neuro-engineering to understand the connection between concussions and long-term brain disease.

It also plans to launch a comprehensive education, training and prevention initiative using telemedicine; a mobile concussion-assessment unit; an integrated network of concussion providers, from athletic trainers to specialists; and educational sessions on campus, with a focus on students from low-income communities.