TRENTON –Commissioner Larry Hazzard announced today that the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board will host a Combat/Contact Sports Medicine Symposium on November 17th. The combative and contact sports communities are invited to engage with ringside physicians on the topic of Concussions and Head Injuries, and standards of care and clearance for combat and contact sports athletes wishing to return to competition post suspension for such injuries.  

“This symposium gives contestants and other combative/contact sports participants the opportunity to learn how to identify early symptoms of head injuries and the importance of seeking immediate medical attention for early intervention and care”, said Hazzard.  “It’s a discussion that regulators have an obligation to learn more about, for the best education, health and safety we can offer to our constituents”, he continued.

For the past 1 ½ years, Dr. Sheryl Wulkan, a NJSACB ringside physician and cardiac specialist, along with her medical colleagues in sports medicine, have been working on this crucial topic and are ready to publicly share some of their observations. Dr. Wulkan expressed her excitement about the much needed dialogue with members of the combat/contact sports community. “This symposium could not be more timely, given not only the fact that this topic is at the forefront of health and safety in both professional and amateur sports,  but more importantly how education and early detection can save careers and lives”, she stated. “A diverse group of physicians from throughout the northeast will join in the discussions to help generate more awareness and understanding for our community”, Dr. Wulkan added.

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