University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Uncategorized

2026 PANTHER & TBI Center Workshop

Registration for the 2026 PANTHER & TBI Center Workshop is open now through August 21st.

DAV’s Author Interview: The fight to expose hidden brain injuries that are killing veterans

Anthony Smith, is a former Navy fast boat operator and author of the Neurosurgery article 493 Occult Neurotrauma in Naval Special Warfare Combat Crewmen and Fast Boat Operators An article published by the DAV shares part of Smith’s personal background and motivation: The fight to expose hidden brain injuries that are killing veterans An excerpt …

In the News: Soccer, Concussion Policy and Brain Health

Soccer is on the minds of sports fans worldwide as the drama of World Cup 2026 unfolds. Two recent articles look at soccer’s risks to brain health. The New York Times Athletic reviews FIFA’s World Cup concussion protocols. Critics say that allowing on-field concussion tests leads to sub-optimal medical diagnoses because when a player with …

Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring

The University of Wisconsin-Madison recognizes mentoring excellence in two PANTHER professors and one PostDoc. See the full College of Engineering post at this link. Awards for Post-Doctorate Mentoring and Service Honorable MentionYasara Dharmadasa, Mechanical EngineeringNotes Ramathasan Thevamaran, Bernard A. and Frances M. Weideman Associate Professor of mechanical engineering: “Yasara embodies the qualities of an exemplary mentor …

Publication: Toward a Unified Lexicon in Traumatic Brain Injury

Toward a Unified Lexicon in Traumatic Brain Injury: Defining the Mechanism of Injury This recent PANTHER publication in Neurotrauma Reports admonishes the use of precise and consistent wording to define the mechanism of injury at the cellular scale. The authors argue that primary and secondary injury should be defined as distinct biological cellular mechanisms.

Curious Kids: Why do you have to wear a helmet when you’re skateboarding?

Read Prof. Christian Franck’s latest Curious Kids article in The Conversation explaining why you should wear a helmet while skateboarding. Curious Kids articles are intended for kids of all ages. Why do you have to wear a helmet when you’re skateboarding?

In the News: Neuroscientists are Critical of Australian Football League’s Headgear Endorsement

Brain injury is not easy to understand or prevent and this is why research investigating the cause of mild traumatic brain injury and CTE is critically important. In this AFL-GameGear news story, the stakeholders include, the athletes and their loved ones, the AFL leaders, AFL standards committee, neuroscience experts and GameGear product developers. Do they …

PANTHER at USNCTAM26

If you’re attending the 20th U.S. National Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics then keep and eye out for PANTHER researchers.

Publication: 3 Accelerometers and 1 Gyroscope – New Algorithm for Head Acceleration

There’s a new paper out this week from Prof. Haneesh Kesari’s group at Brown University in Providence, RI. The paper proposes a new algorithm that can use the outputs of three tri-axial sensors and one gyroscope to track the head’s motion during an impact. This new algorithm allows all the sensors to be arranged in …

In the News: Does the Guardian Cap Prevent Concussions in Football Players?

The New York Times article The Questionable Science Behind the Odd-Looking Football Helmets by Ken Bolson published Feb 3,2026 raises questions about Guardian Caps and highlights the need for a better understanding of concussion.