Monday, July 30, 2012
NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) announced today that Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth has joined the NorthShore Sports Concussion Program, further expanding NorthShore’s efforts to understand, treat and prevent concussions resulting from sports-related injuries.
Pieroth is a founding partner of the Midwest Center for Concussion Care. She has been involved in assessing players of the National Hockey League for over a decade and currently serves as the head injury concussion specialist for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Fire, as well as Northwestern University athletes.
“Dr. Pieroth is an excellent addition to NorthShore’s Neurological Institute,” says Dr. Julian Bailes, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery. “She is a well established leader with a career in clinical and rehabilitation psychology. Her expertise will will build on NorthShore’s commitment to deliver the highest caliber neurological and sports medicine care in the region.”
Sports-related concussions have long been a problem in professional, collegiate, high school and pee-wee sports. This is especially so in high-contact games such as football and hockey. Concussions can cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which can lead to memory loss and severe depression. The symptoms of this type of brain damage are so severe that some with CTE have submitted to suicide.
In a press release, NorthShore stated that Pieroth’s vast experience in the evaluation of various neurological and psychological disorders further elevates its ability to utilize research to treat the most complex cases in traumatic and sports-related concussions.
