Public Symposium on Sports Head Injury and Concussion 

Wednesday 4th September 09:00 to 11:00

Cambridge Corn Exchange 

Adel Helmy

Adel Helmy is a Consultant Neurosurgery and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, at the University of Cambridge. His academic interest is in the role of inflammation after head injury and his clinical work is in neurotrauma, vascular neurosurgery and skull base neurosurgery.

George Peasgood

Double Paralympian in Triathlon and Cycling

Olympics and Paralympics

Double Paralympian in Triathlon (PTS5 category) and Cycling (C4 category), George won Silver and Bronze in Tokyo 2020. In 2022, he retained his Para-Cycling Time Trial World title and a few days later won Bronze in the Para-Cycling Road Race.Not to be deterred by having his leg mowed over as a toddler, George was encouraged to ignore his physical challenges (for example, 5 sizes shoe discrepancy) and be as active as possible.George crashed his bike in October 2022, suffering a grade 3 diffuse axonal injury and spent 7 weeks in a deep coma. He continues to defy medical convention, returning to swim, cycle and run activity on a daily basis, and even rode his bike outside recently.

Simon Kemp

Peter Hutchinson

Formula 1 and motorsport 

Associate Professor Simon Kemp is a Specialist Sports Medicine Doctor and the Medical Services Director for the Rugby Football Union, the National Governing Body for the game in England.  

He has worked as a team physician in Rugby, Soccer (Fulham Football Club) and Basketball (English Basketball Team) and was the England team doctor for the Rugby World Cup campaigns in 2003 and 2007. 

His research interests focus on injury surveillance and concussion prevention in rugby. He is an author of 100 peer reviewed research papers, the majority with a focus on injury surveillance and concussion including the World Rugby and IOC consensus statements on injury surveillance. 

He is also a member of the World Rugby, FIFA and FA Concussion Expert Advisory Panels and the DCMS expert group that produced the UK grassroots concussion guidance released in April 23.

He is Director of Clinical Studies at Robinson College, Past President of Clinical Neurosciences Section of the Royal Society of Medicine and Chief Medical Officer for the Formula One British Grand Prix.

David Sharp

Professor David Sharp is a neurologist and Director of the Care Research and Technology Centre within the UK Dementia Research Institute. He leads a translational research programme investigating traumatic brain injury (TBI) and dementia, working within a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in neurology, neuroendocrinology, engineering, neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology. He provides out-patient TBI services at St Mary’s Major Trauma Centre and the Institute of Sports Exercise & Health (ISEH). The Care Research and Technology Centre is conducting an innovative, interdisciplinary programme, mobilising Dementia researchers and clinicians to deliver innovative technologies that support people living with dementia. He is Associate Editor of the journal Brain, Secretary and Treasurer for the Guarantors of Brain Charity. He is also Chair of the TBI Advisory Group for the Association of British Neurologists and is a member of the Sports Concussion Independent Advisory Group of the Rubgy Football Union.

Willie Stewart

Prof Willie Stewart is Consultant Neuropathologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow and Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow and the University of Pennsylvania. He  leads multiple research programmes exploring traumatic brain injury biology, pathology and outcomes, and is Co-PI on the multi-center collaborations CONNECT-TBI and TBI-REPORTER. His research has a particular focus on lifelong consequences of TBI and the relationship to risk of neurodegenerative disease