Purdue University - Purdue Neurotrauma Group

The Purdue Neurotrauma Group is committed to improving the early detection and rapid treatment of possible impairment in youth sports and other activities. Our goal is to ensure that more youth may play more contact sports with less risk of long-term impairments.

Principal Investigators

	Larry J. Leverenz, PhD, ATC Clinical Professor Department of Health & Kinesiology E-mail: llevere@purdue.edu View bio Dr. Larry Leverenz joined the Purdue staff in 1991. He served as athletic trainer for men's basketball from 1993-2006. Dr. Leverenz holds the academic rank of Clinical Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, and he serves as Director of Athletic Training Education. He has served professionally as a member of the National Athletic Trainers' Association Education Council and as president of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Currently, he is the President of the World Federation of Athletic Training/Therapy. Dr. Leverenz previously worked as assistant athletic trainer at the University of Iowa. Before that he was the athletic training curriculum director/assistant athletic trainer at Western Illinois for seven years, athletic trainer at Macomb (Ill.) High School for five years and assistant athletic trainer at the U.S. Air Force Academy for three years. A native of Fithian, Ill., Dr. Leverenz received a B.S. in physical education and biology from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, an M.S. in physical education from Western Illinois and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Iowa.
	Eric A. Nauman, PhD Associate Professor School of Mechanical Engineering Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Department of Basic Medical Sciences E-mail: enauman@purdue.edu View bio Eric Nauman received his Masters and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and is an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Basic Medical Sciences at Purdue University. He the director of the Human Injury Research and Regenerative Technologies (HIRRT) laboratory where he and his students explore the mechanisms by which tissues sustain damage and develop methods to repair and regenerate traumatized organs. We emphasize the development of well-defined experimental protocols coupled with advanced statistical and computational simulations in order to evaluate cell function in response to various types of insults. Early work in our laboratory examined the effects of mechanical trauma on spinal cord physiology and function in conjunction with Purdue’s Center for Paralysis Research. The relatively simple geometry of the spinal cord white matter was a useful foundation for the development of our multiscale models linking cellular and tissue level damage. We are currently extending these investigations as part of the multidisciplinary Purdue Neurotrauma Group (PNG) to include traumatic brain injury. This work led to the discovery that a substantial portion of football players exhibit neurophysiological trauma without readily identifiable symptoms. Dr. Nauman has received the Purdue College of Engineering Early Career Research Award of Excellence, is a University Faculty Scholar, and was recently named the B.F.S. Schaefer Outstanding Young Faculty Scholar in the School of Mechanical Engineering.
	Thomas M. Talavage, PhD Professor School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering E-mail: tmt@purdue.edu View bio Thomas Talavage is a Professor in the Purdue University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a joint appointment in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and a courtesy appointment in the Department of Psychological Sciences. He received his BS in Computer and Electrical Engineering and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, and a PhD in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the MIT-Harvard Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Professor Talavage is the Founding Co-Director of the Purdue MRI Facility, and is one of the co-Principal Investigators in the Purdue Neurotrauma Group. The primary research activities in Professor Talavage's laboratory are in the field of neurosciences, with a focus on modeling of systems neuroscience behavior for applications related to diagnosis of, and compensation for, functional impairment. Research activities are centered on the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and structural MRI to elucidate how central nervous system physiology is altered by external insults, such as repeated blows to the head. Work by Professor Talavage and the Purdue Neurotrauma Group serves as the seminal demonstration of the consequences of repetitive head trauma in athletes who are generally classified as asymptomatic. Professor Talavage has received the Purdue College of Engineering Early Career Research (2005), Engagement (2008), and Advising (2008) Awards. He has additionally received national recognition for his instructional activities, including the C. Holmes MacDonald Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineering Teacher Award (2005) from the Eta Kappa Nu Association (the Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society). Professor Talavage has served on the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu Board of Governors, and is an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

Co-Investigators

Ulrike Dydak, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Health Sciences
E-mail: udydak@purdue.edu

Senior Advisor

Dr. Bob Hannemann, B.S.ChE., M.D.
Visiting Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Visiting Professor of Chemical Engineering
School of Chemical Engineering & Biomedical Engineering
E-mail: hanneman@purdue.edu

Graduate Researchers

	Kausar Abbas Doctoral student Fulbright Fellow School of Electrical & Computer Engineering E-mail: kabbas@purdue.edu
	Aditya Balasubramanian Doctoral student Graduate Fellow School of Electrical & Computer Engineering E-mail: abalasub@purdue.edu
	Evan L. Breedlove, EI Doctoral student NDSEG/NSF Graduate Fellow School of Mechanical Engineering E-mail: ebreedlo@purdue.edu
	Katherine Morigaki Breedlove, MS, ATC Doctoral student; Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer Division of Recreational Sports Department of Health & Kinesiology E-mail: kmorigak@purdue.edu
	Kent Butz, MS Doctoral student Graduate Research Assistant School of Mechanical Engineering E-mail: kbutz@purdue.edu
	Il Yong (Bobby) Chun Doctoral student Graduate Research Assistant School of Electrical & Computer Engineering E-mail: chuni@purdue.edu
	Allan Diaz Masters student Graduate Research Assistant School of Electrical & Computer Engineering E-mail: aediaz@purdue.edu
	Victoria Poole Doctoral student George Washington Carver Fellow Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering E-mail: vpoole@purdue.edu
	Anne E. (Dye) Zakrajsek Graduate Research Assistant School of Mechanical Engineering E-mail: aedye@purdue.edu
	Trey Shenk Doctoral student Graduate Teaching Assistant School of Electrical & Computer Engineering E-mail: shenkt@purdue.edu
	Jeff King Masters student School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	Blaine Gardner Masters student School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University

Undergraduate Students

	Jake Gilfix School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	Ashley Eidsmore School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	Lisa Li School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	Paul Rosenberger School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	Jessica Traver School of Mechanical Engineering Purdue University
	Daniel Wodicka Department of Biomedical Engineering Johns Hopkins University
	Nandi Zhang School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	Willis Banks School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	David Klouds School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University
	Emily McCuen School of Mechanical Engineering Purdue University
	Erica Zanath School of Mechanical Engineering Purdue University
	Hanna Prost Biological Sciences Purdue University
	VIP Football Telemetry Team School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Purdue University

Collaborators

	Meghan Robinson Doctoral student Graduate Research Assistant Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering E-mail: mefloyd@purdue.edu
	Douglas E. Adams, PhD Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy and Power Systems School of Mechanical Engineering Purdue University
	Randall R. Benson, MD Assistant Professor of Neurology Department of Neurology Wayne State University
	Charles A. Bouman, PhD, FIEEE FAIMBE FIST FSPIE Michael J. & Katherine R. Birck Professor School of Electrical & Computer Engineering Professor Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Purdue University
	Weinong Chen, PhD Professor School of Aeronautics & Astronautics Engineering School of Material Science Engineering Purdue University
	Henry Feuer, MD, FACS Professor Emeritus Indiana University School of Medicine
	Alexander L. Francis, PhD Associate Professor Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Department of Psychological Sciences Purdue University
	Jeffrey W. Gilger, PhD Professor of Psychology School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts University of California - Merced
	Denny Miller, ATC/PT Director of Sports Medicine Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Purdue University
	Jonathan A. Murray General Manager, GM Cross Business Programs GE Healthcare
	Riyi Shi, MD, PhD Professor Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Department of Basic Medical Sciences Center for Paralysis Research School of Veterinary Medicine Purdue University

Partnering Laboratories

	Purdue University MRI Facility @ InnerVision West 3482 McClure Ave West Lafayette, IN
	HIRRT Laboratory
	GE Healthcare

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