COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — TeachAids, a nonprofit social venture that creates breakthrough software addressing persistent problems in health education around the world, today released the first step in the development of its Multi-Sport Concussion Education: the CrashCourse Brain Fly-Through. TeachAids collaborated with USA Triathlon and 16 other U.S. Olympic and Paralympic National Governing Bodies for the project, including USA Archery, USA Artistic Swimming, USA Baseball, USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Cycling, USA Diving, USA Fencing, USA Field Hockey, USA Football, USA Gymnastics, USA Hockey, US Lacrosse, US Ski & Snowboard, US Speedskating, USA Taekwondo and USA Wrestling.
“It’s exciting to see leadership across our USOPC national governing bodies working together to embrace evidence-based education to make our sports safer,” says Dr. Michael Stuart, Professor of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN and Chief Medical and Safety Officer for USA Hockey. “With its 10-year history of developing world-class products, TeachAids has once again produced groundbreaking and compelling content to further health education.”
Using state-of-the art technology from Stanford University’s Neurosurgical Simulation and Virtual Reality Center, world mountain biking champion, Kate Courtney, takes the viewer on a journey through the human brain. Using dramatic race footage coupled with her own personal concussion experience, this fly-through emphasizes the importance of reporting one’s head injury immediately.
“It was an honor to participate in this CrashCourse production. I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to share my personal experiences, with the hope of helping others,” said World Mountain Biking Champion, Kate Courtney.
This educational software has been developed with many of the world’s leading researchers and clinical experts in concussions and curriculum development. These groups worked closely together to better understand and evaluate the common stigma that has grown in the public perception of concussions, and helped create effective interactive content for athletes, parents and coaches.
“The CrashCourse team consists of leading advisors across the medical field working to take the latest science and transform it into knowledge for our sports community,” says Dr. Josh Bloom, Team Physician for the Carolina Hurricanes, USA Baseball and Sports Medicine Physician with the Carolina Sports Concussion Clinic. “This product serves as an effective resource to understanding the complexities of the human brain and why promptly reporting injuries is so important.”
The CrashCourse Brain Fly-Through will be distributed to 10,000+ schools across the United States via a special partnership with the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education. It will also be used by dozens of CrashCourse partners including the Brain Injury Association of America, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association and the Headway Foundation.
Available today, the CrashCourse Brain Fly-Through can be accessed online as a standard video and in virtual reality (Google Cardboard | Oculus Rift | Oculus Go). The next product in the Multi-Sport Concussion Education Suite will be the Symptoms Story Wall, an interactive database which includes hundreds of personal narratives from those impacted by this invisible injury.
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
About TeachAids
TeachAids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social venture that creates breakthrough software addressing numerous persistent problems in health education around the world, including HIV/AIDS, concussion, and COVID-19 education. CrashCourse is the second free health education program launched by TeachAids in collaboration with Stanford University, following the global success of its award-winning HIV/AIDS interactive software, which is used in 82 countries around the world. For more information on TeachAids visit TeachAids.org or follow us on Twitter @TeachAids, Facebook @TeachAids, YouTube at TeachAids, and Instagram at @teachaids.