The UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program is collaborating with the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation (RBFF) to fund the educations of two fellows, commencing in Fall 2021.
The RBFF supports causes that have directly impacted the family of star NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney. Ryan’s father, Dave Blaney, received treatment at UPMC for a severe concussion after a racing accident, which inspired his family to support the program.
“We experienced first-hand the tremendous treatment available through the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program; first with my dad from his racing accident and then with my cousin through an everyday life, on-the-job concussion he experienced,” said Ryan Blaney. “As a family, we wanted to say thank you and ultimately make the treatments more readily available to more people – athletes or not. This is the goal of our Fund a Fellow program and we look forward to following these fellows throughout their education.”
Dr. Michael Collins conducts concussion treatment at UPMC.
The RBFF aims to bring awareness to concussions and expand the UPMC program’s treatment practice to geographies beyond Pittsburgh. The fellows will complete training at UPMC in Pittsburgh with the goal of taking their knowledge to newly established practices in other U.S. locations.
“The fellowship program and this donation enables future clinicians to advance an individually targeted treatment approach that helps patients return to their normal activities, whether it’s everyday tasks or professionally racing cars,” said Dr. Michael Collins, clinical and executive director, UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion program. “On behalf of our entire team, I want to convey our sincerest appreciation to the Blaney family for their support.”
The UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program treats between 6 and 7 thousand unique patients each year, conducting over 20,000 patient visits.
For more information on treatments available at UPMC, visit the UPMC Sports Medicine website.
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