Improving concussion safety through team huddles.
Official title: Evaluating Huddles as a Novel Approach to Improving Concussion Safety
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11131867 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how quick team huddles before games can help young athletes feel more comfortable talking about concussion symptoms and injuries, making it safer for them to play sports.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | May 5, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $758,428 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD114797-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11131867 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research include youth athletes aged 0-11 and 21+ who participate in sports and may be at risk for concussions.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not participate in sports or are not involved in youth athletic programs may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates a new approach to enhance concussion safety for youth athletes by implementing brief team huddles before games. During these huddles, coaches remind players about concussion symptoms and the importance of reporting any injuries. This method aims to create a supportive environment that encourages open communication about health and safety. By focusing on group dynamics rather than just individual knowledge, the research seeks to improve the reporting rates of concussions among young athletes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to a significant increase in concussion reporting among youth athletes, reducing the risk of further injury and promoting quicker recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown that group-based interventions can effectively change behavior, suggesting that this novel approach may also yield positive results.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kroshus, Emily Grace — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Kroshus, Emily Grace
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Enhanced surveillance to understand vaccine-preventable infections in kids
This project actively follows children in Seattle to measure how common vaccine-preventable tummy and chest infections are and how well vaccines like flu and rotavirus work.
-
UMPIRE Protocol: Preserving Kidney Function in Young Children with Spina Bifida
A pediatric kidney-preservation study aims to improve long-term kidney function in young children with spina bifida.
-
Bioengineered human brain vessels to study cerebral malaria and explore new therapies
Researchers are testing a new 3D model of human brain blood vessels to understand how cerebral malaria causes damage and to identify possible adjunctive treatments for children.
-
Inflammation-linked autophagy problems in blood cells with sickle cell disease
A scientist is studying how inflammation from TNF-alpha affects autophagy in platelets and red blood cells of people with sickle cell disease to better understand why blood clotting and cell health go awry.
-
Malaria vaccine and infection: how the body’s early and later immune responses relate to protection
Researchers are studying how people’s immune systems respond to the malaria pre-erythrocytic stage, whether after vaccination or infection, to identify which responses are linked to protection.
-
Using a simple breathing test to check lung function after kids’ acute respiratory failure
A study will test a child-friendly breathing method (oscillometry) to check how well lungs work after severe respiratory illness in kids.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.