The Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC) Library is thrilled to announce the launch of a special collaborative podcast miniseries, Behind the Breakthroughs: Off the Field. Hosted by Melissa Deuber, MSIS, this series takes listeners inside the labs and onto the cutting edge of sports science, biomechanics, and athlete safety.
In partnership with the Emory Sports Performance and Research Center (SPARC), the series features deeply insightful conversations with pioneering researchers who are rewriting the playbook on how we predict, treat, and prevent athletic injuries.
From the physics of motion capture to the neurological underpinnings of rehabilitation, these episodes translate complex health sciences research into actionable insights for clinicians, athletes, and the broader Emory community.
Meet the Experts: Episode Highlights
Our curated lineup of episodes dives into the diverse facets of modern sports medicine:
The Road to Return: Understanding the 12-Month Recovery Timeline for ACL Injuries with Dr. Jed Diekfuss
- This episode dives into the biological complexities of recovering from an ACL reconstruction. Dr. Diekfuss discusses a groundbreaking study that utilizes advanced knee MRI technology to track how a quadriceps tendon autograft evolves into a functional ligament, a process known as ligamentization.
More Than Just Flexible: When Hyper-Flexibility Leads to Chronic Pain with Dr. Tessa Hulburt
- Dr. Hulburt discusses the unique biomechanical challenges faced by those with hypermobile joints, from increased risks of dislocations to the chronic fatigue caused by muscles working overtime to stabilize the body. We explore how her latest research, involving complex neuromuscular tasks like jumping and landing, is working to bridge the gap.
The Unseen Connection: Linking Concussions to Future Leg Injuries with Dr. April McPherson
- Dr. McPherson shares her journey from being a student athlete and biomedical engineer to researching the fascinating, yet often overlooked, link between previous concussions and the increased risk of future lower-extremity injuries.
From Sméagol to Sports: The Evolution of Motion Capture to Prevent Sports Injuries with Dr. Sam Kwak
- From his early interest in prosthetic research to his current work at Emory, Dr. Kwak shares his insights into the science of human performance and the commitment to keeping athletes on the field and at their best.
Beyond the Screen: Using VR to Assess Brain Health and Concussion with Dr. Chris Riehm
- Dr. Chris Riehm explains how his team uses commercial VR headsets to develop advanced diagnostic tools for assessing concussions and preventing secondary athletic injuries. The conversation explores the transition of this technology from specialized labs to clinical and home settings, offering new possibilities for remote patient monitoring and personalized rehabilitation.
From Sidelines to Science: Translational Research in Athletic Training with Dr. Kim Barber Foss
- This episode features Dr. Kim Barber Foss, an athletic trainer and researcher, who discusses her work in “translational research” to improve athlete health. She explores how scientific findings from the lab can be directly applied to clinical care to predict and prevent serious injuries like ACL tears.
After the Dark Room: How Modern Imaging is Changing Concussion Care with Dr. Taylor Zuleger
- In this episode of Behind the Breakthroughs, Dr. Taylor Zuleger discusses his innovative research using MRI technology to track brain changes in youth athletes. He shares how his personal history with sports injuries drives his quest to develop personalized rehabilitation strategies and better safety equipment for the next generation.
The Mind in Motion: How Brain Imaging is Revolutionizing Physical Therapy with Dr. Andrew Hagen
- Dr. Andrew Hagen joins the “Off the Field” series to discuss how his lab uses unique functional MRI techniques to study how the brain controls physical movement. The conversation explores how understanding brain activity during exercise can lead to more effective rehabilitation strategies and reduced injury risks for athletes.
How to Listen & Explore
Stream the series now on your favorite podcast hosting platforms, and dive deeper into the science behind the episodes using the resource links below:
🎧 Listen to Behind the Breakthroughs: Off the Field
Explore Related Resources:
- Learn more about the research initiatives at Emory SPARC.
- Dive into sports, medicine, and wellness with our curated collection.
- Need assistance with your own research, evidence synthesis, or database searching? Connect with a WHSCL Informationist.