The NCAA Sport Science Institute is committed to serving and educating student-athletes, athletics departments and member schools. To help accomplish this goal, we collaborate with prominent medical and sports medicine organizations, leading experts in the field, and member schools to host sport and topic-specific summits and task forces each year. These events give rise to best practices, recommendations, research agendas, and educational efforts that support and promote the health and safety of college athletes. 

NCAA Cardiac Task Force

A two-day Cardiac Task Force was held in September 2014 in Indianapolis that brought together more than two dozen experts representing a bevy of top medical organizations, including the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, among others. Those discussions, combined with work accomplished in the year since the gathering, led to recommendations for both preventing and reacting to cardiac arrest among student-athletes, while also broadening the scope of cardiovascular care.

Download the Cardiac Task Force agenda

Cardiac Task Force Members

Aaron Baggish, M.D. – Harvard University

Rebecca Carl, M.D. – American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness

Gordon Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., MBA – University of California, San Francisco

Bob Colgate, M.S. – National Federation of State High School Associations

Ron Courson, M.S., ATC, P.T., NREMT – University of Georgia

Thomas Dompier, Ph.D. – Datalys Center

Jonathan Drezner, M.D. – University of Washington, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

Michael Emery, M.D. – Clemson University, American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Cardiology Leadership Council

Kimberly Harmon, M.D. – University of Washington, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

Bill Heinz, M.D. – National Federation of State High School Associations

Peter Indelicato, M.D. – University of Florida

Zack Kerr, Ph.D. – Datalys Center, NCAA Injury Surveillance Program

Jarred Koerner – Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative, Murray State University

Mitchell Krucoff, M.D. – Duke University

Patrick Leary, M.D. – American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, National Basketball Association

Joseph Maleszewski, M.D. – Mayo Clinic

Silvana Molossi, M.D. – American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Cardiology Leadership Council, Texas Children’s Hospital

Valarie Morrow, M.D. – Cardiac Safety Research Consortium, Duke University

Lynn Pasquerella, President – Mount Holyoke College

Joe Rogowski, ATC, CSCS – National Strength and Conditioning Association, Houston Rockets

Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., MPH – American Heart Association

David Shipon, M.D. – Simon’s Fund

Andy Smith, MMS, ATC – University of Minnesota Duluth

Paul Thompson, M.D. – American College of Sports Medicine, University of Connecticut

Gary Walters – Princeton University

Mike Wendinger, ATC – University of Minnesota Duluth

Jim Whitehead – American College of Sports Medicine