'Mental Health Best Practices' is now available

Developed and endorsed by 24 of the most prominent medical, mental health, higher education and sports medicine organizations in the country, "Mental Health Best Practices--Inter-Association Consensus Document: Best Practices for Understanding and Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Wellness" is now available.

"Mental Health Best Practices" offers recommendations for member schools of all resource levels to implement in partnership with campus stakeholders in order to support student-athlete mental health and well-being. Learn more about the document here.

SSI working toward recommendations to help provide cardiovascular care

Sudden cardiac death claims the lives of more NCAA athletes than any other sport-related trauma. The NCAA SSI and leading sports medicine groups have crafted an inter-association statement on cardiovascular care in hopes of keeping athletes safer.

The statement was spurred by a two-day summit in September 2014 that brought together more than two dozen experts. Those discussions led to recommendations for both preventing and reacting to cardiac arrest among student-athletes.

Among these potentially lifesaving protocols are seven important takeaways, found here.

Mind Matters Challenge winners honored

Fourteen research and education teams were honored as NCAA-U.S. Department of Defense Mind Matters Challenge winners Feb. 5 at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis. The groups were recognized for their selection and participated in a data blitz to present their scope of work.

To learn more about each of the winners, visit here.

CSMAS proposes removal of protein restrictions

During its Dec. 13-15 meeting, the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports recommended changes to the Association’s nutritional supplement legislation -- which classifies what types of supplements institutions are permitted to provide student-athletes -- by removing the restriction on protein content.

To learn more about this change and the other topics discussed by CSMAS during its meeting, read the recap here.

NCAA, Mid-American Conference team up for mental health summit

The NCAA Sport Science Institute joined with the Mid-American Conference to facilitate a mental health summit Feb. 16 at the MAC offices in Cleveland. All 12 of the MAC member institutions sent an interdisciplinary team to the summit, with those teams consisting of presidents, senior student affairs officers, athletics administrators, sports medicine staff, campus health and counseling staff, faculty athletics representatives and student-athletes.  Learn more about the summit here.

(Pictured: CMO Brian Hainline with MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher and MAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members)

NCAA hosts two summits focused on safety in college football and preventing sexual assault

Safety in College Football Summit: Experts gathered at the summit on Feb. 10 and 11 agreed to suggested revision to football practice and concussion management guidelines. Though those who took part in the summit reach general consensus on the recommendations, an updated set of guidelines are several months away. Learn more.

Higher Education Summit on Sexual Assault Prevention: On Feb. 29, the SSI, partnering with the office of inclusion, held a summit with representatives from more than 20 higher education associations, NCAA Association-wide committees and subject matter experts. The groups worked together to identify educational strategies and resources to support campus-based sexual assault prevention and strategies to promote campus collaboration. Learn more.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Step UP! Bystander Intervention Program -- Irvine, CA -- May 16-17, 2016: This two-day conference held at the University of California, Irvine will show attendees how to create a sustainable and powerful bystander intervention program on their campus.