Assessing the Effects of Head Trauma on Athletes

The long-term effects of repeated concussions on athletes is a major concern — and working as a researcher investigating the issue at the University of Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital has given invaluable experience to Angel-lee Randone (Thailand, UWC Thailand, Rochester ’24). So has the work she has done at the hospital’s Emergency Department, identifying and enrolling patients eligible for a diversity of research projects.

“Interestingly, I am planning to pursue a career in veterinary medicine,” Angel-lee notes. “However, I think that working in the Emergency Department superbly enhanced my social interaction skills in regards to a medical facility.”

Among the work she’s done in the ED, Angel-lee collected nasopharyngeal samples from patients as part of an effort to improve COVID-19 testing. And through the university’s Department of Emergency Medicine, she joined a team led by Dr Jeffrey Bazarian that has investigated the factors contributing to the concussion-related brain injury known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE.

In her independent research, Angel-lee “explored the impact of repetitive head trauma on 39 distinct brain regions in collegiate football players,” the university reports. At year’s end, she and her collaborators were working to finalize their research data for a paper they planned on submitting to the journal Neurotrauma.

“It definitely is very ironic for me to be working on an essentially very American-centric sport as an international student!” Angel-lee writes. “It has given me quite a bit of insight into American culture I have now gained an interest in football, thanks to my research and a lot of my friends (go Bills!).”

This profile is part of the “Undergraduates in Action” series from the 2024 Annual Report.