Rugby Headgear Effectiveness Study –
Public Information Lecture
A public information lecture, explaining the objectives of the Rugby Headgear Study, will take place on 27th March in the Albert Lecture Theatre, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, St. Stephen’s Green Dublin. The lecture will begin at 8pm.
Dr. Philip J. O Halloran, Study Principal Investigator, will lead an in person information session on the upcoming Rugby Headgear Effectiveness Study. Find out about what the study involves & ask questions.
To register to attend the session please click the link to follow to the Event Brite website
There is no charge to attend.
The Rugby Headgear Effectiveness Study will take place in Ireland, in male and female rugby players aged 16 years and older, over the next two years.
This multi-centre research study is led by Dr. Philip J. O’Halloran, a Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and a global team of research experts in neurotrauma, neuroimaging, neurocognitive testing, blood and saliva biomarker analysis and injury surveillance.
This research team will independently evaluate if a novel head-gear design (N-Pro) can have an effect on blood and saliva biomarker levels, and other known indicators of brain injury that can be evaluated from neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) scans, neurocognitive and clinical test results and accelerometer data (instrumented mouthguard), under real-world playing conditions.
The study is supported by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and will be carried out over the next two years under World Rugby’s “Law 4 Headgear Trial” framework. World Rugby developed the “Law 4 Headgear Trial” framework to enable manufacturers to field test new designs of rugby headgear which may be of assistance in reducing or helping to prevent brain injuries. N-Pro is the first product to receive approval under this framework.
If you would like to know more about why the research is being done and what the study will involve, then please attend this in-person study information session on Monday 27th March at 8.00pm (GMT) in the Albert Lecture Theatre in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). (Located at 123 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland)
Study investigators will present the study details at this information session and provide you with an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
Quotes from Rugby Headgear Effectiveness Study Press Release – Dec 2022
IRFU Medical Director Dr. Rod McLoughlin commented: “Today’s announcement is another important step forward as we learn more about the effectiveness of headgear in reducing brain injury biomarkers. This partnership reaffirms the IRFU’s commitment to making rugby a safer sport for all players and I would encourage as many participants as possible to take part in the study over the next two years. The IRFU’s approach, based on scientific evidence, involves a commitment to ongoing education, monitoring and application of safety protocols across the game and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Dr Philip J. O’Halloran and World Rugby as we work together in this hugely important area of research.”
World Rugby’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Éanna Falvey added: “We never stand still when it comes to player welfare. While standard padded headgear does not prevent head injury, we are always keen to explore advances in technology that have the potential to reduce the risk of injury. We are therefore delighted to be supporting a process that enables the assessment of headgear devices which have been designed to achieve specific, quantifiable medical purposes. We look forward to seeing the results.”
