Four-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Hayley Wickenheiser and Dr. Chris Nowinski Join Highmark Brain Initiative, A New Concussion Focused Foundation

TORONTO, March 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Concussions are an increasingly common topic of late. Unfortunately, this attention is due to many tragic stories of current and former athletes that have suffered the injury and its often-significant consequences. A group out of Toronto is hoping to bring even further attention to the issue having just launched Highmark Brain Initiative, a new not-for-profit whose mission is to educate the public, create awareness and further concussion research.

The Highmark group is building an ecosystem of concussion-focused organizations, initially with Highmark Health, a group of clinics in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2017 they founded Highmark Interactive, a medical technology company creating the world's first mobile, multi-metric testing system using games to drive engagement and test accuracy.

"Highmark Brain Initiative was a really important next step for us," said Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, co-founder of both Highmark Health and Highmark Interactive. "This represents an opportunity for us to give back, and create a better, safer future for athletes and the public as a whole. Concussions will never go away entirely, they happen as a routine part of life, but what we can do is better educate the public on the signs and symptoms, and improve our ability to test for, and recover from concussions."

Highmark Brain Initiative will host ongoing speaker series events across North America, as well as a monthly podcast, giving a voice to the foremost thought leaders in the concussion world. They plan to include physicians, current and former professional athletes, politicians, med-tech leaders, and more. Funds will also be used for furthering concussion research through important studies.

Hayley Wickenheiser, a longtime advocate for mental health and concussion safety, has joined Highmark Brain Initiative's board of directors. Hayley is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, Order of Canada recipient and member of numerous athlete-focused organizations, who also has her sights set on a career in medicine.

"This initiative is important to me personally because I've seen first-hand the impact of concussions on life ? both quantity and quality. I've lost dear friends because of the long-term effects of brain trauma, and I want to play some role in improving those odds," said Wickenheiser, who just announced she has pledged to donate her brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation to support research. "I believe in the science of Highmark and the purpose of this Foundation. I am proud of the work they are doing, and I want to be a part of it."

Also joining Highmark Brain Initiative on their Board of Advisors is Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. Nowinski is also co-founder of the Boston University CTE Center and the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank. Nowinski was an All-Ivy defensive tackle at Harvard University, and a professional wrestler with WWE before post-concussion syndrome forced him to retire. He is the author of the book Head Games: The Global Concussion Crisis.

"After a concussion changed my life fifteen years ago, I made it my mission to raise awareness and improve outcomes for patients fighting concussion and CTE," said Nowinski. "I look forward to working with Hayley Wickenheiser and the Highmark Brain Initiative to reach new levels of public awareness and education about how to prevent and treat these invisible injuries."

Highmark Brain Initiative will make an announcement soon with details on their first event, as well as details on where to find their podcast.

For more information on how to donate to Highmark Brain Initiative, please visit http://braininitiative.ngo