BIANYS names Upstate Concussion Center director new co-chair for statewide initiative

ALBANY, N.Y. — The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS), a statewide nonprofit membership organization that advocates on behalf of people with brain injuries, announced that Brian Rieger, Ph.D. has been appointed co-chair of the agency’s statewide Concussion Initiative.

Rieger is chief psychologist and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. A specialist in brain injury, he is director of the Upstate Concussion Center. Rieger will support the committee in his new role alongside longstanding BIANYS board member and co-chair Andrew Hess, Ph.D, per a BIANYS news release.

Rieger earned his bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and obtained his Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Fordham University in New York City. He is a frequent speaker on the topic of concussion and sports-concussion at medical, sports, academic, and community forums. His research interests include academic problems due to concussion as well as “novel” assessment techniques in concussion management, according to the release.

The BIANYS Concussion Initiative was developed by the organization as an interdisciplinary approach to issues related to concussion. The goals of the initiative are to identify and implement protocols to help New Yorkers who sustain concussions, advocate for public policy addressing concussion, and implement a statewide educational standard that addresses concussion for those affected by concussion.

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