A new Fellowship to develop sports-related concussion care in Ireland has been established in honour of the late US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney – one of the most influential figures in NFL history.

The Concussion Research Fellowship is the result of a partnership between RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, UPMC Ireland and UPMC Concussion Network partners in Ireland.

A former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers and co-founder of The Ireland Funds charity, Mr Rooney died in 2017.

Mr Rooney was born in Pittsburgh in 1932 into a family that helped to found the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of American football's most successful teams. The philanthropist was also known for his great support of Irish cultural, educational and charitable causes. He served as Ambassador to Ireland between 2009 and 2012 under the Obama administration.

"UPMC is delighted to partner with RCSI to establish a concussion Fellowship in memory of Dan Rooney, whose love of sports and Ireland was legendary," said Michael 'Micky' Collins, PhD, Director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Programme and an internationally renowned expert in sports-related concussion. "This position will help to ensure the continued growth of high-quality, evidence-based concussion care in Ireland."

Professor Suzanne McDonough, Head of the RCSI School of Physiotherapy, said: "RCSI is proud to partner with UPMC, a world leader in the field of concussion, in order to establish this Fellowship. This is a fantastic opportunity for a qualified candidate to develop the skills needed to change how concussion is managed in Ireland."

The two-year Fellowship will begin in September 2021. The Fellow will be based at the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Programme, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, during the first six months of the programme, and at UPMC Concussion Network partner facilities in Ireland and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences for the remaining 18 months .

The Fellow will be responsible for the development and implementation of a sport-related concussion (SRC) research programme in Ireland, with RCSI (Dr Helen French and Louise Keating, RCSI School of Physiotherapy), based on initial training and mentoring in concussion clinical research methods and development of clinical research outputs through UPMC.

More information on the fellowship can be found here.