2025 Year-End Highlights Reel
IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from the Director | National Recognition for Dr. Stan Herring | Mental Strength Training | Game Plan Equestrian | ExerciseRx Research | Husky Fellowship | Advancing the Field | Get Involved
Message from our Director
I’m honored to step into my first year as director of The Sports Institute at UW Medicine. As Clinical Professor in Sports & Spine Medicine and the holder of the Endowed Professorship in Sports & Exercise Medicine, I dedicate my career to making sports and physical activity safer and more accessible for everyone.
What excites me most about TSI is how we set ourselves apart through our unique ability to rapidly translate sports health and safety research into real-world impact. Whether it’s working with schools and sports medicine organizations to continue to educate and advocate regarding sports concussions, enrolling a coach in our program to support an athlete’s mental health, educating a volunteer at a sporting event how to respond until EMS arrives, or providing a cancer survivor getting personalized exercise support through a digital platform at home, our work reaches beyond the laboratory to change lives on the field, in the clinic, and in our communities.
This year brought incredible milestones, from national recognition of our concussion safety leadership to groundbreaking partnerships that will expand our programs across Washington and beyond. None of this happens without you – our generous donors and passionate supporters who are committed to our vision.
Thank you for being a part of our team.
Cindy Lin, MD, FACSM, FAAPM&R
Dr. Stan Herring, TSI Co-Founder, Honored Nationally for Sports Safety Leadership
This year, Dr. Stan Herring’s pioneering work in youth concussion safety received national recognition through three major honors. He received the prestigious American College of Sports Medicine’s Honor Award for his outstanding scholarly and scientific contributions to sports medicine and sports science. In addition, at the 2025 ACSM Annual Meeting, he delivered the D.B. Dill Historical Lecture, sharing the story of the Zackery Lystedt Law and youth concussion protections that have now spread nationwide. He was also inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Hall of Fame last May for his medical advisory work and safety contributions to Washington state interscholastic activities. Dr. Herring is the first physician ever elected to the WIAA Hall of Fame.
Dr. Herring’s advocacy launched the national movement for youth concussion legislation. Building on that legacy, TSI recently significantly updated our Sports & Physical Activity Legislation Tracker in partnership with the UW Center for Leadership in Athletics and the King County Play Equity Coalition. This free, comprehensive tool maps over 700 bills across all 50 states and at the federal level, helping coaches, educators, policymakers, and researchers track legislation related to safety, access, and accountability in youth sports. What began with groundbreaking concussion protections in Washington has evolved into a national platform tracking sports safety legislation on every front.
These honors validate what we’ve known for years: TSI’s leadership in sports safety is transforming how we protect athletes across the country.
Learn more about the Lystedt Law and our concussion safety work
Explore the Youth Sports & Physical Activity Legislation Tracker
Mental Strength Training Pilot Shows Promising Results
More than 150 high school athletes from two Seattle Public Schools completed our Mental Strength Training pilot last spring, learning practical coping strategies like controlled breathing, visualization, and goal setting. Coaches valued the program’s flexibility, integrating activities like breathing exercises and visualization into their regular practices and seeing positive engagement from athletes.
“Working on this pilot gave me a front-row seat to something really special,” said Lucy Newlin, UW women’s soccer captain and TSI Husky Fellow. “I’ve seen firsthand how much pressure the next generation of athletes faces, and it’s only gotten more intense since I was in high school. Being able to contribute to research that actually equips them with practical coping skills, not just tells them to ‘be mentally tough,’ felt like the most meaningful work I could do. These athletes deserve tools that meet them where they are, and Mental Strength Training does exactly that.”
Incorporating athletes’ and coaches’ feedback from our pilot, we’re dreaming big. We’re now building a mobile phone app that will ultimately help us deliver a comprehensive program, addressing the teen mental health crisis by teaching emotional resilience through the language of sports to athletes across the state and the country. This work, which will be funded by philanthropic gifts and grants, will equip young athletes with skills that will serve them far beyond the playing field.
Explore Mental Strength Training and support this work
GamePlan Film Series Reaches 120,000+ Views Worldwide
Our free GamePlan film series continues to educate coaches, first responders, and laypersons on sports emergency response. The first two films – on managing on-field neck injuries and assessing suspected concussions – have now reached over 120,000 views worldwide. These resources have been adopted by athletic training programs, elite sports organizations, and sports medicine providers internationally.
This fall, we filmed our third video focused on emergency response to equestrian sports injuries, partnering with Aspen Farms and Seattle Fire Department Medic One. Sponsors included Crotty Family Foundation, Adler-Giersch Law Firm, US Eventing Association Foundation, and an anonymous donor.
“Equestrian sports present unique challenges for emergency response. Horses are unpredictable, events often take place in remote locations, and both riders and bystanders need to know how to respond safely when there’s a serious injury,” said Rusty Lowe, Paramedic, USEA Board VP of Safety and consultant on the GamePlan equestrian film. “The response we saw when we previewed modules at the USEA Conference in New Orleans confirmed what we already knew: our community has been waiting for this kind of practical, accessible training resource. This film will fill a critical gap in equestrian safety education.”
The equestrian video will be released in spring 2026.
The success of the GamePlan series – 120,000+ views and counting – demonstrates the urgent need for accessible, evidence-based sports safety training. Donor support makes it possible for us to continue growing this library, with future films planned on emergency response in other high-risk sports, the advantages for youth who play multiple sports, and mental health crisis de-escalation for athletes. Each film represents a significant investment in production, medical expertise, and community partnerships…and a lasting resource that saves lives.
Watch our GamePlan videos and learn how you can support future productions
ExerciseRxTM Platform: $3 Million in Research Grant Funding to Date
Our ExerciseRx digital platform has received over $3 million in research grant funding since its inception, supporting groundbreaking research studies that demonstrate how personalized exercise programs can transform patient care. This year brought the $1 million Andy Hill CARE Fund Award to evaluate home-based exercise interventions for bladder cancer patients. Additional grants supporting other patient populations demonstrate the far-reaching importance of physical activity and exercise across diverse medical conditions.
By integrating physical activity tracking with personalized recommendations from healthcare teams, the ExerciseRx platform is changing how physicians support patients in leading more active, healthier lives – research that translates directly from the lab to the doctor’s office.
Learn more about research using our ExerciseRx platform
Husky Fellowship Develops Student-Athlete Leaders
Lucy Newlin, a senior physiology and chemistry major and captain of the UW women’s soccer team, exemplifies the impact of the Husky Fellowship. As a Husky Fellow, Lucy contributed to the Mental Strength Training pilot, helped update our youth sports legislation tracker, and gained hands-on experience at the intersection of healthcare, sports, and technology.
Funded by the Steve & Dixie Wilson Endowed Fund, the fellowship gives exceptional UW student-athletes paid internships that blend academic credit with professional development, channeling their athletic discipline and teamwork into preparation for successful careers beyond the field. Lucy’s work this year directly shaped programs that will reach thousands of young athletes across Washington. Student-athlete interest in the fellowship far exceeds our current capacity of supporting one fellow per quarter. With additional donor support, we could expand the program, reaching more students like Lucy.
Learn more about and support the Husky Fellowship
Advancing the Field Through Research and Education
Our faculty’s expertise extends far beyond our local community. In 2025, TSI faculty presented at major national and international conferences, sharing our research and advancing the conversation around sports safety, concussion management, traumatic brain injury classification, and exercise as medicine.
TSI faculty were represented at:
- American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting (Atlanta, GA)
- American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting (Kansas City, MO)
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Annual Meeting (Salt Lake City, UT)
- International Neuropsychological Society Conference (New Orleans, LA)
- 15th Annual Traumatic Brain Injury Conference (Boston, MA)
- 53rd Annual Northwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Meeting & Symposium (Bellevue, WA)
- Brain Injury Trauma Summit (Seattle, WA)
- Amsterdam International Consensus Concussion in Sport Group (Milwaukee, WI)
Dr. Stan Herring delivered his D.B. Dill Historical Lecture at the ACSM Annual Meeting, titled “The Zackery Lystedt Story: The History of Youth Concussion Laws,” bringing national attention to Washington’s pioneering role in youth sports safety legislation.
Dr. Christine Mac Donald led groundbreaking work on the NIH-NINDS Traumatic Brain Injury Classification and Nomenclature Initiative, with her team publishing in The Lancet Neurology, one of the world’s most prestigious neurology journals. This work is reshaping how the medical community understands and categorizes traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Cindy Lin presented on innovative applications of wearable technology and digital health tools in sports medicine and rehabilitation, while Dr. Sara Chrisman advanced research on youth concussion recovery and the psychological factors that influence healing.
Our team’s 2025 publications appeared in leading peer-reviewed journals including:
- The Lancet Neurology
- Journal of Neurotrauma
- Brain Injury
- Urologic Oncology
- Current Sports Medicine Reports
- Brain Imaging and Behavior
- Frontiers in Neurology
This academic rigor ensures that TSI’s programs are grounded in evidence-based practice, and that our innovations contribute to the broader scientific understanding of sports health and safety.
Get in the Game
Learn More. Visit thesportsinstitute.com to explore the full scope of our work and see how your support creates lasting impact.
Reach Out. We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at tsiadmin@uw.edu or reach out to Wendy Kelley, Director for Philanthropy, at wkelley@uw.edu or 206.616.8207 to learn more, share ideas, or explore partnership opportunities.
Make an Impact Today. Every TSI program exists because of donor support. Your gift directly enables us to expand sports safety education, advance cutting-edge research, and create programs that reach from youth playing fields to professional teams. Make a gift to The Sports Institute