Summer Ott, PsyD. Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and director of the UTHealth Houston Concussion Program in affiliation with Memorial Hermann | Rockets Sports Medicine Institute.

Summer Ott, PsyD

  • Professor
  • Director of Concussion Program, Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute
Contact
713-486-3435

Biography

Summer Ott, PsyD, is a neuropsychologist with extensive clinical and research experience in sports-related concussions and traumatic brain injuries. She provides neuropsychological evaluations for individuals with sports- and non-sports-related brain injuries, including former collegiate and professional athletes. 

Academic and Clinical Leadership 

Dr. Ott is a professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. She serves as director of the UTHealth Houston Concussion Program, in affiliation with Memorial Hermann | Rockets Sports Medicine Institute. 

Additionally, Dr. serves as a neuropsychological consultant for several Houston professional sports teams, including the Houston Texans, Houston Rockets, Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash. In addition, she works with numerous collegiate athletic programs and school districts across Texas to support the evaluation and management of sports-related concussions. 

Professional Service 

Dr. Ott serves on advisory committees for USA Cheer and Major League Rugby. She is also a founding member of the Sports Neuropsychology Society (SNS) and a member of the Society’s Awards and Honors Committee. 

Concussion Research and Advocacy 

Dr. Ott has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, The TIRR Moody Endowment, The Toyota Way Forward Fund and Mission Connect to study concussive injuries in adolescent athletes. She has co-authored numerous publications on sports-related concussions. 

She also served on the task force that developed language for Natasha’s Law, (external link) Texas legislation that established return-to-play guidelines for school-aged athletes who sustain concussions. 

Schedule an Appointment 

Dr. Ott sees patients at our orthopedic clinics in the Texas Medical Center and  Pearland. If you would like an appointment or consultation, please call her office at 713-486-3435 or submit an appointment request online. (external link) 

 

Education

Undergraduate Degree
University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri
Masters of Science
University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri
Doctorate
Doctorate of Psychology, Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, Springfield, Missouri
Internship
Neuropsychology Internship, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Fellowship
Neuropsychology Fellowship, Sport Concussion Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Publications

Visit the PubMed profile page

Refereed Original Articles in Journals

  • Ryan, J.J., Schnakenberg, S.D., & Kreiner, D.S. Effects of altered instructions on WAIS-III Digit Symbol-Coding subtest. Psychological Reports, 88, 987-988, 2001.
  • Kreiner, D.S., Schnakenberg, S.D., Green, A.G., Costello, M.J., & Mclin, A.F. Effects of spelling errors on the perception of writers.  Journal of General Psychology, 129, 5-17, 2002.
  • Ryan, J.J., & Schnakenberg-Ott, S.D. Scoring Reliability on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale –Third Edition (WAIS-III).  Assessment,10, 151-159, 2003.
  • Claycomb, C.D., Ryan, J.J., Miller, L.J., & Schnakenberg-Ott, S.D. Relationships among ADHD, induced labor, and selected physiological and demographic variables. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 689-693, 2004.
  • Schnakenberg-Ott, S.D., Ryan, J.J., & Tree, H.A. WAIS-III incidental learning base rates: Findings for college student and patient samples. Perceptual Motor Skills, 99, 903-908, 2004.
  • Schnakenberg-Ott, S.D., Ryan, J.J., Tree, H.A., Kreiner, D.S., & Halfaker, D.A. High scatter and WAIS-III short form validity. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 20, 936, 2005.
  • Ryan, J. J., Kreiner, D. S., Bartels, J. M., Tree, H. A., & Schnakenberg-Ott, S. D. Thirty-second interval patterns for WAIS-III Digit Symbol and Symbol Search. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 21, 705-709, 2006.
  • Moser, R., Schatz, P., Neidzwski, K. & Ott, S. Group vs. individual administration affects baseline neurocognitive test performance. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, (39), 2325-2330,
  • Schatz, P., Moser, R., Solomon, G., Ott, S., & Karpf. R. Prevalence of invalid computerized baseline neurocognitive test result in high school and college athletes. Journal of Athletic Training, 47(3), 289-296,
  • Schatz, P., Kelley, T., Ott, S., Solomon, G., Elbin, R., Higgins, K. et al. Utility of repeated assessment following invalid baseline performance. Journal of Athletic Training, 49(5), 659-64,
  • Ott, S., Schatz, P., Solomon, G., & Ryan, J. Neurocognitive performance and symptom profiles of Spanish-speaking Hispanic athletes on ImPACT test. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 29(2), 152-163,
  • Amonette, W.E., Boyle, M., Psarakis, M., Barker, J., Dupler, T., & Ott, S. Neurocognitive responses to a single bout of  static squats with whole body vibration. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29 (1), 96-100,
  • Ryan, J., Sumerall, S., Seeley, J., Umfleet, L., Kreiner, D., Brown, K. & Ott, S. WAIS-IV coding performance of young adults: Transcription patterns and incidental learning procedures. North American Journal of Psychology, 17 (1), 197-212,
  • Blake, M., Ott, S., Villanyi, E., Kazhuro, K., & Schatz, P. Influence of language of administration on ImPACT performance by bilingual Spanish-English College students. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 30 (4), 302-309,
  • Newome, M., Li, X., Wilde, E., Ott, S. Biekman, B., Hunger, J., Dash, P., Taylor, B., & Levin, H. Functional connectivity is altered in concussed adolescents despite medical clearance to return to play: A preliminary report. Frontiers in Neurology, (7), 1-9, 2017.
  • Gunter, K.B., Shields, C.J., Ott, S.D., & Coronado, R.A. Rehabilitation of an adolescent equestrian athlete with a history of multiple concussions: a case report describing an adapted return to sport protocol. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 48(12), 934-942,
  • Aggarwal, S.S., Ott, S.D., Padhye, N.S.Meininger, J.C., & Armstrong, T.S. Clinical and demographic predictors of concussion resolution in adolescents: A retrospective study. Applied Neuropsychology, Child, 8(1), 50-60, 2019.
  • Wilde, E., Newsome, M. Ott, S., Hunter, J., Dash, P., Redell, J. et al. (2019). Persistent disruptions of brain connectivity after sports related concussion in a female athlete. Journal of Neurotrauma, 1089/neu.2019.6377. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Mohler, S., Elbin, J., Ott, S., Butts, C., McDermott, B., & Ganio, M. How long after maximal exertion should baseline computerized neurocognitive testing and symptom assessment be administered? Brain Injury, 35(2), 241-247. 2021.
  • Ott S.D., Cheema SK, Ryder A, Schatz P, Gonzalez LA, Duran J, Schulz PE. Information seeking behaviors and attitudes of wives of former football players regarding chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2025 Jan-Feb;32(1):20-27. doi: 10.1080/23279095.2022.2145892. Epub 2022 Nov 24. PMID: 36420766.
  • Ott S., Redell J, Cheema S, Schatz P, Becker E. Progesterone Levels in Adolescent Female Athletes May Contribute to Decreased Cognitive Performance During Acute Phase of Sports-Related Concussion. Dev Neuropsychol. 2024 Mar-Apr;49(2):86-97. doi: 10.1080/87565641.2024.2309556. Epub 2024 Feb 5. PMID: 38314752.
  • Ott S.D., Cheema SK, Axel H, Aggarwal SS, Parks NR, Gattu N, Schatz P. Concussion knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors: a comparison study of youth athletes and their parents. Phys Sportsmed. 2025 Feb 25:1-7. doi: 10.1080/00913847.2025.2470608. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39976258.

Invited Articles

  • Solomon, G.S., Ott, S.D., & Lovell, M.R. Long term neurocognitive dysfunction in sports: what is the evidence? Clinics in Sports Medicine, 30 (1), 165-77, 2011.
  • Ott, S.D. & Herceg, M. Psychologists best to assess concussions, gender effects. National Psychologist, 26, (3), 13, 2017.
  • Ott, S.D., Bailey, C.M., & Broshek, D.K. An interdisciplinary approach to sports concussion evaluation and management: The role of a neuropsychologist. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acx132 (external link). 2018.

Invited Book Chapter

  • Schnakenberg-Ott, S.D., & Lovell, M.R. “Psychological stress and spinal cord injury.” In Fink, G, Ed. Elsevier, San Diego, CA, 557-560. 2007.