2. Research
  3. Clinical Research
  4. Concussion Program Research
  5. Concussion Program Research Team

Concussion Program Research Team

 

 

Summer Ott, Psy.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UTHealth Houston and Director of the Concussion Program at UTHealth Houston in affiliation with the Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Sports Concussion Program in 2007, Dr. Ott relocated to the greater Houston area, where she became the first specialist in her field locally and went on to develop three interdisciplinary concussion programs across separate institutions, each focused on comprehensive athlete care and concussion management. She was a key member of the task force that developed verbiage for a sports concussion bill in Texas known as Natasha’s Law. Signed into law in June 2012, the bill established return-to-play guidelines for school-aged athletes with concussions.

Currently, Dr. Ott serves as the neuropsychological consultant for most Houston professional sports teams, including the Houston Texans, Dash, Dynamo, and Rockets, and for teams from numerous universities and school districts throughout Texas. In addition to clinical practice, she frequently conducts presentations regarding identification and management of concussive injury.

Dr. Ott has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on multiple funded studies. These include an NIH-funded collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine investigating neuroimaging and biomarkers in adolescents post-concussion, and a Moody Endowment–funded study exploring the relationship between post-acute emotional distress, hypothalamic hormone levels, and delayed recovery in female athletes. Currently, she leads a clinical trial funded by The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) Foundation’s Mission Connect program evaluating the effects of photobiomodulation therapy on the clinical recovery of adolescents following concussion. Additionally, Dr. Ott  serves as Co-PI on a Toyota Way Forward–funded feasibility study evaluating the usability and acceptance of concussion-related mobile applications.

In addition to funded research, Dr. Ott and her team are overseeing several ongoing projects focused on the reliability and validity of mobile assessment tools and validation of a screening tool for balance disturbance, and personality factors influencing concussion recovery as well as a comprehensive patient database aimed at supporting ongoing and future research aimed at improving concussion diagnosis, management, and outcomes.

Dr. Ott has co‐authored publications on neuropsychological assessment and sports-related concussion and is an ad hoc reviewer for scientific journals, including The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Athletic Training, and Applied Neuropsychology-Child.

Dr. Ott is a founding member and fellow of the Sports Neuropsychological Society (SNS), where she has served on multiple committees. Dr. Ott was appointed to the USA Cheer Health Advisory Committee and Medical Advisory Committee for Major League Rugby (MLR), where I also serve as the league’s Lead Neuropsychologist.