Principal Investigator

Lab Director

David Howell, PhD, ATC

The overarching goal of Dr. Howell’s research is to evaluate objective and quantitative measures that provide clinically relevant data for concussion management and to discover the physiologic underpinnings of post-concussion deficits. A concussion is a multifaceted and heterogeneous injury, so monitoring recovery and determining biological predictors of long-term outcomes remains challenging. Currently, Dr. Howell and his team are focused on establishing a framework to better understand and assess effective methods to allow athletes with a concussion to return to full sports participation in a safe manner. Outside of the office, Dr. Howell enjoys activities that are typical for a Colorado resident: fly-fishing, skiing, hiking, and exploring places that don’t get cell service.

Title:

Lead Researcher, Sports Medicine Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Assistant Professor 
Department of Orthopedics
University of Colorado School of Medicine

Director of Clinical Research 
Colorado Program for Musculoskeletal Research 
Department of Orthopedics
University of Colorado School of Medicine

David.Howell@CUAnschutz.edu

Primary research interests:
Pediatric concussion; human movement analysis; youth athlete health
Links to complete bibliography of published work:
https://profiles.ucdenver.edu/display/15074432
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/david.howell.1/bibliography/public/

BA, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA
MS, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
PhD, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Post-Doc, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Associate Lab Director

Julie C. Wilson, MD.

Through her clinical practice and corresponding research, Dr. Wilson’s goal is to advance the clinical care of children and adolescents with concussions through research investigating methods to diagnosis, manage and reduce the risk of concussions and their subsequent effects. As the Co-Director of the Concussion Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Dr. Wilson provides a wealth of experience as someone who treats children with a concussion on a daily basis, conveying unique insights from both a clinician and patient/parent perspective to incorporate into our ongoing research studies. Outside of work, Dr. Wilson enjoys cycling, snowboarding, spending time with her dogs, and trying to find the best tea and ice cream shops in Colorado.

Lab Members

Doctoral Students

Kate Smulligan, PT, DPT

Mathew Wingerson, MS

Mathew Wingerson is a Ph.D. student in the CU Rehabilitation Science program with an interest in sport-related concussions. Mathew previously worked as a Research Assistant in the Colorado Concussion Laboratory (2020-2022). He graduated from Simpson College (IA) in 2019 with a degree in Psychology and MS in Applied Sport Psychology in 2021. Mathew’s research interests include psychosocial outcomes of sports injury, as well as sport psychology interventions during injury rehabilitation. Outside of being a Ph.D. student, Mathew enjoys sports, hiking, and reading.

Research Professionals

Madison (Madi) Brna, BS

Madison (Madi) Brna, BS, is a research professional in the Sports Medicine Center at the Children’s Hospital Colorado working and assisting in clinical research coordination for Primary Care Sports Medicine Providers and the Howell Concussion Lab. Madi graduated from the University of Virginia (2022) where she studied Kinesiology. During her time as an undergrad, Madi worked with UVA Sports Medicine and was heavily involved in sports concussion research. She is excited to continue to explore the world of concussion and its integration with other areas of sports medicine research. She hopes to pursue higher education in medicine in the near future. Outside of research, Madi enjoys watching sports, running, reading, jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her dog Tabasco.

Lindsey Kemp, BS

Lindsey  Kemp, BS, is a research professional in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus supporting and assisting in study coordination for Dr. David Howell and Dr. Julie Wilson's ongoing research studies. Lindsey graduated from East Carolina University (2018) with a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Multidisciplinary studies focused on Neuroscience. Prior to her work in the concussion lab, she worked on clinical immune monitoring of immuno-oncology therapies. She is excited to learn more about concussions and hopes to use prior knowledge to assist in the biological analyses of patient samples and data.

Samantha Magliato, BS

Samantha Magliato is a research professional in the Colorado Concussion Research Lab. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University in January 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a focus in biomechanics and a minor in Chemistry. Throughout undergrad, Samantha was a competitive rower and continues to enjoy being active outdoors. Samantha is an aspiring physician-researcher in the field of orthopedics and sports medicine with interests in concussion and injury prevention

Master's Students

Ryan LaGreca, BA

Undergraduate Students

Samuel Messenger, BS

Physical Therapy Students

Lab Alumni

Morgan Potter, Research Assistant (2017-2019). Current: Ph.D. Student, University of Delaware

Tatiana Patismas, Medical Resident (2019-2020). Current: Sports Medicine Fellow, Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Katie Van Deventer, Medical Student (2019-2020). Current: Medical Resident, UC-Irvine.

Julia Southard, Undergraduate Intern, Regis University (2019).

Corrine Seehusen, Research Assistant (2019-2021). Current: Medical Student, University of New England.

Linda Neely, Master’s Student (2021-2022). Current: Physical Therapy Assistant, University of Colorado Health System.

Casey Little, Research Assistant (2021-2022). Current: Medical Student, University of Virginia

Jake Rademacher, Undergraduate Intern (2022-2023).