Ash Kolstad
MSc, BSc (Hons)
PhD Student
Ash Kolstad聽completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree (2019) and Master of Science degree (Specialization: Sport Medicine, 2021) in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the 草莓污视频导航. He is currently completing a PhD degree (Specialization: Sport Injury Epidemiology) within the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre at the 草莓污视频导航 with a focus on personal protective equipment including mouthguards and helmet fit as potential concussion prevention avenues across multiple youth sports.听
In his youth years, Ash sustained multiple concussions from body checking in youth ice hockey which resulted in his inability to continue playing ice hockey and other collision sports, and resulting in his suffering from daily post-concussion symptoms for the past 14 years. It was through suffering these concussions that Ash found a passion for learning more about the different components of concussion and injury prevention 聽research. Ash started in the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre in his grade 11 high school year under the supervision of Dr. Carolyn Emery. Ash鈥檚 research experience and training includes being an intern at the Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program to understand the experiences adolescents have while recovering from concussion (supervised by: Dr. Romita Chodhury & Dr. Nancy Marlett), using the KINARM Robotic platform to understand the influence of concussion on sensorimotor function and visuomotor adaption of upper limb movements (supervised by: Dr. Tyler Cluff & Dr. Carolyn Emery), and examining symptom and performance validity testing in youth suffering mild traumatic brain injury (supervised by: Dr. Keith Yeates). Ash's undergraduate honours project assessed if a relationship existed between baseline psychosocial (e.g., anxiety) and physiological (e.g., headache) factors for predicting time to recovery in youth suffering concussion (supervised by: Dr. Keith Yeates & Dr. Kathryn Schneider). Through his MSc research, Ash examined mouthguard use and the risk of concussion in youth ice hockey players, which showed a 28% lower rate of concussion when a mouthguard was worn (both dentist-fit and store bought types showed consistent protection), which he hopes will inform policy to mandate mouthguard use across youth ice hockey leagues internationally.
As a current PhD Candidate within the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre (Supervisors: Dr. Carolyn Emery & Dr. Brent Hagel), Ash has been a student-mentor for over 10 students in completing their undergraduate, MSc, and PhD work across different areas of injury prevention and video analysis methods with a leading or contributing author to 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He is continuing his own evaluation of personal protective equipment for the prevention of concussion across multiple collision-based sports, including evaluation of coach helmet fit training practices on the risk of concussion in youth tackle football. Ash鈥檚 PhD work is part of the SHRed Concussions pan-Canadian longitudinal research study (supported by the NFL Play Smart, Play Safe grant) and he receives funding (and is grateful for this funding) for his PhD work from the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship, CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Doctoral Award, and the 草莓污视频导航 Eyes High Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship. Ash strongly believes that injury prevention starts with partnerships with research institutions and sport organizations to co-lead strategies to maximize benefits to the sport and promote player safety.听
Awards and Distinctions
2024 Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium Travel Award (Feb 2024)
2023 Best Poster Presentation 鈥 PhD, Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Research Retreat (Dec 2023)
2023 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement Award (Dec 2023)
2023-25 Izaak Walton Killam Doctoral Award, 草莓污视频导航 (May 2023-April 2025)
2023 Professional Development Award, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航 (March 2023)
2023 Citizenship Award, 草莓污视频导航 Graduate Student鈥檚 Association (Feb 2023)
2022 Presentation Award, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航 (Oct 2022)
2022 COVID Relief Award, Graduate College, 草莓污视频导航 (March 2022)
2022 Graduate Scholar Award, Graduate College, 草莓污视频导航 (Jan 2022)
2022 Presentation Award, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航 (Oct 2021)
2021 Presentation Award, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航 (Feb 2021)
2021-24 Frederick Banting and Charles Best Doctoral Scholarship, CIHR (Sept 2021-Aug 2024)
2021-25 Eyes High Doctoral Student Recruitment Scholarship, 草莓污视频导航 (July 2021-June 2025)
2021 Leadership Award, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航 (Feb 2021)
2019-20 MSc Graduate funding, Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Research Institute (May 2020-Aug 2021)聽
2020 Graduate Student of the Year, Human Performance Lab, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航 (Dec 2020)
2020-21 Canada Graduate Scholarship 鈥 Masters Award, CIHR (May 2020-April 2021)
2020-21 Graduate MSc Scholarship, 草莓污视频导航 (Sept 2020-Aug 2021)
2020 Conference Travel Award, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Integrated Concussion Research Program (Feb 2020)聽
2020 Presentation Award, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航 (Feb 2020)
2019-20 MSc Graduate funding, Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Research Institute (Sept 2019-Aug 2020)
2019-20 MSc Graduate funding, Integrated Concussion Research Program, 草莓污视频导航 (Sept 2019-Aug 2020)聽
2019 Undergraduate Summer Research Studentship, Alberta Innovates (May-August 2019)
2019 Dr. Gary McPherson Leadership Scholarship, Alberta Student Aid, $2,000 (February 2019)
2018 Travel and Conference Funding, 草莓污视频导航 Students Union (August 2018)
2018 Patti Lou Doornbos Memorial Scholarship in Sport Injury Prevention Research (June 2018)
2018 Undergraduate Summer Research Studentship, Alberta Innovates (May-August 2018)
2017-18 Dean鈥檚 List, Faculty of Kinesiology, 草莓污视频导航
2017 Jason Lang Scholarship, Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education (December 2017)
2017-18 Undergraduate Summer Research Studentship, Markin Undergraduate Student Research Program in Health and Wellness, 草莓污视频导航 (Nov 2017-Feb 2018)
2017 Undergraduate Summer Research Studentship, Markin Undergraduate Student Research Program in Health and Wellness, 草莓污视频导航 (May-Aug 2017)
2016 Jason Lang Scholarship, Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education, $1,000 (Dec 2016)
2016 Best Poster Presentation, Undergraduate Research Symposium, 草莓污视频导航 (Dec 2016)
2016 R. Tait McKenzie and Kinemedics Award for Best Research Paper and Podium Presentation, Canadian Academy of Sport & Exercise Medicine (July 2016)
2016 Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarship, Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, 草莓污视频导航 (May-Aug 2016)
2016 Undergraduate Summer Research Studentship, Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (May-Aug 2016)聽
2016 Undergraduate Summer Research Studentship, Markin Undergraduate Student Research Program in Health and Wellness, 草莓污视频导航 (May-Aug 2016)
2015 Jason Lang Scholarship, Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education, $1,000 (December 2015)
2015 Undergraduate Summer Research Studentship, Program for Undergraduate Research Experience, (May-Aug 2015)
2015 Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarship, Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, 草莓污视频导航 (May-Aug 2015)
2015 Laurence Decore Award for Student Leadership, Alberta Heritage Scholarship Fund, Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education, $1,000 (March 2015)
2014 Alexander Rutherford High School Achievement Scholarship, Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education, $2,500 (Sept 2014)
Publications
Recent Peer-Reviewed Manuscripts
- Eliason, P. H., Galarneau, J. M., *Kolstad, A. T., Pankow, M. P., West, S. W., Bailey, S., ... & Emery, C. A. (2023). Prevention strategies and Modifiable risk factors for sport-related Concussions and head impacts: a systematic review and meta-analysis.听British journal of sports medicine,听57(12), 749-761.
- Osmond, M.H., Legace, E., Gill, P.J., Correll, R., Cowan, K., Dawson, J.E., Duncan, R., Fox, E., Gupta, K., *Kolstad, A.T., Langevin, L.M., 鈥.& Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium. (2023). Partnering with patients, caregivers, and clinicians to determine research priorities for concussion.听JAMA network open,听6(6), e2316383-e2316383.
- Yeates KO, Barlow KM, Wright B, Tang K, Barrett O, Berdusco E, Black AM, Clark B, Conradi A, Godfrey H, *Kolstad AT鈥 & Johnson, D. W. (2023). Health care impact of implementing a clinical pathway for acute care of pediatric concussion: a stepped wedge, cluster randomised trial. Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine.
- Williamson, R. A, Cairo AL, Heming EE, *Kolstad AT, Hagel BE, Emery CA. (2023). Physical Contact and Suspected Injury Rates in Female versus Male Youth Ice Hockey: A Video-Analysis Study. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine ():10.1097/JSM.0000000000001149, April 5, 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000001149
- *碍辞濒蝉迟补诲听础罢,听Eliason聽PH,听Galarneau聽J, Black AM, Hagel BE, Emery CA.听Protective equipment in youth ice hockey: are mouthguards and helmet age relevant to concussion risk? British Journal of Sports Medicine聽 Published Online First:聽14 March 2023.听doi:聽10.1136/bjsports-2022-105585
- Heming E, Sobry A, Cairo L, *Kolstad AT, West S, Russell K, Goulet C, Hagel B, Emery CA.听Higher Rates of Head Contacts, Body Checking, and Suspected Injuries in Ringette than Female Ice Hockey: Time to Ring in Opportunities for Prevention. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. In Press (accepted September 2022)
- Williamson RA, *Kolstad AT, Nadeau L, Goulet C, Hagel BE, Emery CA. Does Increasing the Severity of Penalties Assessed in Association With the 鈥淶ero Tolerance for Head Contact鈥 Policy Translate to a Reduction in Head Impact Rates in Youth Ice Hockey?. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine: August 18, 2022 - Volume - Issue - 10.1097/JSM.0000000000001063 doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000001063
- *Kolstad, A. T., Chin, M., Martinez, G., Janzen, L., Krolikowski, M., Goulet, C., ... & Emery, C. A. (2022). Evaluating the Effect of Policy Prohibiting Body Checking on Physical Contacts in U15 and U18 Youth Ice Hockey Leagues.听Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 10-1097
- *Kolstad, A. T., Nadeau, L., Eliason, P. H., Goulet, C., Hagel, B. E., & Emery, C. A. (2022). Does disallowing body checking impact offensive performance in non-elite under-15 and under-18 youth ice hockey leagues? A video-analysis study.听International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 17479541221112916.
- Sobry, A. J., *Kolstad, A. T., Janzen, L., Black, A. M., & Emery, C. A. (2022). Concussions and Injuries in Sledge Hockey: Grassroots to Elite Participation. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine: March 1, 2022 -Volume-Issue-doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000001023
Search Strategies
- Emery CA, Kissick J, Nagahiro S, Tator C, Aubry M, Engebretsen L, Johnston K, Maddocks D, Dvor谩k J, Schneider K, Black AM, Martinez G,听Kolstad A. (2016). What strategies can be used to effectively reduce the risk of concussion in sport? A systematic review. PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (National Institute for Health Research).听
Abstracts
- Kolstad A, Nadeau L, Eliason P, Palacios-Derflingher L, Goulet C, Emery CA. (2017). The effect of body checking policy change on offensive game skill performance in 13鈥14 year old ice hockey players.听British Journal of Sports Medicine.听International Olympic Committee鈥檚 World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport.听(345).
- Kolstad AT, Nadeau L, Eliason P, Palacios-Derflingher L, Goulet C, Emery CA. (2017). The effect of body checking policy change on offensive game skill performance in 13鈥14 year old ice hockey players.听Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). (e37)
- Kolstad A, Nadeau L, Eliason P, Palacios-Derflingher L, Goulet C, Emery CA. (2016). The effect of body checking policy change on offensive game skill performance in 11鈥12-year-old ice hockey players.听Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). (e96鈥揺97)