Julianne D. Schmidt

Associate Professor
Department of Kinesiology

Biography

Dr. Julianne Schmidt completed her bachelor’s in Athletic Training at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. She then completed her master’s and PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She began her current position at the University of Georgia in 2013 where she serves in the areas of athletic training and biomechanics. Dr. Schmidt co-directs the UGA Concussion Research Laboratory and the Biomechanics Laboratory.

Areas of Expertise

Athletic Training
Biomechanics

Interests

Concussion
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Sport Safety
Injury Prevention
Neurotrauma

Academic Affiliations

Education

PhD in Human Movement Science, 2013
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
MA in Athletic Training, 2009
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
BA in Athletic Training, 2007
Point Loma Nazarene University

Google Scholar Page Download CV

Contact

Ramsey Center, 373

706-542-4388 (office)

@ugaconcussion

Research Summary

Dr. Julianne Schmidt’s primary research interest is the clinical continuum of concussion. More specifically, her research focuses on biomechanics of sport-related concussion, concussion care seeking, and post-concussion evaluation and management techniques. Her goals with these areas of research are:

Reduce the risk of concussion by identifying biomechanical risk factors.
Increase the number of individuals that seek medical care following a concussion.
Improve current post-concussion evaluation and management techniques available to clinicians with minimal resources.

Dr. Schmidt’s research has focused on the entire spectrum of the injury continuum by addressing concussion prevention, injury mechanisms, evaluation, and management. She strives to make sports safer by reducing the risk of neurotraumatic injuries to the brain. Injury will always be a part of sport, so she simultaneously aims to improve post-injury outcomes.

Grants

Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking (OCCS) In Military Service Members and Athletes: A Machine Learning Approach Using CARE Consortium Data

Dr. Schmidt serves as the principal investigator for this Department of Defense study with aims to I) identify negative outcomes linked with previous history of undiagnosed concussions and delayed medical care and II) identify individual and institutional level risk factors for undiagnosed concussions and delayed medical care.

Drive Safe: Driving Safety in Adolescents and Young Adults after Concussion

Dr. Schmidt serves as the co-principal investigator, alongside Russel Gore at the Shepherd Center, for this Andee’s Army funded study. Schmidt and Gore aim to (I) identify driving impairments at three clinically relevant timepoints post-concussion and (II) to determine which concussion assessments (neurocognition, balance, vestibulo-ocular) predict driving impairment.

Longitudinal Assessment of Post-Concussion Driving (LAPD): Developing Evidence-Based Driving Recommendations

Dr. Schmidt served as the principal investigator for this Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance funded study with aims to aim to (I) longitudinally examin driving impairments post-concussion and (II) to determine which concussion assessments (neurocognition, balance, vestibulo-ocular) predict driving impairment.

NCAA-DoD Grand Alliance: Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium: Longitudinal Clinical Study Core (CSC)

Dr. Schmidt served as a site-principal investigator for the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium from its inception in 2014 to 2021. This research is part of the landmark $30 million NCAA-U.S. Department of Defense initiative aimed at developing a large-scale, multi-site study of the natural history of concussion in both sexes and multiple sports, that will address the current gaps in our knowledge, and shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms of concussion symptoms and trajectory of recovery.

NCAA-DoD Grand Alliance: Mind Matters Challenge - Improving Concussion Reporting Behaviors Across All NCAA Member Institutions

Dr. Schmidt served as the principal investigator for the Mind Matters Challenge grant from 2016-2019. The goal of this research was to assess and improve concussion reporting behaviors among collegiate athletes using a data driven multimedia module.

Changes in Brain Physiology Associated with Youth Tackle and Flag Football: A Pilot Study

Dr. Schmidt served as a co-investigator, alongside the PI Rob Lynall, for the The National Operating Committee on the Standards for Athletic Equipment aimed at examining brain physiology changes following a season of youth tackle and flag football.

Publications

Post-Concussion Driving

Slowed Driving Reaction Time Following Concussion Symptom Resolution.

Lempke LB, Lynall RC, Hoffman NL, Devos H, Schmidt JD
J Sport Health Sci

Post-concussion driving management among athletic trainers.

Schmidt JD, Lempke L, Devos H, Lynall RC
Brain Inj

Post-concussion driving behaviors and opinions: A survey of collegiate student-athletes.

Schmidt JD, Lynall RC, Lempke L, Weber ML, Devos H
J Neurotrauma

Driving after concussion: Is it safe to drive after symptoms resolve?

Schmidt JD, Hoffman NL, Ranchet M, Miller LS, Tomporowski PD, Akinwuntan AE, Devos H
J Neurotrauma

Concussion Care Seeking

Using The Health Belief Model To Predict Concussion Reporting Intentions And Behavior.

Weber Rawlins ML, Welch Bacon CE, Tomporowski P, Gay JL, Bierema L, Schmidt JD
Brain Inj

The Role of Social Support in Concussion Disclosure in United States Air Force Academy Cadets: A Mixed Methods Approach.

1. Weber Rawlins ML, Johnson BR, Jones E, Register-Mihalik JK, Foster C, De Angelis K, Schmidt JD, D’Lauro CJ
Military Medicine

Improving concussion education: consensus from the NCAA-Department of Defense Mind Matters Research & Education Grand Challenge.

Kroshus E, Cameron KL, Coatsworth JD, D’Lauro C, Kim NJ, Lee KM, Register-Mihalik JK, Milroy JJ, Roetert EP, Schmidt JD, Silverman RD, Warmath D, Wayment HA, Hainline B
Brit J Sport Med

Improving Concussion Reporting across NCAA Divisions Using a Theory-Based, Data-Driven, Multimedia Concussion Education Intervention.

Schmidt JD, Weber Rawlins ML, Suggs DW, Bierema L, Miller LS, Courson RW, Hoff R, Dill K, Dunham J
Neurotrauma

United States Air Force Academy Cadets’ Perceived Costs of Concussion Disclosure.

Weber Rawlins ML, Johnson BR, Register-Mihalik JK, DeAngelis K, Schmidt JD, D’Lauro
Military Medicine

Concussion Assessment & Management

Medical Disqualification Following Concussion in Collegiate Student-Athletes: Findings from the CARE Consortium.

Schmidt JD, Weber Rawlins ML, Lynall RC, D’Lauro C, Clugston J, McAllister TW, McCrea M, Broglio SP, CARE Consortium Investigators
Sports Med

Clinical Vs. Functional Reaction Time: Implications for Post-Concussion Management.

Lempke LB, Johnson RS, Schmidt JD, Lynall RC
Med Sci Sport Exer

Relationships Between Post-Concussion Sleep and Symptom Recovery: A Preliminary Study.

Hoffman NL, O’Connor PJ, Schmidt MD, RC Lynall, Schmidt JD

Weber ML, Lynall RC, Hoffman NL, Miller EH, Kaminski TW, Buckley T, Benjamin HJ, Miles CM, Whitlow CT, Lintner L, Broglio SP, McCrea M, McAllister T, Schmidt JD, CARE Consortium Investigators

Age at first concussion influences number of subsequent concussions.

Schmidt JD, Rizzone K, Hoffman NL, Weber ML, Jones C, Bazarian J, Broglio SP, McCrea M, McAllister, TW, CARE Consortium Investigators
Pediatr Neurol

Immediate Removal from Activity After Sport-Related Concussion Associated with Shorter Clinical Recovery and Less Severe Symptoms in Collegiate Student-Athletes.

Asken BM, Bauer RM, Guskiewicz KM, McCrea MA, Schmidt JD, Giza CC, Snyder AR, Houck ZM, Kontos AP, McAllister TW, Broglio SP, Clugston, JR, and CARE Consortium Investigators
Br J Sports Med

Identifying impairments after concussion: Normative data vs. individualized baselines.