AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands – For a few days towards the end of October, Director of Sports Medicine Devon Serrano was not at Sweet Briar College but in Amsterdam. Serrano was there to give her poster presentation, entitled, "Implementation of return-to-ride concussion management policies in collegiate equestrian athletes" at the 6th Edition International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport.
 
"When I arrived at Sweet Briar, there was no connection between Sports Medicine and Equestrian. I am not an equestrian, so I spent a lot of time researching to find out more about the sport, including the management of concussions," Serrano remarked on her inspiration for delving into the research topic. "At the time, there were no published return-to-ride protocols and no standard protocol for collegiate equestrian."
 
This led to the development of a specific concussion protocol for hunter/jumper equestrian athletes by Serrano with the assistance of Director of Riding/Head NCEA Coach Mimi Wroten '93 and Sweet Briar's team physician at the time. First implemented in the Fall of 2016, the return-to-ride protocol has been used by the Sports Medicine Department ever since.
 
"This protocol has allowed me to grow as a clinician and be able to progress my career in ways I didn't expect. I was named a Lynchburg Business "Millennial on the Move" in 2021 and was named the Virginia Athletic Trainers' Association (VATA)  "College/University Athletic Trainer of the Year" as well as The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine "New Horizon" award recipient in 2022."
 
Serrano has also presented her equestrian research at other conferences; at the Virginia state meeting and two regional conferences, Eastern in 2020 and Mid-Atlantic in 2021.
 
On how her research will help Sweet Briar's Sports Medicine Department in the future, Serrano is currently working with four other colleges and universities to implement the protocol at other institutions. This will help when studying the effectiveness of the protocol in comparison to the protocol used for non-equestrian athletes. "The protocol has been modified for Western riders at the collegiate level. This protocol is the first of its kind and is making Sweet Briar an internationally known name in the world of equestrian concerning concussion management," Serrano remarked. "By having a protocol that is sport-specific, the Sports Medicine Department can treat concussions from various angles including mental health, vestibular needs and physical demands."
 
On her biggest takeaway from the conference, Serrano looked back on her opportunity to hear the world's leading experts in concussion speak upon their findings. "There is so much going on around the world when it comes to concussion management in sports. It was surreal to be able to sit in a room with the world's leading experts on concussions and be able to hear their latest findings. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to not only listen to and meet with these world-renowned experts but also be able to share my research and begin collaborative relationships that could continue to advance the treatment of concussions in equestrian."
 
The research presented at the conference will also be up for consideration for the Consensus Statement which is set to be released this year.
 
To learn more about the 6th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport, click HERE.
 
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