the World

Brian Stamm ’09 to Conduct
Concussion Research Overseas
Brian Stamm ’09 graduated
from Boston College in
the spring with a degree in
biochemistry. He was awarded a
Fulbright Scholarship to Germany,
through which he will conduct
a research project centered on
the concussion crisis in the world of professional sports, particularly
European soccer. Throughout his time at Boston College, he has been
conducting similar research on former NFLers and NHLers at Boston
University School of Medicine. This fall, he will bring this knowledge
across the ocean and start the conversation in Europe.
This all began last summer when Stamm paid a visit to his freshman
advisor, a past recipient of two separate German Fulbright Scholarships.
He started formulating plans with her for his application. Also figuring
prominently in the development of his project were the members and
professors of his research group at Boston University School of Medicine
and their collaborators at Harvard Medical School. In particular,
Harvard’s Dr. Inga Koerte read through his many revisions of the grant
proposal and coordinated collaboration with her research group at
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, where he will conduct
the study.
Last fall, Stamm applied to the Fulbright Program, the flagship
international exchange program for students and professionals. The
grant is awarded to recipients based on demonstrated academic and
professional achievement and leadership potential.
For the past year and a half, Stamm has been a research intern at Boston
University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE).
He studies the long-term effects of concussions and sub-concussive hits
to the brain experienced by players of contact sports, such as football
and hockey, which ultimately may lead to the disease chronic traumatic
encephalopathy. In the brains of players with this disease, they have
detected an abnormal congregation of proteins that becomes toxic to the
brain cells. Stamm said, “The resulting brain cell death causes a variety
of symptoms, such as dementia and depression, similar to those seen in
Alzheimer’s disease. At present, there is no way to diagnose this disease
during life; detection of these unusual proteins after death offers the only
reliable indicator of disease. Therefore, I have structured my Fulbright
proposal around the theme of using modern forms of MRI to identify
parameters which will aid in our detection of this disease during life.”
Prior to his research at BU, he worked in theoretical chemistry at BC
studying supercooled liquids and the folding of macromolecules, such as
RNA. Stamm said, “While this was fascinating scientifically, I gradually
started drifting towards a desire for something more tangible. When I
received an email from BC’s premed office with the advertisement for
the BU lab, I quickly sent off a resume and cover letter within an hour
of receiving the initial invitation.” The work at BU piqued his interest
immediately because of its varied dimensions. Stamm continued,
“Studying the brains of athletes fuses science with fields such as public
health and policy, all of which coalesce to keep our athletes safe.”
Stamm traveled to Germany very briefly during his junior spring break,
and something hit him when he was over there. He said, “I started
thinking about all the time we were spending studying football at my
BU lab and how soccer players could potentially be experiencing the
same problems due to all the headers they take. While we do enroll
soccer players at BU, football is our most researched sport simply due
to its popularity in American society. I therefore wanted to open doors
to further discussion in Europe, since the world’s most popular sport is
actually soccer.”
Stamm said that Prep prepared him for this experience in more ways
than he can count. He said, “I didn’t really enjoy sports until I came to
Prep. With the numerous pep rallies and spirited atmosphere at football
games, I gradually started to enjoy these athletic events. Without this
background, I would have been unlikely to apply to the BU research
group. Beyond this, the scientific education I received at Prep was stellar.
My freshman-year science classes at BC were a breeze because Prep had
prepared me so well. This set up a firm foundation for my pursuit of
science later in college and beyond.”
Stamm’s ultimate goal is to be able to diagnose chronic traumatic
encephalopathy during life. He said, “From this ability, we could then
develop treatment options and preventative measures for those at risk
for developing the disease.”
Stamm is currently applying to medical schools for next year when he
returns to the States. He is looking into combined degrees that would
allow him to simultaneously pursue a masters in Public Health. Stamm
said, “With such a background, I could continue to contribute to the
field of brain trauma research and treatment, while combining this
scientific framework with a public health perspective.”
Stamm represents one of the many Prep graduates who is doing research
that will impact the world.
FALL 2013 The Magazine of Cathedral Preparatory School 7