Ash Kolstad

Ash Kolstad completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree (2019) and Master of Science degree (Specialization: Sport Medicine, 2021) in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. He is currently completing a PhD degree (Specialization: Sport Injury Epidemiology) within the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre at the University of Calgary with a focus on personal protective equipment including mouthguards and helmet fit as potential concussion prevention avenues across multiple youth sports. 

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  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’s 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’s 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 UCalgary 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. 

Recent Peer-Reviewed Manuscripts

1. 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. British journal of sports medicine, 57(12), 749-761.
2. 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., ….& Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium. (2023). Partnering with patients, caregivers, and clinicians to determine research priorities for concussion. JAMA network open, 6(6), e2316383-e2316383.
3. Yeates KO, Barlow KM, Wright B, Tang K, Barrett O, Berdusco E, Black AM, Clark B, Conradi A, Godfrey H, *Kolstad AT… & 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.
4. 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
5. *Kolstad AT, Eliason PH, Galarneau J, Black AM, Hagel BE, Emery CA. Protective equipment in youth ice hockey: are mouthguards and helmet age relevant to concussion risk? British Journal of Sports Medicine  Published Online First: 14 March 2023. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105585
6. Heming E, Sobry A, Cairo L, *Kolstad AT, West S, Russell K, Goulet C, Hagel B, Emery CA. 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)
7. Williamson RA, *Kolstad AT, Nadeau L, Goulet C, Hagel BE, Emery CA. Does Increasing the Severity of Penalties Assessed in Association With the “Zero Tolerance for Head Contact” 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
8. *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. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 10-1097
9. *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. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 17479541221112916.
10. 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

1. Emery CA, Kissick J, Nagahiro S, Tator C, Aubry M, Engebretsen L, Johnston K, Maddocks D, Dvorák J, Schneider K, Black AM, Martinez G, 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). 

Abstracts

1. 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 13–14 year old ice hockey players. British Journal of Sports Medicine. International Olympic Committee’s World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport. (345).
2. 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 13–14 year old ice hockey players. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). (e37)
3. 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 11–12-year-old ice hockey players. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). (e96–e97)