Concussion expert joins WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Javier F. Cárdenas, M.D., a leading expert in the fields of sports neurology, concussion, and traumatic brain injury, has joined the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute as chief of the Division of Sports Neurology. Dr. Cárdenas is also professor of Neurology and holds the Ludwig Gutmann Endowed Chair.  

“Dr. Cárdenas joins us as a national leader in brain injury and concussion. His world-class expertise and leadership will advance our education, research, and patient care efforts in sports-related brain and neurological injuries,” Ali Rezai, M.D., executive chair of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, said.

Cárdenas joins WVU Medicine after having served as the founder and director of the Concussion and Brain Injury Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute, a renowned national comprehensive concussion prevention, treatment, and education program. During his tenure there, Cárdenas developed the nation’s first mandated concussion education and testing tool for student-athletes, which, since its inception in 2011, has provided concussion education to more than one million high school athletes.

Board certified in neurology and brain injury medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Cárdenas is vice chair of the National Football League’s (NFL) Head, Neck, and Spine Committee as well as a senior advisor for the NFL Concussion Program. He is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the NCAA Concussion Safety Advisory Group.

“Dr. Cárdenas is an incredible physician and leader, and I am extremely excited to have him join the Neurology team and look forward to working with him,” David Watson, M.D., professor and chair of the WVU Department of Neurology, said. “His experience with the NFL and with the Arizona Interscholastic Association will prove pivotal in the development of our traumatic brain injury and neuro sports performance centers.”

Cárdenas received his medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He completed a residency in pediatrics at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and trained in child neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Cárdenas is also the recipient of many awards and honors, including Arizona State University’s Young Alumni Award in 2014 for his work in concussion prevention. He often shares his extensive knowledge and expertise, participating in more than 200 local and national media interviews about concussion prevention, safety, and management.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Cárdenas join the WVU Medicine family. His pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of concussion will further the nation- and world-leading work being done at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said. “In the short term, his expertise will help the patients who seek us out for care, and in the long term, he will impact future generations of healthcare professionals by providing education and training for the students and healthcare professionals who come to our academic medical center to learn, as well.”

For more information on the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.