ORLANDO, Fla. — The American Medical Association (AMA) today honored Bennet I. Omalu, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., with the Distinguished Service Award for his work discovering chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American football players. Granted by the AMA Board of Trustees, this award honors a member of the AMA for meritorious service in the science and art of medicine.
A Nigerian-American forensic pathologist, Dr. Omalu discovered CTE while working at the coroner’s office in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) in 2002. Dr. Omalu recognized brain abnormalities in several NFL players who evidenced personality changes or cognitive disorders before dying at an early age. He named the condition CTE, and described the abnormal accumulation of tau protein in the brains of these individuals.
When Dr. Omalu published the findings, the NFL and some physicians associated with the league attempted to discredit him and his research. Facing a massive, coordinated, well-financed effort by the league and its cadre of lawyers and experts, Dr. Omalu fought on in the face of intense pressure. The story of his research, the pressure he faced and how he moved awareness of CTE and brain trauma to the forefront of America’s most popular sports league was made into the 2015 film, “Concussion,” in which he is portrayed by Will Smith.
“Because of the service Dr. Omalu has rendered to every player and every family member in the football and other sporting communities, I am delighted to present him, on behalf of the AMA, with the Distinguished Service Award—our highest honor,” said AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, M.D. “His meritorious service is all the more remarkable given that Dr. Omalu was relatively junior at the time of his discovery, having only completed his pathology residency a few years prior to describing CTE. Today he is recognized by professional and scholastic athletes and the medical profession for his work. I strongly believe that Dr. Omalu—by his work, determination and dedication—strongly exemplifies the best of American medicine.”
With CTE now widely accepted as a clinical entity, the NFL, NCAA and youth football, including Pop Warner Football, have enacted significant safety changes to minimize head trauma. Dr. Omalu’s work has also been responsible for re-evaluation of rules and procedures in other sports, including heading in soccer.
A 20-year member of the AMA, Dr. Omalu attended medical school at the University of Nigeria at age 16. He became a U.S. citizen in February of 2015 and is now chief medical examiner for the San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office in California and a clinical associate professor in the University of California, Davis, Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
The AMA presented Dr. Omalu this award during the opening session of the 2016 AMA Interim Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
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