Professor to Serve on Korey Stringer Institute Board

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Matt Ganio

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut announced Thursday that Matthew Ganio, assistant professor of exercise science at the University of Arkansas, will join the institute's Medical and Science Advisory Board and serve as its chief statistical officer.

The Korey Stringer Institute's mission is to provide information, resources, assistance and advocacy for the prevention of sudden death in sport. The institute serves the needs of athletes at all levels – youth, high school, college, professional and recreational athletes; people who are physically active; and those who supervise and care for these individuals. Services include consultations, advocacy, education, research, policy changes and mass-market outreach. The institute has assisted many of the top sport and military organizations in the world.

The Korey Stringer Institute Medical and Science Advisory Board is made up of physicians, athletic trainers, exercise physiologists and strength and conditioning specialists who are internationally known experts on topics related to preventing sudden death in sport and physical activity.

Ganio joined the faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2011. He earned a doctorate in exercise physiology from the University of Connecticut and completed his post-doctoral training at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

"Dr. Ganio was asked to join the board because he is a young professional who has already established a national reputation with regard to heat and hydration issues for athletes," said Douglas Casa, the chief operating officer of the Korey Stringer Institute. "He also has a sense of how best to properly conduct and interpret the statistical findings of complex field research designs. The KSI is extremely proud to have someone of Dr. Ganio's experience, passion and skill set associated with our organization."

Casa spoke at the University of Arkansas Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building Thursday, March 29, on the "Top 10 Ways to Prevent Sudden Death in Sport."

Ganio has published more than 35 papers related to heat and hydration issues for athletes. He earned his undergraduate and master's degrees in exercise science from the University of Georgia, and he also served as a research assistant at the U.S. Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass.

"The Korey Stringer Institute is an internationally recognized organization with a mission that I am very passionate about," Ganio said. "Serving on this board will allow me to collaborate with experts from around the world. Heat and hydration-related research conducted with KSI compliments the research I am already conducting at the University of Arkansas. I am honored and look forward to working with KSI."

The Korey Stringer Institute is part of Connecticut's Neag School of Education. The school's department of kinesiology has been ranked by the National Academy of Kinesiology as the No. 1 doctoral program in kinesiology for the past 10 years. In 2010, Kelci Stringer founded the Korey Stringer Institute, named for her husband, a Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings who died of exertional heat stroke in August 2001.

A complete membership list of the Medical and Science Advisory Board can be found at http://www.ksi.uconn.edu/about/staff.html.