ARU has Appointed Dr Ryan Kohler as its First Concussion Specialist

[caption id="attachment_8214" align="alignright" width="132"] Dr Ryan Kohler[/caption]
Australian Rugby Union has appointed Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician Dr Ryan Kohler to the position of Concussion Specialist.
In addition to Dr Kohler’s appointment, Australian Rugby Union also announced that all Test matches held in Australia now feature a doctor designated solely on the assessment of concussion on match day and it has adopted the IRB’s new Head Injury Assessment protocol for Test Rugby, which includes increasing the time available to assess head injuries from five to ten minutes.
In his role, Dr Kohler is responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring concussion guidance at the community level (schools and clubs); and to support team doctors and medical staff at all levels of the game.
Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said the appointment reaffirms Australian Rugby’s commitment to player welfare and safety as a top priority at all levels of the game.
“Ryan brings a huge amount of experience to this role, including developing community-based concussion management programs in Australia and South Africa,” said Mr Pulver. “He has worked as the team physician for the Stormers Super Rugby team and South African national teams for seven years and has been the match day doctor for the Brumbies for the past three years. This experience will be a terrific asset for Australian Rugby.”