Michael Collins, PhD

Director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program

Michael “Micky” Collins, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned expert in sports-related concussion. Established in 2000, the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program is the first and largest research and clinical program focused on the diagnosis, evaluation and management of sports-related mild traumatic brain injury in athletes of all levels. Dr. Collins’ expertise attracts many elite and professional athletes from around the world to seek his comprehensive care. On a daily basis, Dr. Collins and his colleagues at the UPMC clinic see dozens of high school and college athletes with concerns about safe return to play following concussion and treatment/rehabilitation of the injury.

In addition to his extensive clinical experience, Dr. Collins has been a lead author on several major groundbreaking studies of high school and college athletes published in JAMA, Neurosurgery, American Journal of Sports Medicine, and Pediatrics, and an author on more than 70 peer-reviewed research articles for other prestigious medical journals. He is a frequently invited presenter at international and national scientific meetings on brain injury in sports, and is often interviewed by local and national news media as an expert source.

Dr. Collins has been instrumental in the development of numerous concussion management programs at the youth sports level nationwide. He has become a national leader in teaching and implementing the proper use of baseline and post-injury neuro-cognitive testing as a tool to help determine injury severity and recovery for safe return to play for young athletes. In addition to training hundreds of physicians and athletic trainers in the diagnosis and management of sports-related concussion, he was the co-lead author of the Centers for Disease Control’s “Concussion Tool Kit for Physicians,” which has been disseminated nationwide to several physician subspecialties as an education standard regarding concussion management. He is an advisor to numerous athletic organizations, including USA Rugby, US Lacrosse, and Cirque De Soleil, as well as a concussion consultant for several other national and international sports organizations and teams.

Dr. Collins’ professional memberships include the International Neuropsychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, and the North American Brain Injury Society. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Athletic Training and Brain Injury Professional.

A graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology, Dr. Collins earned a masters degree in psychology and doctorate degree in clinical psychology at Michigan State University.

The North American Brain Injury Society recognized Dr. Collins with the 2005 Innovations in Treatment Award, given annually to an individual for developing and implementing innovative and efficacious treatment for persons with brain injuries. An athlete himself, Dr. Collins played for the University of Southern Maine in the 1989 NCAA Baseball College World Series.