[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DR. OMALU'S DISCOVERIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McNerney) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the medical 
achievements and discoveries of an extraordinary man from my district, 
Dr. Bennet Omalu.
  Dr. Omalu's medical achievements, focusing primarily on brain 
injuries, have recently come to prominence with the movie 
``Concussion,'' which chronicles Dr. Omalu's career and the 
controversies that his discoveries have created within the National 
Football League. Dr. Omalu's medical research is also particularly 
relevant as we prepare to watch Super Bowl 50 this weekend.
  Dr. Omalu was born in Nnokwa, Nigeria, and was the sixth of seven 
siblings. His mother was a seamstress, and his father was a mining 
engineer and respected community leader who encouraged Omalu's career 
in medicine. His long medical career began at the age of 16 when he 
started attending medical school at the University of Nigeria. Omalu 
earned a bachelor of medicine and a bachelor of surgery in 1990.
  In 1994, Dr. Omalu moved to Seattle, Washington, and completed an 
epidemiology fellowship at the University of Washington. In 1995, he 
moved to New York to complete his residency training in anatomic and 
clinical pathology. After completing his residency, Dr. Omalu trained 
as a forensic pathologist at the Allegheny County Coroner's Office in 
Pittsburgh.
  It was here, after conducting an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steeler 
Mike Webster, that Dr. Omalu made a groundbreaking discovery that would 
forever change our understanding of brain injuries. Dr. Omalu was the 
first to identify and diagnose and name chronic traumatic 
encephalopathy. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a disease 
prevalent in athletes who participate in high-contact sports like 
football, boxing, and wrestling.
  Since Dr. Omalu's discovery, we now know that CTE is a progressive, 
degenerative disease that is found in people who have suffered 
repetitive brain trauma, including subconcussive hits that do not show 
any immediate symptoms. Early symptoms of CTE are usually detected 8 to 
10 years after the original trauma and include disorientation, 
dizziness, and headaches.
  As the disease progresses, individuals with CTE can experience memory 
loss, social instability, erratic behavior, and poor judgment. The 
worst cases of CTE show symptoms of dementia, vertigo, impeded speech, 
tremors, deafness, slowing of muscular movements, and suicidal 
tendencies.
  Dr. Omalu's continued research on brain injuries and CTE has given us 
a greater understanding of the long-term effects of repeated brain 
trauma.
  According to the CDC, approximately 3.8 million Americans every year 
suffer from concussions and approximately 208,000 people seek treatment 
in emergency rooms for traumatic brain injuries.

                              {time}  1045

  Approximately two-thirds of those emergency room visits are children 
ages 5 to 18. The rate of recurrence with traumatic brain injuries is 
high. An athlete who sustains a concussion is four to six times more 
likely to sustain a second concussion.
  Of course, CTE research will also apply to veterans who suffer from 
traumatic brain injuries from combat activity.
  Dr. Omalu has advocated for more education among athletes who play 
high-contact sports, teaching them about the risks associated with 
repetitive brain trauma. He has committed himself to advancing the 
medical understanding of CTE, brain injuries, and their effects on the 
people who suffer from them.
  Today, Dr. Omalu has eight advanced degrees and board certifications, 
including master of public health and epidemiology and master of 
business administration. He resides in Lodi, California, and serves as 
the chief medical examiner of San Joaquin County, California, and as a 
professor at the UC Davis Department of Medical Pathology and 
Laboratory Medicine.
  The Bennet Omalu Foundation is committed to funding research, raising 
awareness, providing care, and finding cures for people who suffer from 
CTE and traumatic brain injuries. It is imperative, as a Nation, that 
we support research on CTE and brain injuries and figure out how much 
high-impact sports are affecting the health of our children and 
athletes. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the research and 
achievements of Dr. Bennet Omalu and all he has done to further the 
understanding of the human brain.

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