The Australian Rugby Union has announced the appointment of Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician Dr Ryan Kohler as a Concussion Specialist.
Dr Kohler will oversee concussion guidance at community rugby level (schools and clubs) and will also support team doctors and medical staff at all levels of the game.
ARU CEO Bill Pulver said the appointment reaffirms Australian Rugby’s commitment to safety and player welfare.
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.”
The ARU have also announced that it will adopt the IRB’s new Head Injury Assessment protocol for Test Rugby. This includes increasing the assessment time for concussions from five minutes to ten minutes.
Australian Rugby will also have a dedicated doctor solely to assess concussions in all tests played in Australia. Dr Kohler will also assume the role of designated match day concussion doctor for the remainder of the French series.
Dr Ryan Kohler Bio
2010 – 2014 – Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician – Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.
2010 – Senior Registrar Sport and Exercise Medicine ‐ Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.
2004-2010 – Team Physician of Stormers Super Rugby and Western Province Rugby – Medical Researcher and Team Physician ‐ South African Rugby Union (SARU).
2000-2003 – Masters of Philosophy in Sports Medicine (MPhil) ‐ Distinction University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
1992-1997 – Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.Ch.B) University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
