ASK THE EXPERT: MSU football neurologist

March 16, 2025

David Kaufman, D.O., and neurology expert, is the assistant vice president for Clinical Affairs with the Office of Health Sciences at MSU and a founding chair and professor in the Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology with the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine. He recently published his book, “We Need You in the Locker Room,” about his time working with the Spartan football team from 2010-2023.

What drew you to the sidelines and the locker room?

What got me to the sidelines was Jeff Monroe (head athletic trainer/assistant director of Athletics at MSU). He came to my house one Saturday in late July and asked, “What do you do on Saturdays, Dave?” He said the MSU football team needed a neurologist on the sidelines, and he would like me to consider that. I’m thinking to myself, oh my, this would be a dream come true.

I used to sit in the upper deck of Spartan Stadium for years. I would daydream that someone would come over the loudspeaker and say they needed a neurologist to come down to the field. And now, there’s Jeff Monroe showing me the path.

Why was serving the team important to you?

As a member of the faculty of Michigan State University and the College of Osteopathic Medicine, for multiple years, the university was calling on me to assist them. No faculty member should say no to such a thing.

Concussion affects our warriors; it affects people in automobile accidents; it affects our seniors, so if you wanted to do research on concussions, a football field (regrettably) is the most active place to see concussions live, and the recovery period. It was predictable that somewhere between 10 and 25 student-athletes would suffer concussions during the year.

What do you hope others take from your story and work?

The arc of the book is loving football; understanding it is a violent, collision sport; being horrified at what I saw up close; realizing what these human beings sacrifice to play and coach; and developing utter respect for the discipline; understanding each of them want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

I hope my input and contribution to concussion research was valuable. It was a tremendous opportunity.

 

All book proceeds will go to MSU’s George Webster Memorial Scholarship and the Foglio Endowed Chair in Spirituality at the College of Arts and Letters.

 

“I realized there is danger, but there is danger in driving a car. People are not going to stop driving cars. People are not going to stop playing football. So, how do you make it safer?” 

— Dr. David Kaufman

 

LISTEN to Dr. David Kaufman discuss his experiences with MSU Today podcast host Russ White

Contributing Writer(s): Russ White