Cory Coehoorn, PhD, Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Science and Family Medicine at LSU Health Shreveport, has been awarded a $210,022 Collaboration in Action Program (CAP) grant to lead a study focused on predicting and preventing heat illness in high school football players.
The CAP initiative, administered by the Louisiana State University System in partnership with Our Lady of the Lake Health, supports collaborative research in priority areas including Sports Medicine and Performance, Trauma and Neuroscience and Chronic Disease.
Dr. Coehoorn’s project addresses heat illnesses, which are a significant public health concern. Heat illness is the leading preventable cause of death among U.S. high school athletes, with risk amplified in states like Louisiana due to its high temperatures and humidity.
“We’re essentially trying to prevent heat illness,” Coehoorn said. “In Louisiana, high school athletes experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality because of environmental exposure and the equipment they wear. Our goal is to create a proactive approach rather than a reactive one.”
The study will collect physiological and environmental data from approximately 100 high school football players across Shreveport, Monroe, Baton Rouge and Houma, Louisiana. Athletes will wear upper-arm sensors that capture physiological metrics, while environmental conditions will be monitored using specialized equipment that measures heat, humidity and related factors.
Researchers will use the data to refine a machine-learning model capable of predicting when an athlete is approaching dangerous levels of heat strain.
“Current practices are largely reactive,” Coehoorn said. “When someone shows signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, that’s when interventions begin. By monitoring athletes in real time, we can prevent them from ever reaching that dangerous point.”
The project builds on Coehoorn’s previous research involving physical stress in firefighters, military personnel and other heat-risk populations. His team will integrate existing datasets with new athlete data to improve accuracy and develop a practical tool for use in athletic settings.
“We’re taking a large dataset we’ve developed over years of research and training a model to make accurate predictions,” he said. “By adding data from football players, we can make those predictions more robust and applicable in real-world conditions.”
A central aim of the project is accessibility, particularly for schools with limited resources.
“Many schools don’t have access to equipment like cold immersion tubs,” Coehoorn said. “We want to develop a cost-effective wearable system that can provide real-time heat-risk alerts to coaches and trainers.”
The research team includes Peter Seidenberg, MD, Professor and Chair of Family Medicine and Miguel Lopez, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine at LSU Health Shreveport and Travis Currie, MD, Sports Medicine Physician at Our Lady of the Lake Health. The physicians will help connect the study with high school athletic programs across the state.
“I’m hoping to have this system deployed not only for high school football players, but also for firefighters, military personnel and agricultural workers,” he said. “These are groups with high exposure to heat stress, and I believe many of these incidents can be prevented.”