‘On call for brain retrievals’: the man who gets American football players examined for CTE after death

The article discusses Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard football player and professional wrestler turned neuroscientist, who is known for his work in the study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a progressive neurodegenerative disease linked to repetitive hits to the head and concussions. Nowinski helped establish the Unite Brain Bank at Boston University, the world's largest repository of brain samples dedicated to the study of CTE. The article notes that shortly after a shooting incident at the NFL's New York headquarters, where a gunman killed four people before taking his own life, Nowinski was called to examine the shooter's brain for signs of CTE. This highlights Nowinski's role in facilitating brain donations for research, as he has helped to examine over 1,600 brains at the Unite Brain Bank. The article provides a concise overview of Nowinski's background and his involvement in the study of CTE, which is an important issue in the world of American football and other contact sports.