Kevin M. Guskiewicz

Kevin M. Guskiewicz, a neuroscientist, academic leader and concussion researcher, was appointed president-elect of Michigan State University on Dec. 8, 2023, by the MSU Board of Trustees and started as president on March 4, 2024.

A member of the University of North Carolina’s faculty since 1995 and founding director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, Guskiewicz was appointed UNC’s Chancellor in 2019. He is a nationally recognized expert on sport-related concussions and maintains an active research portfolio, serving as co-principal investigator on two multi-center research grants. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers in the areas of sports medicine and neuroscience.

His team’s groundbreaking work has garnered numerous awards and has influenced concussion guidelines in the NFL and NCAA. In 2011, Guskiewicz received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship for his innovative work on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sport-related concussions. In 2011, he convinced the NFL and NCAA to change the kickoff rule, which resulted in a 50% reduction in concussions on kickoffs. In 2013, Time magazine named him a Game Changer, one of 18 “innovators and problem-solvers that are inspiring change in America.”

Guskiewicz earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from West Chester University, a master’s in exercise physiology/athletic training from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate in sports medicine from the University of Virginia.

Born and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, he and his wife Amy have four children: Jacob, Nathan, Adam and Tessa.