Joanne C. Gerstner

Joanne C. Gerstner serves as the Coordinator of the Sports Journalism program at Michigan State University's School of Journalism, where she has made significant contributions to both sports journalism and concussion research. Her distinguished career spans multiple platforms, with her work featured in prestigious publications including The New York Times, USA Today, and ESPN. As a 2021 Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame inductee, she has covered major sporting events worldwide, from the Olympics to World Cups. Her expertise in sports neurology, developed during her Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan and as the first sports journalist awarded a Jacobs Foundation Fellowship in neuroscience, led to her award-winning book "Back in the Game: Why Concussion Doesn't Have to End Your Athletic Career." Her leadership extends beyond journalism through her appointment to Michigan's Task Force on Women in Sports by Governor Whitmer, her Fulbright Specialist designation, and her past presidency of the Association for Women in Sports Media. Currently, she directs MSU's Sports Journalism Education Abroad program while teaching upper-level courses and serving on the MSU Athletics Department Faculty Council. Her contributions to sports journalism and neuroscience research have earned her numerous accolades, including Oakland University's 2020 Distinguished Alumni award