AIM last week presented the first-ever Vision Awards, which honor the accomplishments of companies and individuals who have made unique contributions to the economy and citizens of Massachusetts.

One of the three inaugural Vision Awards wnt to one of most accomplished medical researchers in the country, and also one of the most courageous.

Dr. Ann McKee of Boston University has brought the issue of chronic brain trauma and its effect on athletes and members of the military into the forefront of American consciousness. Her research establishing a link between repetitive head impacts and chronic traumatic encephalopathy ” better known as CTE – in former professional football players prompted an extraordinary acknowledgement last month by the National Football League that a connection exists between the sport and degenerative brain disorders.