DENVER, Colorado– For the first time, the presidents of the major sports leagues physicians’ societies met to discuss common issues, ways to work collaboratively and to share best practices.
The collaboration, which kicked off during the American Orthopaedic Society of Sport Medicine (AOSSM) annual meeting in Denver, is spearheaded by NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) President James Voos, MD, who is the Head Team Physician for the Cleveland Browns and Chairman, Department of Orthopedic Surgery at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio
Physicians Society Presidents for the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and NHL committed to meet bi-annually to advance health and safety initiatives, foster interest in sports medicine careers, boost collaborative research and to support sports medicine physicians’ ability to care for athletes.
Those who attended the meeting were:
- John Kuhn, MD, immediate past President of the NHL Team Physicians Society (NHLTPS) (current NHLTPS President Dr. Dhiren Naidu was not able to attend)
- James Voos, MD, President, NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS)
- Brian Forsythe, MD, President, Pro Soccer Physicians’ Society (PSPS)
- Travis Maak, MD, President, NBA Physicians Association (NBAPA)
- Nik Verma, MD, MLB Physicians Society (MLBPS)
They released the following unity statement:
As Team Physician Society Presidents for the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and NHL, we resolve to work together in collaboration with AOSSM in sharing best practices in each domain for the care of professional athletes. This unique and first-time collaboration will include meeting bi-annually in our commitment to:
- Serve as the leaders in advancing health and safety initiatives
- Grow opportunity programs to encourage careers in sports medicine
- Strengthen collaborative research to develop new technology, innovation, and clinical best practices
- Support sports medicine physicians’ ability to care for athletes
”I am excited to share the collective knowledge of this expert group of team physicians to maximize the health and safety of professional athletes across all sports,” said Dr. Voos, who is also the Jack & Mary Herrick Distinguished Chair, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.
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