Several service members have been selected as USOC team physicians for past Olympic Games. This year, Scott A. Rodeo, MD, HSS Sports Medicine Service co-chief, and John Cavanaugh, PT, MEd, ATC, HSS Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center clinical supervisor, will go to Beijing to support the U.S. teams.
During the 2008 games, HSS experts are available to comment on topics like these:
Specific sports injuries and treatment (within patient confidentiality restrictions) Medical approaches and protocol for treating injured Olympians Medical conditions that may prevent athletes from competing (e.g., GI disorders, traumatic injuries) Sports psychology (e.g., mental preparation, pre-event anxiety, post-game recovery) Medical and performance issues related to Beijing pollution Issues related to testing for performance-enhancing drugs Food safety concerns in China General health and medical preparation prior to the game as well as post-game recovery and rehabilitation
WHO: HSS sports medicine experts are available for interviews from New York City. Many are also competitive athletes themselves. David W. Altchek, MD, is an attending orthopaedic surgeon in the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery. He is the medical director for the New York Mets. He was formerly the team physician for the U.S. Davis Cup tennis team. Dr. Altchek is the author of more than 100 articles and book chapters on problems of the shoulder, elbow and knee. Russell Warren, MD, is an attending orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery. He joined the hospital in 1977 and became surgeon-in-chief in 1993. Dr. Warren is the team physician for the New York Football Giants and oversees all medical care for the players. He was inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Hall of Fame in July 2008.
Jo A. Hannafin, MD, PhD, is an orthopedic surgeon and director of orthopedic research at HSS. She is board certified in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine and has published and lectured extensively on tendon and ligament healing. Dr. Hannafin served as a USOC physician for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, a team physician at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic, and an event physician at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. She was a team physician for the WUSA New York Power from 2000-2003, an assistant team physician for the New York Mets from 1992-1996 and has been team physician for the U.S. Rowing Team since 1994. Dr. Hannafin is a member of the FISA Medical Commission and the Head Team physician for the WNBA New York Liberty. She was also a member of the silver medalist lightweight double at the 1984 World Rowing Championships and a three-time gold medalist at the U.S. National Rowing Championships. Dr. Hannafin has been repeatedly honored as one of The Best Doctors in America.
Riley J. Williams III, MD, is a specialist in the field of shoulder, knee and elbow surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery. His clinical and research interests include cartilage repair and transplantation, arthroscopic shoulder repair (rotator cuff tears, labrum tears), arthroscopic shoulder stabilization, anterior cruciate and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and elbow ligament reconstruction. Dr. Williams is the director of the Institute for Cartilage Repair at Hospital for Special Surgery. He also currently serves as the head team physician for Nets Basketball, the New York Red Bulls soccer team and the Iona College Department of Athletics. He has also served as associate team physician for both the New York Mets and New York Football Giants. Dr. Williams is an active member of the New York Road Runners Club. Lisa Callahan, MD, is co-director of the HSS Women's Sports Medicine Center, specializing in the care of active and athletic women. She is board-certified in primary care/sports medicine and serves as the director of player care for the New York Knicks and Liberty basketball teams. Dr. Callahan has also provided medical treatment as the team physician for a number of university sports teams, including Stanford and San Jose State universities, as well as acting as medical coordinator and event physician for triathlons, biathlons and various sports events including the 1999 and 1994 soccer World Cup, 1999 Avon Running Global Championships, 1995 World Rowing Championships, the Cleveland ballet, 1993 Olympic Gymnastics Exhibition, 1993 International Sumo Tournament and the NCAA Golf Championships.
Jordan Metzl, MD, is dedicated to the treatment of sports injuries in child and adolescent athletes. He has lectured widely on the increased prevalence of overuse injuries in young athletes and is the author of two critically acclaimed books, The Young Athlete: A Sports Doctor's Complete Guide for Parents (Little Brown, 2002) and Sports Medicine in the Pediatric Office. In addition, he is the medical columnist for Triathlete magazine. His areas of expertise include: performance enhancing drug use in athletes, concussion, overuse injuries, running injuries, triathlon injuries. Dr. Metzl is a five-time Ironman Triathlete, a twenty-five-time marathon runner and a former college soccer player.
Michelle G. Carlson, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports injuries of the hand and the upper extremity, including ligament injuries of the wrist, tendonitis and wrist and hand fractures. Dr. Carlson is a consulting hand surgeon for the New York Mets, the New York Knicks, and athletes at St. John's University. Additionally, she has treated many other professional and NCAA athletes during their playing season and has a reputation for returning athletes to play quickly and safely through a combination of operative and nonoperative treatments. Dr. Carlson lectures nationally on her approach to treatment of the upper extremity in these high-demand athletes.
Jenny R. Susser, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist specializing in sports psychology. She works with professional, Olympic, collegiate and amateur athletes of all ages to address the mental and emotional side of sport and competition, including injury, performance enhancement, disordered eating, and competitive anxiety. Dr. Susser has conducted research on injury recovery, investigating the use of mental imagery on recovery. An All-American swimmer and assistant coach at UCLA, she swam on two national teams and participated in the 1988 Olympic Trials.
Heidi Skolnik, MS, CN, is the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Football Giants, New York Red Bulls soccer team and the School of American Ballet as well as the Women's Sports Medicine Center at HSS. She is co-author of The Reverse Diet: Lose Weight By Eating Dinner for Breakfast and Breakfast for Dinner (Wiley, 2007) and is a New York state certified nutritionist. Ms. Skolnik is a fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and is a certified health fitness instructor.
Michael Levinson PT, CSCS, serves as clinical supervisor of the Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center at HSS and he is also a physical therapist for the New York Mets. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA) and specializes in overhead athletes. In addition he has been a consultant to numerous youth, high school, collegiate and professional athletes and has developed a physical profile for baseball and other overhead athletes to identify injury risk factors and enhance performance. He has published numerous chapters and articles on sports medicine rehabilitation and has lectured extensively on various subjects regarding the shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle.
About Hospital for Special SurgeryFounded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics and No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. 麻豆传媒 & World Report (2008), and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 2008 and 2007, HSS was a recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College. The hospital's research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Hospital for Special Surgery is located in New York City and online at www.hss.edu.
Read U.S. Olympic Team Physician Scott Rodeo's blog from Beijing at
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