Academics & Conferences

Our program provides a wide variety of regular and required didactics and educational sessions. The didactic curriculum is designed to increase the fellow’s knowledge base in all aspects of Primary Care Sports Medicine and to help prepare the fellow to sit for the Sports Medicine In-Training Examination and successfully obtain the Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine (CAQSM). Each week there are approximately four hours of lectures and small group discussions.

• Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Physiology
• Exercise Biomechanics
• Pre-participation Evaluation
• Principles of Sports Nutrition
• Pathology and pathophysiology of illness and injury
• Pharmacology
• Effects of therapeutic, performance-enhancing and mood-altering drugs
• Psychological aspects of exercise, performance and competition
• Ethical principles
• Medico legal aspects of exercise and sports
• Exercise Prescription
• The Team Physician
• Female Athlete Triad
• Emergency Preparedness
• Concussion
• Environmental Illness
• Hematological Conditions in Sports
• Rehabilitation of Sports Injuries
• Special Considerations related to age, gender and disability
• Physical Conditioning
• Effects of disease on exercise and the use of exercise in the care of the medical patient
• Promotion of physical fitness and healthy lifestyles
• Growth and development related to exercise
• Sports Medicine Billing and Coding

• Orthopaedic
• Sports Medicine
• Primary Care Sports Medicine

This weekly session is one and a half hours combined conference of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Primary Care Sports Medicine physicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers are supervised by Dr. Michael Kissenberth and other key Orthopaedic and Primary Care Sports Medicine faculty. Orthopaedic and Primary Care Sports Medicine fellows present and lead the discussion on an assigned topic each week.

Our fellows are required to prepare and present each year on the following topics. Each fellow gives a presentation on four of the topics below. For the fellow not presenting on a specific topic, they are required to read about that topic before the conference.

• Orthopedic History Taking
• Examination of the Shoulder
• Examination of the Knee
• Rehabilitation of the Shoulder and Knee
• Sideline Preparedness for the Team Physician
• On-Field Emergencies/Event Coverage/Cervical Spine Injury and Prevention
• Cardiac Collapse and Heat Illness
• Research Design and Statistics
• Cartilage Basic Science
• Meniscus Basic Science and Injury
• Meniscal Tears: Diagnosis and Treatment
• ACL Basic Science
• ACL Injury and Treatment
• Multiligamentous Knee Injuries
• Femoroacetabular Impingement
• Hip and Pelvis Injuries
• Rotator Cuff Basic Science
• Rotator Cuff Injury and Treatment
• Shoulder Instability
• Throwing Shoulder
• Labral Injuries
• ShoulderArthoplastyand Arthritis
• AC/SC and Clavicle Injuries
• Patellofemoral Problems
• Ankle Injuries
• Elbow Injuries
• Sports Spine: Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis
• Hand and Wrist Injuries
• Orthopedic Coding

During these weekly Wednesday sessions, the faculty and fellows discuss the fellows’ research projects (monthly), journal club articles (monthly) and two to four Primary Care Sports Medicine topics.

Most sessions are one to two hours. However, in the July orientation month, musculoskeletal examination sessions and ultrasound workshops are typically three-hour sessions. The month of July is spent teaching the fellow the exam of the knee, shoulder, foot/ankle and spine. The fellow is required to prepare a lecture on these examinations. The fellow also demonstrates the examination techniques and discusses the evidence supporting each technique, where evidence is available. Musculoskeletal Ultrasound is taught as well during these sessions to correlate with the above topic.

Goals and objectives have been implemented for each topic session. The fellow is required to have researched the topic, lead the discussion and answer the clinically focused goals and objectives.

• Neck & Shoulder Exam, Shoulder Ultrasound
• Back & Hip Exam, Hip Ultrasound
• Knee Exam, Knee Ultrasound
• Intro to MSK Radiology I: Spine and Hip
• Foot & Ankle Exam, Foot and Ankle Ultrasound
• Intro to MSK Radiology II: Lower Extremity
• Elbow & Wrist, Elbow and Wrist Ultrasound
• Intro to MSK Radiology III: Upper Extremity

• Research Meeting
• Team Physician/Preparticipation examination
• Journal Club
• Heat Illness/Hydration and Hyponatremia

• Research Meeting
• Concussion
• Journal Club
• Sudden Cardiac Death
• Supplements and Ergogenic Aids

• Research Meeting
• Sports Nutrition
• Journal Club
• Endurance Athlete Issues/Hyponatremia

• Research Meeting
• Exercise and Aging
• Journal Club

• Research Meeting
• Children and Exercise: Recommendations/Weight Training and Research
• Journal Club
• Woman and Sports: Female Athlete Triad, Pregnancy
• Pulmonary: Exercise induced bronchospasm and vocal cord dysfunction

• Research Meeting
• Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Concerns
• Journal Club
• Infectious Disease/Minor Illness

• Research Meeting
• Sports Hematology (Sickle Cell, Sports Anemia)
• Journal Club
• Neurological Issues

• Fellowship Annual Program Evaluation
• Research Meeting
• Special Populations/Disabled Athlete
• Journal Club
• Sports Pharmacology

• Research Meeting
• Wilderness Medicine Topics
• Journal Club
• Diabetic Athlete

• Research Meeting
• Psychology of Sports, Exercise and Performance
• Journal Club
• Eye Injuries

• Research Meeting
• Sports Medicine Ethics/Medico-legal Aspects
• Journal Club
• Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis/Urticaria
• Exit Interviews

Held every other month for two hours. This occurs in the evening allowing all key faculty to attend. The fellow is required to attend and to prepare, present and lead an open discussion and review of common fractures, fracture description, radiographic interpretation, initial and definitive management, common pitfalls and complications. This session is supervised by Orthopaedic faculty and Primary Care Sports Medicine faculty.

Date: Fourth Thursday of each month
Time: 8:00-9:30 p.m.

• Aug.: General Principles/Fracture Description/Acute Management
• Sept.: Radius & Ulna/Ankle
• Oct.: Foot (Calcaneous, tarsal, metatarsal)
• Nov.: Wrist and Hand (Carpel, metacarpal, phalanges)
• Dec.: Clavicle/Scapula/Humerus
• Jan.: Elbow/Pediatric Considerations (elbow, clavicle, tibia, radius)

The Anatomy Conference is held monthly for one and a half hours in the morning prior to clinical rotations or duties allowing fellows and faculty attendance. This session is led and supervised by faculty from the department of Orthopaedics. This session begins with a 20-minute review of anatomy followed by hands-on time with a cadaveric specimen reviewing surgical approaches, relevant anatomy and surgical techniques. This is a time of interaction for our fellows with Orthopaedic residents and fellows and also allows for practice of procedural techniques such as joint and bursal injections.

• Nov.: Upper Extremity Anatomy and Dissection
• Dec.: Lower Extremity Anatomy and Dissection
• Jan.: Review of Upper and Lower Extremity
• Mar.: Ultrasound Guided Injections
• Apr.: Upper Extremity Part II
• May: Lower Extremity Part II

This session is held quarterly with faculty from the department of Vascular Medicine and the Vascular Medicine fellowship. These are one hour sessions and fellows are assigned topics for discussion and are supervised by key program faculty. Attendance is required. These conferences are planned specifically for the Sports Medicine fellows.

• Approach to the Athlete with Exertional Leg Pain
• Exercise Effects on Coagulation
• Entrapment Neuropathies
• Deep Vein Thrombosis in Athletes
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
• Rheumatologic Issues, Testing and Spondyloarthropathies

This session is held monthly during our Wednesday didactic time. During this time the fellow develops an understanding of concepts such as study design, levels of evidence, data and statistics, diagnostic reasoning and understanding approaches to interpreting and applying the medical literature in the context of their clinical practice or patient specific condition.

This session is lead by key Sports Medicine faculty and is designed to teach fellows research and biostatistics in order to take evidence-based medicine to the exam room.

We discuss clinical cases and discuss ethics and medical-legal issues related to Sports Medicine and being a team physician. This session is led by Stuart Sprague, Ph.D. who is also available for consultation during the year.