L to R: Stephanie Lennon, ATC, LAT, president of the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida; Dr. Larry Lemak, CEO of the Sports Medicine and Athletic-Related Trauma Institute at USF; and Marchell (Micki) Cuppett, EdD, ATC, Director of Educational Design & Technology at USF College of Medicine. Tampa, FL (April 16, 2007) — Larry Lemak, MD, chief executive officer of the Sports Medicine and Athletic-Related Trauma Institute (SMART) at USF Health, has been named the “2007 Sports Medicine Person of the Year” by the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida (ATAF). Dr. […]

Why He Moved Cross Country. His Vision for USF Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. Tampa, FL (April 16, 2007) — After 15 years in San Diego, Robert Pedowitz and wife Loraine have traded life on the Pacific Coast for the Treasure Coast. Pedowitz relocated to their new home in Tampa Palms earlier this month. Loraine and their two children, ages 14 and 17, will be moving this summer. The cross country jump has the renown orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine expert thinking “ships” – metaphoric ship building, that is. “I could’ve […]

It’s a big month for Robert Pedowitz, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of South Florida. Pedowitz made his cross country move from San Diego; took command of the newly created department; and published what may be the nation’s first textbook catered to new curriculum requirements by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. All in two weeks. “My car seems to have figured out the way to Paneras on its own”, he laughs. “It’s surprising within two weeks, how I’m getting settled. It […]

Co-Medical Director of USF Athletic Training Education Program receives national recognition. Eric Coris, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, is among a select group of 53 doctors in the nation nominated for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 2006 Humanism in Medicine Award. The annual award is a partnership of the AAMC and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative to recognize physicians who serve as caring and compassionate mentors to their students and who practice patient-centered medicine. What made the nomination a special honor to Dr. Coris […]

On October 5, 2006, the Tampa Tribune newspaper published the following editorial on USF Health’s recruitment of Dr. Robert Pedowitz – selected during a nationwide search to be the new chair of the Dept. of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in the USF College of Medicine. The Editorial appeared in the “Our Opinion” column of the Tampa Tribune. USF Taps Prominent Surgeon to Head Orthpedic Unit October 5, 2006 Tampa Tribune Editorial The University of South Florida’s College of Medicine has secured what it has been lacking for years: an orthopedics […]

News Release: USF Health’s Sports Medicine Institute Gets $3-Million Boost Tampa, FL (June 3, 2006) – The University of South Florida’s creation of a interdisciplinary center to raise the standard of care for athletes of all ages got a $3-million boost in this year’s state budget. The latest funding builds upon the $500,000 appropriated last year by the Florida Legislature to begin a statewide Sports Medicine & Athletic Related Trauma (SMART) Institute at USF. The interdisciplinary center promoting the health and safety of athletes through education, research and clinical care […]

USF Sports Medicine Institute Studies New Technology to Protect Athletes from Heat Illness Tampa, FL (August 12, 2005) – Doctors at the University of South Florida are studying new technology that will help prevent heat illness in athletes. This cutting edge research allows doctors to administer an electronic pill the size of a multivitamin to athletes prior to training in hot weather. The pill monitors the body temperature from the inside of the athlete. Thanks to a $20,000 grant from the National Football League, Eric Coris, MD, assistant professor of […]

USF Launches Sports Medicine for School Teams— Institute aims to keep kids safe on playing field Tampa, FL (July 26, 2005) – The University of South Florida has begun building a national model for sports medicine that will emphasize injury prevention and safety for athletes, particularly for the growing number of young players on school and recreational teams. The initiative is being led by orthopedic surgeon Lawrence J. Lemak, MD, an internationally renowned expert in the field of sports medicine who has been appointed interim chair of Orthopedic Surgery and […]

USF Sports Medicine and Athletic-Related Trauma Institute The USF Sports Medicine and Athletic-Related Trauma Institute (SMART) was created by Florida Legislature with $500,000 seed money in 2005, followed by a $3 million appropriation in 2006. SMART is raising the standard of care for all Florida’s athletes through research, education, clinical care and community outreach that builds upon USF Health’s existing strengths within its Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. Multidisciplinary approach: The USF sports medicine team includes — Primary care sports medicine […]

Youth Sports Injury FactsEach year more than 3.5 million children in the United States under age 15 are treated for sports injuries. Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. Injuries increase as children become larger, faster and more competitive. More than half of all sports injuries occur at practice. The number one cause of death among athletes is cardiac disease, traumatic head and neck injury is second, and heat illness ranks third. 21 percent of all traumatic brain […]