Sports Medicine

The University of Washington Department of Family Medicine Sports Medicine Section strives to deliver exceptional clinical care to active people of all ages and abilities, develop innovative and ground-breaking clinical programs which are supported by and produce relevant and important research, prepare the Family Medicine residents and sports medicine fellow to deliver superior musculoskeletal and sports medicine care, educate and mentor sports medicine past and present fellows to be researchers and leaders in the field, advocate for and implement evidence-based best sports medicine practices locally and guide and lead sports medicine policy nationally.

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What is Sports Medicine?

A sports medicine physician is a physician with significant specialized training in both the treatment and prevention of illness and injury. The sports medicine physician helps patients maximize function and minimize disability and time away from sports, work, or school. He or she is a physician who:

Is board certified in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or Physical Medicine/ Rehabilitation.
Has obtained one to two years of additional training in Sports Medicine through one of the accredited Fellowship (subspecialty) Programs in Sports Medicine.
Has passed a national Sports Medicine certification examination allowing them to hold a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine.
Further adds to their expertise through participation in continuing medical education activities and recertification via re-examination every ten years. This rigorous process was instituted to distinguish certified sports medicine physicians from other physicians without specialized training.
Is a leader of the sports medicine team, which also may include specialty physicians and surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, coaches, other personnel, and the athlete.

Sports Medicine is a recognized subspecialty by the American Board of Medical Subspecialties.

Sports Medicine News

Dr. Ashwin Rao presents AMSSM Sports Ultrasound Case – Sonographic Evaluation of Anterior Knee Pain

Last week, Ashwin Rao, MD, FAMSSM provided an AMSSM Sports Ultrasound Case Presentation of the Anterior Knee. View the lecture recording here.

Jon Drezner featured in TIME Magazine article: New State Rankings Show Gaps in High School Athlete Safety

13-year old football player Jayden Galbert nearly died during practice from exertional heatstroke, something that might have been better prevented had the California school he attended been required to follow national best practice standards for preventing and treating heat stroke — guidelines that include having cold water tubs on hand in case players overheat, among other cooling [...]

Jennifer Carrol Named Recipient of 2018 NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer Carrol, MA, MMS, AT, PA-C, on being named a recipient of the 2018 National Athletic Trainer’s Association Athletic Trainer Service Award. The Athletic Trainer Service award recognizes NATA members for their contributions to the athletic training profession as a volunteer at the local and state levels. ATSA recipients have [...]

Innovation On Lake Washington: Hank Pelto spearheads UW Rowing's W.E.T. Program

Together with local police, fire and medical personnel, the boating community and team physician Dr. Henry Pelto, the UW rowing team has taken the step of establishing a thorough, but simple, plan to deal with any such emergencies on large bodies of water – Lake Washington, Lake Union and the various other places the UW [...]

UW Sports Medicine doctor Hank Pelto guest editor for Sports Review Journal

The second themed issue of the Sports Review Journal delves into Sports Cardiology and the current research behind it. Guest Editors for this edition include Dr. Aaron Mares from the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Hank Pelto from the University of Washington. Read the journal here.