NFL Partners with Medical Societies to Increase Diversity in Sports Medicine Careers

The NFL Physicians Society and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society have partnered with the National Football League to launch a program aimed at increasing and diversifying the pipeline of medical students interested in sports medicine careers. This league-wide initiative, which began in 2022, is designed to bring interested diverse and underrepresented medical students into the sports medicine professional pipeline.

During their one-month rotations, participants will observe and participate in the care of NFL players, working directly with and under the supervision of orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians, athletic trainers, dietitians, mental health clinicians, strength & conditioning coaches, equipment managers, and others to gain medical knowledge and exposure to patient care in sports medicine. By the end of their rotation, students will understand the basic elements of all facets of care provided to NFL players from an orthopedic, primary care sports medicine and athletic training perspective.

Michael Baham from the University of California Irvine School of Medicine is one such participant who looks forward to expanding his clinical knowledge on and off the field. “I am excited to be a part of the NFL’s commitment to diversifying the field of medicine,” he said. Dr. Allen Sills, Chief Medical Officer for the NFL is also thrilled about this program as he stated that “this impressive group of participants joining us from a growing roster of medical schools this season as we continue our efforts to bring interested diverse and underrepresented medical students into the sports medicine professional pipeline.”