NSU Horizons Winter 2008 - 2009

academic notes F atigue and burning muscles frequently plagued Nova Southeastern University NCAA Division II cross country track runner John Besharat. But without the help of NSU’s Sports Medicine Clinic, Besharat, 20, would never have been able to determine that the symptoms were part of something more—a severe iron deficiency. He believes that the diagnosis allowed him to avert even more serious medical problems. The Division of Sports Medicine clinic offers a multidisciplinary approach to treating sports-related health issues. The sports medi- cine team includes physicians representing several specialized areas of care including primary care sports medicine physicians and neuromuscular medicine physicians. The team is also composed of athletic trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists, sports psycholo- gists and strength and conditioning trainers. Typically, the comprehensive medical care NSU provides its student-athletes is of the caliber available to NCAA Division I athletes and professional sports teams. That quality care is pro- vided in NSU’s state-of-the-art University Center, the university’s premier multipurpose sports, recreation, wellness, and entertain- ment venue. Members of the NSU community and the community- at-large are also able to take advantage of services offered to athletes. This includes access to board-certified family physicians and specialists. “In most collegiate sports medicine departments, care of the student-athlete is provided by an athletic trainer and a consulting physician,” said Larry Starr, M.Ed., ATC, LAT, CSCS, assistant athletic director of athletic training/sports medicine at NSU. “Our program is unique in that we have varied disciplines on staff. In the Sunshine State Conference, the colleges primarily use consultants—here, the physicians are in-house.” For example, team physicians include two NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine assistant professors, Andrew Kusienski, D.O., who is also division chair of sports medicine, and Heather McCarthy, D.O., an assistant professor. Team members also include students who have completed 1,000 clinical hours in NSU’s Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP). This on-the-job training helps both the students and the athletes. According to Elizabeth Swann, Ph.D., ATC, LAT, ATEP, program director and associate professor, more than 100 students from her program, in addition to those enrolled in the physical therapy, physician assistant, and osteopathic medicine programs, participate in monthly “grand rounds.” These are case study presentations providing interaction with the sports medicine team’s medical professionals. “We are unique in that our undergraduate ath- letic training students perfect their skills under the direction of certified athletic trainers and gain clinical experience through NSU clinics and at high schools in Broward County,” Swann said. “As an athletic trainer, I have to know something about the psychology, nutrition, strength, and con- ditioning of the athlete, but I am not an expert. It’s these multiple disciplines that allow us to accomplish our mission, which is to provide more effective health care for the student-athletes,” said Starr, the assistant athletic director. NSU’s sports medicine program addresses athletes’ mental well-being and nutritional balance in addition to physical agility. If an athlete were suffering from fatigue brought on by an eating disorder, for example, Marilyn Gordon, M.S., a registered and licensed dietician/nutritionist, would be called upon to manage the nutritional aspects of this athlete’s health care. Stephen A. Russo, Ph.D., the clinic’s director of sports psychology and assistant professor at NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies, would address an eating disorder from a psychological standpoint. Having previously worked at a university with NCAA Division I sports teams, Russo understands the importance of having a mul- tidisciplinary sports management team available to support student- athletes and students in general. “Cross-disciplinary collaboration works for both the athlete and the students,” he said. “It allows us to respond to many different situations.” With the iron deficiency now behind him, cross country run- ner Besharat, a sophomore, helped the Sharks place seventh at the NCAA Division II South Regional Championship last season. He recently earned the “Coach’s Award” and is studying to become a sports medicine physician. ■ Above and Beyond the Practice of Sports Medicine: A Collaborative Approach to Rehabilitation 6 horizons Elizabeth Swann, PH.D.