Department leadership, sports medicine faculty and fellows attended the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine’s (AMSSM) annual conference in Austin, Texas this month. Department team members contributed research poster presentations, podium presentations, conference lectures and roundtables throughout the five-day event.
Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the department and associate dean for primary care and rural health, is the AMSSM Collaborative Research Network chair and leads the organization’s research and research-based educational initiatives. Asif presented several times at the conference and led the academic interest group sessions.
"My favorite part of the conference was getting a chance to see people in person after several years of Zoom-only,” he said. “It was great to share stories about sports medicine and to think about the future direction of the discipline.”
Asif and other faculty members were also there to recruit new fellows and support the current class as they presented research.
“Beyond the information and guidance the establishment provides to sports medicine physicians, it is an outstanding outlet for networking for physicians and students at all levels,” said Ian McKeag, M.D., assistant professor and director of the Sports and Exercise Medicine Fellowship Program. “AMSSM also holds a sentimental value for me—my father is one of the founders of the organization.”
McKeag serves on the program planning committee for the 2023 conference as well as the fellowship, education and ultrasound committees.
Sports and Exercise Medicine fellows Matthew Miesch, M.D., left, Christian Muller, D.O., right, with fellowship director Ian McKeag, M.D., center.
According to Matthew Miesch, M.D., Sports and Exercise Medicine Fellowship Program fellow, AMSSM’s annual conference offers exciting educational and networking opportunities.
“AMSSM ensures that we are getting exposure to new and updated topics in sports medicine so that we can treat our athletes with the most accurate information,” said Miesch. “The networking opportunities also create communication links with some of the best sports physicians around the country.”
Miesch and Christian Muller, D.O., also a fellow, presented research findings from their curriculum and clinical work this year.
Muller noted that there was a lot to take in at the conference and that participants were able to explore topics related to college athletes, specific area injuries, ultrasound injections and more.
“AMMSM is important to my career because it is where the leaders in sports medicine come together to discuss new ideas and research,” Muller said.
Kim Fagan, M.D., associate professor and sports medicine division chief, commented on the personal value of the conference and organization as one of its charter members.
“I have had the opportunity to watch the society grow from the first meeting of approximately 100 members to now over 4500,” she said. “The scope and quality of the educational opportunities seem to improve each year, and the personal relationships I’ve developed over the past 31 years are what makes this a do-not-miss meeting for me.”
Calvin Spellmon, M.D., assistant professor said he attended several lectures that related to his current practice and gave him insight on how to handle future situations.
“I was able to meet with some peers from the diversity community to speak on different ways of diversifying not only sports medicine but the medical field in general,” Spellmon said. “I was also able to keep a longstanding tradition alive by playing in the annual basketball game with colleagues from all over. Lastly, I was able to get some much-needed R&R and spend time with family, friends, residency mentors, my fellowship director and fellow fellows, as well as networking and meeting new people.”
Learn more about the department’s sports and exercise medicine programs here, and visit the AMSSM website to learn more about the organization and its mission.