MedStar Sports Medicine Partners With US Lacrosse; Top Lacrosse Experts Participate in Live Online Forum to Raise Awareness and Reduce Risk of Sports Injury


BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwired - May 13, 2014) - MedStar Sports Medicine, in partnership with the US Lacrosse, will host the 2014 Head and ACL Injury Webcast, a free online forum focused on top safety issues for today's lacrosse athletes, parents and coaches. Streaming live on the web on Wednesday, May 21, from 7 to 8 p.m., the event will feature eight of the area's leading lacrosse safety experts in an engaging question and answer session aimed to increase awareness and prevention of two key health topics: head injuries and ACL injuries.

As the occurrence of head injuries and ACL knee injuries remain prevalent among male and female lacrosse players of all levels, the need for education is vital in reducing the risk of injury and keeping athletes safe. What are the symptoms of a concussion? How long is the healing process? Are there best practices to help prevent ACL injuries? Is surgery always necessary? Experts will answer these questions and more during the live event. Moderated by MedStar Sports Medicine's Richard Hinton, MD, the webcast will be split into two 30-minute informational sessions:

Session One 7 to 7:30 p.m. ACL Injuries: Treatment and Prevention
Session Two 7:30 to 8 p.m. The Facts on Head Injuries in Lacrosse

During the webcast, participants can log on to medstarhealth.org/webcast to watch streaming video and chat live with the experts. Viewers also can participate in the event on Facebook and on Twitter, by following hashtags #AskMedStar or #LacrosseHealth.

This event is just another step in the commitment to reducing the risk of lacrosse injury. Taking place a few days prior to the NCAA men's and women's lacrosse championship, both to be held in Baltimore, MedStar Sports Medicine and US Lacrosse aim to draw attention from the lacrosse community and further highlight the importance of sports safety.

As lacrosse participation nears 750,000 nationwide, MedStar Sports Medicine and US Lacrosse bring their relationship to a new level in their combined efforts to increase sports safety and injury prevention. Together, MedStar Sports Medicine and US Lacrosse have established the nation's leading lacrosse sports medicine program, bringing top expertise to the athletes of today's fastest growing sport. This strategic alliance has resulted in the collaboration of leadership from MedStar and US Lacrosse in the areas of research, education and prevention of injury priorities specific to both girls' and boy's lacrosse.

Meet the 2014 Head and ACL Injury Webcast panelists:

Session 1: ACL Injuries: Treatment and Prevention

Milford H. Marchant Jr., MD, is a sports medicine fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeon for MedStar Sports Medicine at MedStar Harbor Hospital. Dr. Marchant is the orthopaedic and sports medicine physician for the Chesapeake Bayhawks. During his fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, he cared for the 2009 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers and was an assistant team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kings and Sparks and the Anaheim Ducks.

Karen Sutton, MD, serves as the orthopedic physician for the U.S. women's national lacrosse team, and served previously as the team orthopedic physician for the gold medal-winning U.S. under-19 women's team in 2011. A former player at Duke University, Dr. Sutton currently works as an attending physician at Yale New Haven Hospital and serves as an assistant professor at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Jay Dyer, certified strength and conditioning coach for the U.S. Men's, Women's and U-19 National Lacrosse Teams, is the director of Sports Performance for Medstar Sports Medicine. Dyer's program, JDyer Strength and Conditioning, is a comprehensive enhancement program designed to assist athletes in improving their abilities to take their play to the next level. Utilized by the best high school, collegiate and professional lacrosse players in the country, his program focuses on enhancing speed, agility, power, strength, flexibility and coordination, while also enforcing valuable injury prevention techniques. Outside the sport of lacrosse, Dyer has worked with Division I and Division III athletes in football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, soccer and field hockey. Jay has also worked with athletes from the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University, University of Maryland, Princeton, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgetown, University of Pennsylvania, Ohio State and Villanova.

Justin Cooper, PT, MPT, SCS, is the clinic coordinator at MedStar NRH Rehabilitation Network at MedStar Harbor Hospital. Part of MedStar Sports Medicine, Cooper works alongside the orthopaedic surgeons for the Baltimore Ravens and Chesapeake Bayhawks. He is an ABPTS board certified sport medicine specialist who has worked with scholastic, NCAA, NFL and MLL athletes. Cooper offers specialty programs for concussion, golf medicine and ACL rehabilitation and injury prevention using sports motion video analysis. He received his bachelor's in kinesiology from the University of Maryland, College Park and a master's in physical therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before his career in sports medicine, Cooper was a high school teacher and coach.

Session 2: The Facts on Head Injuries in Lacrosse

Andrew E. Lincoln, ScD, MS, member of the US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee, is the director of the Sports Medicine Research Center for the MedStar Health Research Institute and program coordinator of the MedStar Sports Medicine Concussion Program. He specializes in the epidemiology of concussion and sports injuries and sports health policy, and coordinates research activity for the US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee and the NFL Subcommittee on Cardiovascular Health. Dr. Lincoln is considered a national thought leader and leading researcher in the area of youth sports concussion.

Sean Curtin, MD, primary care sports medicine physician at MedStar, serves as the team physician for the U.S. Women's National Lacrosse Team, as well as assistant team physician for the Baltimore Ravens. He has also been a team physician for Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Dr. Curtin maintains a certificate of added qualification in sports medicine and serves as a sports medicine consultant for Harford County (Md.) public school athletics. He has extensive experience in concussion management.

Ann Carpenetti is vice president of lacrosse operations at US Lacrosse, and served previously as the organization's women's division director. A member of the US Lacrosse staff since 2004, Carpenetti is responsible for providing strategic leadership to USL's men's and women's game committees and managing the men's and women's game directors, among other duties. A former high school player on Long Island and collegiately at the University of Buffalo, she is also an active local women's lacrosse umpire.

Ruben Echemendia, PhD, is the director of the National Hockey League's Neuropsychological Testing Program and chair of the NHL's Concussion Working Group. He is also chair of Major League Soccer's concussion program and is the consulting clinical neuropsychologist to the US Soccer Federation and the U.S. Soccer National Teams. He is the founder of the Penn State University Concussion Program and the consulting neuropsychologist to Princeton University's Department of Athletic Medicine.

Meet the moderator:

Richard Y. Hinton, MD, MPH, PT,  is an executive member of the US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee and head team physician of the 2013 FILA World Cup Champions, U.S. Women's Lacrosse Team. He is the medical director of MedStar Sports Medicine North and director of the MedStar Sports Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Hinton also serves as team physician for Towson University men's and women's lacrosse programs, Morgan State University, and St. Paul's School for Boys. He is an assistant team physician for the NFL Baltimore Ravens. Dr. Hinton specializes in the care of adult and pediatric sports conditions with a concentration in surgery of the knee and shoulder. He is active in numerous research and educational projects focusing on sports health and safety.

For more information or to pre-register for the 2014 Head and ACL Injury Webcast, click here.

About MedStar Sports Medicine
MedStar Sports Medicine, an initiative integrated throughout MedStar Health, is one of the premier sports medicine programs in the country. Over the past 30 years, MedStar Sports Medicine has grown to include more than 36 physicians, 23 certified athletic trainers and a network of therapists, nutritionists, and support staff at MedStar's ten hospitals and diversified services. Focused on patient care, education, research and team relationships, this network of medical professionals is dedicated to enhancing the health and performance of all active people. More than 40 sports organizations, including the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Nationals, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Baltimore Blast, and US Lacrosse, have chosen MedStar Sports Medicine as their official medical team. Visit us at MedStarSportsMed.org, or call 888-44-SPORT (888-447-7678).

About MedStar Health
MedStar Health is a not-for-profit health system dedicated to caring for people in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, while advancing the practice of medicine through education, innovation and research. MedStar's 30,000 associates, 6,000 affiliated physicians, 10 hospitals, ambulatory care and urgent care centers, and the MedStar Health Research Institute are recognized regionally and nationally for excellence in medical care. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar trains more than 1,100 medical residents annually. MedStar Health's patient-first philosophy combines care, compassion and clinical excellence with an emphasis on customer service. For more information, visit MedStarHealth.org.

About US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse is the national governing body of men's and women's lacrosse, primarily serving the youth game. It provides a leadership role in virtually every aspect of the game, boasts 64 chapters throughout the United States, and offers programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the sport.

US Lacrosse provides a standardized lacrosse curriculum for physical education programs, as well as standardized certification and training programs for coaches and officials. Through its Sport Science and Safety Committee, US Lacrosse has funded hundreds of thousands of dollars of sport safety research in areas of concern to the lacrosse community.

Contact Information:

Contact:
Megan Lutz
Phone: 410-554-2781
E-Mail: megan.lutz@medstar.net