On Monday, the NFL, the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) jointly announced the expansion of the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative.
The program, which began last fall, seeks to increase and diversify the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine, with the goal of ultimately diversifying the medical staff of NFL clubs.
After a successful inaugural year, the program has been expanded league-wide.
“Working toward diverse representation across all roles in our league continues to be a top priority, and this program helps us make a tangible impact to grow and bolster a pipeline of diverse sports medicine professionals,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. “We know that diversity makes us stronger at every level, and we look forward to welcoming the 2023 class to our player care teams at clubs across the league.”
Last year’s class featured 14 students from four HBCU medical schools including Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Meharry Medical College. Each student completed a clinical rotation with NFL club medical staff.
The 2023 program will expand to match diverse students from 19 medical schools with NFL teams.
While most of the emphasis on diversity in the league has focused on coaches and executives, the sports medical field has historically lacked diversity as well.
But, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, those numbers rose during the last academic year.
The overall number of applicants has returned to pre-pandemic levels and the diversity numbers are just as encouraging.
Black matriculants are up 9%, Black students made up 10% of matriculants in 2022-23, an increase from 9.5% in 2020-21 and first-year Black men increase by 5%.
Hispanic/Latino/Spanish original matriculants increased by 4% and individuals from this group accounted for 12% of total matriculants.
The NFL, NFLPS and PFATS are now strengthening their commitment to diversity in the field by expanding the initiative.
“The NFLPS is honored to be a part of this critically important program. We are proud to expand this program to reach more diverse medical students across the nation. I know firsthand that the students who rotated with the 49ers last season were exceptional — and I learned so much from them. We look forward to another successful season,” said Dr. Timothy McAdams, NFLPS President and Head Team Physician for the San Francisco 49ers.
“The Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) is proud and honored to be an integral partner of this program. Having had a student rotation at my club, I know first-hand how important and critical a program like this is for the diverse medical student community. PFATS, and all of our members across the league, are excited to continue to foster this amazing program and reach more students with another successful season, ” said Reggie Scott, PFATS Past President and Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance for the Los Angeles Rams.
In addition to the aforementioned HBCU institutions, this year’s participating institutions also include: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Michigan State University School of Human Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Sidney Kimmel Medical College-Jefferson Medical, Stanford University Medical School, University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Kansas School of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, University of Washington School of Medicine, and Wake Forest School of Medicine.
“I am so grateful I had a once in lifetime opportunity to participate in this program. I learned something valuable from everyone on the medical team of physicians, athletic trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, psychologists, nutritionists,” said Dr. Kayla Thomas, 2022 Pipeline Initiative participant and Howard University College of Medicine graduate. “I hope the NFL continues to incorporate more schools and teams to allow students to experience the intricacies of sports medicine.”
As the program continues to grow, the three organizations seek to further expand the pipeline and add additional disciplines and roles.
