Newswise — Penn Medicine physicians and scientists are available for comment on a variety of topics relating to health and injury issues that Winter Olympic athletes may face. Experts are available for interviews by phone, webcam or satellite uplink from the Penn campus in Philadelphia.
Internal Medicine Gary Dorshimer, MD, chief of Internal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital. He will be traveling to Sochi as an Internal Medicine consultant for the NHL. He served in the same role at the 1998 Nagano, 2002 Salt Lake City, and 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and also serves as team internist with the Philadelphia Flyers, Phantoms, Eagles, and Kixx, and as a consulting internist to the Pennsylvania Ballet. Dr. Dorshimer will be available for on-site interviews in Sochi.
Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Injuries**Additional specialized experts available upon request
Brian Sennett, MD, Director of Sports Medicine
Samir Mehta, MD, Chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Trauma. Treats patients suffering from traumatic orthopaedic injuries, including many extreme sports athletes (snowboarders, rock climbers, etc).
James Carey, MD, Director, Penn Center for Cartilage Repair and Osteochondritis Dissecans Treatment. Specializes in treating sports injuries and leads one of only a few cartilage repair centers in the nation.
Wen Chao, MD & Keith Wapner, MD, Foot and Ankle surgeons at Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Chao operated on speed skater Alison Baver of Reading, PA, in 2009, following a severe injury of her tibia and ankle. Baver has since recovered and competed on the US speedskating team at the 2010 Vancouver Games and will compete again in Sochi. Dr. Chao serves as foot and ankle surgeon to the Pennsylvania Ballet. Dr. Wapner is President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons (AAOFAS).
Infectious Disease- Flu (seasonal & novel strains)- Vaccinations and disease prevention Neil Fishman, MD, University of Pennsylvania Health System associate chief medical officer, chairman of CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Michael N. Braffman, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine, and John J. Stern, MD, chief, division of Infectious Diseases, Pennsylvania Hospital.
Neurology/Neurosurgery- Head/Neck Injury- Spinal Injury
M. Sean Grady, MD, Charles Harrison Frazier Professor of Neurosurgery and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery
Douglas Smith, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of the Penn Center for Brain Injury and Repair
Cardiology- Heart Rhythm problems- Sudden Cardiac Arrest David Callans, MD, Associate Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology
Benjamin Abella, MD, Vice Chair of the department of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Research Director, Center for Resuscitation Science
Anti-Doping & Muscle PhysiologyTejvir S. Khurana, MD, PhD, associate professor of Physiology. He recently took research mice to within 1,000 feet of the summit of Mount Everest to study how a mammal’s physiology changes when exposed to low-oxygen conditions at extreme altitude.
Endocrinology- Diabetes - Metabolism- Hormones Mitch Lazar, MD, PhD, chief of the division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
Mark Schutta, MD, Director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center
Psychiatry- Performance Anxiety- Mental Preparedness- Eating Disorders Michael E. Thase, MD, Director of the Penn Mood and Anxiety Program
Cory F. Newman, PhD, Professor of Psychology; Director, Center for Cognitive Therapy, expert in sports psychology
Thomas Wadden, PhD, Director of Weight & Eating Disorders
Travel Medicine - Illness prevention - Vaccinations for travel - Motion sickness, jet lag, altitude sickness- International disease surveillance Suzanne Shepherd, MD, Director of Education & Research, PENN Travel Medicine, associate professor of Emergency Medicine
Stephen J. Gluckman, MD, director of Penn Global Medicine, professor of Infectious Diseases Sleep Disorders- Time Change/Jet Lag- Sleep Deprivation
Allan Pack, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine and Director of the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology
David F. Dinges, PhD, professor of Psychiatry and chief, division of Sleep and Chronobiology ###
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Chester County Hospital; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.