Kent State and Cleveland Clinic Enter Multiyear Partnership to Support Student-Athlete Health and Wellness

Newswise — Kent State University and Cleveland Clinic have announced a multiyear partnership in which Cleveland Clinic becomes the official healthcare provider for Kent State Athletics. 

Cleveland Clinic will serve as the medical services provider to support Kent State student-athlete health and wellness. It will provide a variety of multidisciplinary services, including physicians, athletic training, physical therapy, behavioral health services, sports performance services, medical scheduling and insurance processing. 

“Our student-athletes deserve the best support possible for their health and fitness, and there is no better partner to deliver this support than Cleveland Clinic,” Kent State President Todd Diacon said. “Cleveland Clinic has been an outstanding partner in support of our nursing and public health programs, Brain Health Research Institute, respiratory therapy students at our Ashtabula Campus, grant-funded research projects and much more. We look forward to continuing to grow this valuable partnership.” 

Kent State’s relationship with Cleveland Clinic extends to its alumni. Cleveland Clinic employs more than 2,300 Kent State graduates. About half of the Kent State alumni who work for the internationally renowned healthcare system are graduates of the university’s College of Nursing. 

With this new partnership, Dr. Lutul Farrow, executive director of Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine, will serve as the head team physician and Kent State Athletics’ healthcare administrator. Farrow is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon and has a Subspecialty Certification in sports medicine. He will head a group of team physicians that includes Dr. Sami Rifat, director of sport and exercise medicine at Cleveland Clinic, who holds a board certification in family medicine and a fellowship-trained Certification of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine. The team physician staff will also include four additional board-certified, fellowship-trained sports medicine specialists. These team physicians will provide care at all Kent State home sporting events, Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships hosted by Kent State as well as home and away football contests.  

“Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine is thrilled to partner with Kent State University as the official healthcare provider for their athletic programs,” Farrow said. “Our goal is to deliver the highest level of care and support to their talented student-athletes, ensuring they can perform at their best while maintaining optimal health and wellness. This partnership allows us to extend our expertise and resources to an outstanding institution and its students.” 

Additionally, Cleveland Clinic will provide medical clinic hours for Kent State student-athletes throughout the year, allowing student-athletes access to team physicians outside of game day. Golden Flash students, student-athletes, faculty and employees will also have access to an on-site sports physical therapist throughout the year. Furthermore, a Cleveland Clinic-employed registered dietician will be available in a virtual or on-site capacity, ensuring that the student-athletes are fueling themselves properly all year long.  

“We are elated to begin our partnership with Cleveland Clinic,” Kent State’s Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Randale L. Richmond said. “In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, one thing that remains paramount is the health and safety of our student-athletes. This partnership gives our student-athletes and our department access to world-renowned care and cutting-edge technology and facilities. The care that our student-athletes will receive from Cleveland Clinic is unrivaled across college athletics as we strive to graduate student-athletes who are boldly prepared for life after sport and to win championships.”  

The new partnership also grants easy access to scheduling to student-athletes for all imaging, emergency room and urgent care needs as well as specialties and subspecialties that fall beyond the scope of the team physicians. In addition, baseline concussion and concussion testing will be provided to student-athletes.  

Beyond sports medicine, Cleveland Clinic will provide mental health services with access to a sports and performance psychologist to student-athletes. In addition, Cleveland Clinic will deliver continuing education to all Kent State athletic trainers and physicians. Faculty and staff training in CPR and professional rescue will be made available throughout the summer months during the partnership.  

Kent State’s Board of Trustees approved this latest partnership between the university and Cleveland Clinic during its May 2024 meeting. Cleveland Clinic began providing athletics medical services to the university on July 1.  

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About Cleveland Clinic 

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in Northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources are available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org. 

About Kent State University 

Kent State University is the highest-ranked public university in northern Ohio on the Top Public Schools and Best National Universities lists by U.S. News & World Report. The university also holds the esteemed distinction of being one of only five institutions in Ohio to be recognized as an R1 top-tier research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Kent State is one of Ohio’s leading public universities and a major educational, economic and cultural resource far beyond the Northeast Ohio region it has served since 1910. The university has a global footprint with eight campuses throughout Northeast Ohio, a College of Podiatric Medicine, a Twinsburg Academic Center and academic sites around the world, including New York City; Florence, Italy; and Curitiba, Brazil. Kent State offers award-winning student support services that help students succeed. Its diverse student body comprises more than 33,500 students, including more than 2,000 international students from 101 countries, and the worldwide alumni family is nearly 280,000. Kent State provides transformational educational experiences and leads with its values, which include kindness, respect and freedom of expression.  

For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu. 

Media Contacts: 

Eric Mansfield, [email protected], 330-672-2797 

Grant Passell, [email protected], 216-386-5615