Playing SMART

A young boy dies from heat stroke during a summer football practice. A cheerleader fractures her skull when teammates fail to catch her during a routine stunt. A child dies after being struck by a falling soccer goal post.

When catastrophic sports injuries began grabbing headlines in 2005, Stephen Klasko, CEO for USF Health and dean of the College of Medicine, saw an opportunity to reach out to the community. Combining research, teaching and a clinical initiative, he conceived a plan that would bring new perspectives to the prevention and treatment of sports-related illness and injury in athletes of all ages.

His vision, bolstered by a $600,000 appropriation from the Florida legislature that year, set the wheels in motion for a statewide Sports Medicine & Athletic Related Trauma (SMART) Institute at USF. Today, with approximately $3 million in state funding, the multidisciplinary institute is helping to improve sports safety on playing and practice fields throughout the region.

One example is the placement of 10 full-time certified athletic trainers (ATC) in Hillsborough County high schools that previously had no formal health care services for athletes. The trainers provide guidance in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of sports-related injuries, often managing injuries that would otherwise require a trip to the ER.

One ATC calls SMART, "a year-round safety net for competitive high school athletes"

Click here to read the complete article in USF Magazine (page 20).