George Paletta, MD

Founder
Orthopedic Surgeon and Head Team Physician, St. Louis Cardinals 

about the women's sports medicine initiative

MEMBERS

Our members educate other providers, coaches, and athletes and are listed on our provider directory.  Want to contribute? Contact us!

play like a girl!

Female athletes continue to challenge what it means to "play like a girl." Our goal is to make sure these women stay healthy and in the game.

WOMEN'S SPORTS MEDICINE INITIATIVE

Keeping Female Athletes in the Game

Since Title IX was passed in 1972, the participation of women in sports has grown exponentially, and with that the incidence of sports-related injuries in women has dramatically increased. Female athletes are affected by ACL injuries four- to eight-times more commonly than their male counterparts.  Gender-related research in sports medicine continues to be a relatively new and cutting-edge field in orthopedic surgery.

The first Women's Sports Medicine Center was built at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, to promote a focused atmosphere of comprehensive patient care and research to better understand and treat injuries in female athletes. Currently, only a few such centers exist in the country.

The WSMI was founded in 2012, to create a national network of providers that supports the coordinated care of female athletes throughout all disciplines.  We seek to increase awareness of injuries and issues specifically affecting the female athlete by providing education and tips for prevention to athletes, coaches and parents. We also offer informational guidelines, injury prevention workshops and books and resources authored by our experts in women's sports medicine.

In addition to providing specialized and multidisciplinary care of the female athlete, many members of the WSMI strive to better understand conditions that affect the female athlete through data collection and research. We distribute these findings and the latest research on gender-specific treatments in sports medicine, to educate other members, as well as patients, coaches, and other physicians around the country about the field of women's sports medicine.

Tammy Martielli, PhD​​​
Neuropsychologist and Concussion Specialist,

Neuropsychology Center of St. Louis

Miho J. Tanaka, MD

Director

​Orthopedic Surgeon,

Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Education

We hold an annual conference  as well as a quarterly mailing to keep you updated on the latest research. Contact us to sign up!