Newswise — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Chad Asplund, MD, MPH was installed today, April 28, 2018 as President of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine during its 27th Annual Meeting at the Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Dr. Asplund is board-certified Family and Sports Medicine physician currently serving as Director of Sports Medicine and Head Team Physician at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga.
“I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to lead an organization that has been so instrumental in my career development. I look forward to the challenge, and hope that I can leave the organization in a great position moving forward.”
Dr. Asplund has a vast array of experience in sports medicine as he provided care to athletes at all levels – professional, Olympic, all levels of NCAA, high school and recreational athletes. Prior to his position at Georgia Southern, Dr. Asplund served as an assistant team physician at Ohio State University and credits that experience as instrumental in his development as a sports medicine physician.
He is a military veteran with time spent in the Coast Guard, Army and is now a flight surgeon in the Georgia Air National Guard. He has served a combat deployment to Afghanistan, as Chief of Medicine at the 249th Combat Support Hospital. His military awards include the bronze star, meritorious service medal and Army commendation medals. He credits his time in the military and the relationships he made, especially those with military sports medicine physicians and fellows, as the foundation of his sports medicine and leadership skills.
As a former Chair of the Practice and Policy Committee, his dedication to AMSSM’s advocacy efforts has helped drive sports medicine legislation at the state and national levels. In 2015, Dr. Asplund testified in front of the Health Subcommittee of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, which provides for team physicians traveling outside their home states.
“AMSSM has provided me with so much, but I would not have gotten as much out of AMSSM if I hadn’t volunteered on committees before being elected to the Board and now as President,” Dr. Asplund said. “AMSSM has an abundance of talented individuals, but for sports medicine as a profession and AMSSM as an organization to reach its full potential, it is very important that members are engaged, involved and are serving within the organization.”
Dr. Asplund’s research interests span exercise related collapse, sudden death, concussion and sleep. He has published and presented on these topics nationally and internationally. He served as the guest editor of the AMSSM Theme Issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2011 and currently serves as a section editor for Up to Date and Current Sports Medicine Reports and on the Editorial Board of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach.
He previously served on the AMSSM Board of Directors from 2012-16 as the Practice and Policy Chair and Communications Committee Chair prior to being elected 2nd Vice President in 2016. Prior to that, he volunteered on the Public Relations, Publications, Diversity and Membership Committees.
“The relationships that I have made and the experiences that I have had with AMSSM have shaped me as a person and as a physician,” Dr. Asplund said. “I am tremendously proud to be part of the organization and am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as the 26th president.”
About the AMSSM Annual Meeting: The 2018 conference brings more than 2,000 sports medicine physicians together from throughout the United States and around the world. The meeting theme is REACH: Reaching Up, Reaching Out, Reaching Ahead and explores the many ways AMSSM is leading the charge and shaping the future of sports medicine.
About the AMSSM: AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of more than 3,600 sports medicine physicians dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. The majority of AMSSM members are primary care physicians with fellowship training and added qualification in sports medicine who then combine their practice of sports medicine with their primary specialty. AMSSM includes members who specialize solely in non-surgical sports medicine and serve as team physicians at the youth level, NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS and NHL, as well as with Olympic and Paralympic teams. By nature of their training and experience, sports medicine physicians are ideally suited to provide comprehensive medical care for athletes, sports teams or active individuals who are simply looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. www.amssm.org
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