The Marshall University Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, under the sponsorship of the Department of Family and Community Health, has provided quality training in sports medicine for qualified physicians since 1988. Started with a vision to enhance care for Marshall University athletes and expand sports medicine services to the Tri-State area, the program has attracted top primary care residency graduates from all over the United States. Our former fellows are practicing in a wide variety of locations, including community, high school, college, and professional sports settings. Many of our graduates have become leaders in the Primary Care Sports Medicine field, and several are now involved in other fellowship programs.

The fellowship is fully accredited by the American College of Graduate Medical Education and our graduates have the opportunity to sit for the national examination to obtain a Certificate of Added Qualification in Primary Care Sports Medicine recognized by the Boards of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Emergency Medicine. Faculty for the fellowship include physicians in the Department of Family and Community Health, orthopedic physicians from the community and the University department of surgery, exercise physiologists, a sports medicine nutritionist, a sports psychologist, University athletic trainers, community physical therapists, cardiac rehabilitation specialists, University strength coaches, and a research assistant.

Fellows receive a broad training in the care of exercising individuals of all ages and levels of expertise and experience. Extensive and varied team physician experience is obtained at both the university and high school levels. Sports medicine clinics for the public and for Marshall University students and athletes are operated by the Department of Family and Community Health. Training in the role of exercise in a variety of chronic illnesses and conditions occurs primarily in the university exercise physiology labs. Concepts of personal fitness and performance enhancement are taught in the nationally recognized High Intensity Training Center. Our fellows become expert teachers of primary care sports medicine through patient education opportunities, interaction with medical students and residents, and community education programs. Required review of the current sports medicine literature ensures that our care is at the cutting edge of national standards in sports medicine.

The fellowship has created an environment for enhanced care of exercising individuals in the Tri-State area. The Department of Family and Community Health and graduates of the Family Medicine Residency now provide team coverage for the high schools in Cabell, Wayne, and Lincoln counties. The department also provides the Medical Director and the Associate Medical Director for the Marshall University Athletic Department as well as team physicians for individual university sports. Our faculty serve as medical directors for the West Virginia State Wrestling Tournament and the Chevy Cup State Youth Soccer Championships. Several members of the department serve on an advisory committee to the West Virginia Academy of Family Physicians and the Department of Family and Community Health present the Marshall University Primary Care and Sports Medicine Week-End, a continuing medical education meeting now attracting more than 400 participants annually from all over the state and surrounding regions.

The Marshall University Primary Care Sports Medicine faculty and fellows have become an integral part of sports medicine care for Marshall University and Tri-State area athletes. The leadership shown by the Department of Family and Community Health in this area continues to grow and impact the quality of primary care sports medicine both at the local and national levels.