As part of South Florida's premier academic medical center, the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute focuses on a multidisciplinary care approach across a broad spectrum of surgical and medical specialties, along with an active research program studying causes and cures for a wide variety of conditions. All of this translates into exciting advances in patient care, as detailed below. We welcome your collaboration.

Lee Kaplan, M.D.

Director, University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute

The expertise and next-level care we provide at the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute translates to higher levels of performance. It's why professional teams such as the Miami Marlins, the University of Miami athletic teams, the US Sailing Team, and other high-profile athletes and celebrities entrust us with their care.

Click here to learn more about each team member's areas of expertise.

Led by Gillian Hotz, Ph.D., our Concussion Program is a national leader in the research, diagnosis, and treatment of concussions in children and adults, with the goal of getting players back on the field. Our comprehensive program recently received a grant from the Miami Dolphins Foundation that will help identify, treat, and establish protocols on concussions, as well as reinforce health and safety standards that will impact more than 15,000 high school student athletes each year.

Click here to learn more about our concussion experts and the care they provide.

Even if no injury has occurred, at the UM Sports Medicine Institute, we are helping patients take control of their personal health and achieve a higher level of performance year-round through EXOS. A global leader in human performance, EXOS creates customized solutions to improve levels of athletic functioning. Our partnership is the first of its kind in South Florida and the only one in the nation that has the backing of an academic health center, which provides athletes with the ability to get medical treatment and evaluation by board-certified sports medicine physicians.

Current Sports Medicine Reports

Researchers at the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute are examining the inconsistencies in recent literature between risk factor and injury occurrence in triathletes.

Carolyn M. Kienstra, M.D., and Thomas M. Best, M.D., Ph.D., were contributors to the analysis, which aims to provide recommendations for future studies and strategies for injury prevention.

While triathletes must train for three different events simultaneously, studies have not found positive associations between training and injury. This could be due to variations in study designs, differing definitions of injury (a new injury versus an exacerbation of a previous injury), and athlete populations. Improvements in monitoring and assessing training load may help training recommendations for triathletes that will prevent injury.

Journal of Sports and Health Science

Thomas M. Best, M.D., Ph.D., Research Director at the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute, was a contributor to an article that examines whether current grading systems for muscle injuries provide clinicians with enough information to guide athletes with regards to projected time loss and a return to their respective sports.

While most sports medicine physicians rely on MRI to guide athletes when projecting time loss from a sport, the paper argues that a new classification system of muscle injuries should be developed to better inform athletes of their prognosis.

Click here to learn more about how our research and other studies make us a national leader in sports medicine.

Lee Kaplan, M.D., Director of the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute, spoke to a group of community leaders on Caring for Champions at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce February Trustee Luncheon. The event included an interactive Q&A session with Miami Marlins' CEO, Derek Jeter, with whom Kaplan collaborates closely as the Medical Director and Head Team Physician for the Marlins.

On February 3rd, Lee Kaplan, M.D., spoke at the Junior Achievement Leadership Institute, which aims to teach students, grades 9-12, business and leadership experience they can apply in the real world.

Lee Kaplan, M.D., Director of the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute, and Thomas M. Best, M.D., Ph.D., Research Director of the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute, gave presentations at the 3rd Annual Winter Orthopedic Symposium held on January 19 and 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The symposium provided a comprehensive update on the latest advances in orthopedic care and technology.