Sports Medicine Experts Offer Marathon Insights

NEW YORK—October 29, 2008

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is home to some of the leading sports medicine physicians and surgeons in the country. Specialists routinely treat complex professional sports injuries and conditions and serve as team physicians for many New York City and U.S. teams.

During the ING New York City Marathon, HSS experts are available to comment on a variety of topics, including injury prevention, dehydration and nutrition, maintaining mental fitness--before, during and after the race--and more.

HSS sports medicine experts are available for interviews from New York City. Many are also competitive athletes themselves.

• Rob Maschi, P.T., DPT, CSCS, is a senior physical therapist in the Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center at Hospital for Special Surgery. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA) and specializes in prevention and rehabilitation of running injuries. Dr. Maschi has developed a Runners Analysis program that incorporates video motion analysis of running mechanics and program development for injured and healthy runners. A competitive marathon runner and triathlete, he has competed in five marathons, placing in the top 10 percent for the New York City and Chicago marathons. He has lectured nationally on running injuries and sports medicine topics.
• Riley J. Williams III, M.D., is director of the Institute for Cartilage Repair at HSS and specializes in the field of shoulder, knee and elbow surgery. He holds dual appointments in both the Sports Medicine Service and the Research Division. Dr. Williams' clinical and research interests include cartilage repair and transplantation, arthroscopic shoulder repair and stabilization, anterior cruciate and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and elbow ligament reconstruction. He serves as head team physician for Nets Basketball, the New York Red Bulls and Iona College Department of Athletics and has served as associate team physician for the New York Mets and the New York Football Giants. Dr. Williams is also an active member of the New York Road Runners.
• Jordan Metzl, M.D., is dedicated to the treatment of sports injuries in child and adolescent athletes. He has lectured widely on the increased prevalence of overuse injuries in young athletes and is the author of two critically acclaimed books, The Young Athlete: A Sports Doctor's Complete Guide for Parents (Little Brown, 2002) and Sports Medicine in the Pediatric Office. In addition, he is the medical columnist for Triathlete magazine. His areas of expertise include performance enhancing drug use in athletes, concussion, overuse injuries, running injuries and triathlon injuries. Dr. Metzl is a five-time Ironman Triathlete, a twenty-five-time marathon runner and a former college soccer player.
• Jenny R. Susser, Ph.D., is a clinical health psychologist specializing in sport psychology at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at HSS. She works with professional, Olympic, collegiate and amateur athletes of all ages to address the mental and emotional side of sport and competition, including injury, performance enhancement, disordered eating and competitive anxiety. Dr. Susser has conducted research on injury recovery, investigating the use of mental imagery on recovery. An All-American swimmer and assistant coach at UCLA, she swam on two national teams and participated in the 1988 Olympic Trials.
• Heidi Skolnik, MS, CN, is the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Football Giants, the New York Red Bulls soccer team and the School of American Ballet as well as the Women's Sports Medicine Center at HSS. She is co-author of The Reverse Diet: Lose Weight By Eating Dinner for Breakfast and Breakfast for Dinner (Wiley, 2007) and is a New York State certified nutritionist. Ms. Skolnik is a fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and is a certified health fitness instructor.
• Lisa Callahan, M.D., is co-director of the HSS Women's Sports Medicine Center, specializing in the care of active and athletic women. She is board-certified in primary care/sports medicine and serves as the director of player care for the New York Knicks and Liberty basketball teams. Dr. Callahan has also provided medical treatment as the team physician for a number of university sports teams, including Stanford and San Jose State universities as well as acting as medical coordinator and event physician for triathlons, biathlons and various sports events including the 1999 and 1994 World Cup Soccer, 1999 Avon Running Global Championships, 1995 World Rowing Championships, the Cleveland ballet, 1993 Olympic Gymnastics Exhibition, 1993 International Sumo Tournament and the NCAA Golf Championships.