Summaries of Past International Team Physician Courses

• 2012 ITPC - Cape Town

  The 2012 ACSM ITPC was held on October 24-26 in Cape Town, South Africa.  Dr. Bert Fields served as chair of the American faculty that included Dr. Fran O’Connor, Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland, Dr. Craig Young and Dr. Sharon Busey.  The South African hosts were Dr. Jon Patricios and Dr. Martin Schwellnus.  They served as co-chairs for the CME program - entitled the International Advanced Team Medical Care course.
  
  The ITPC course was run in conjunction with a simultaneous course entitled – Lifestyle interventions for Chronic Disease an Introductory Course.  The courses filled the registration limit with 200 attendees from every state within South Africa.  By running parallel courses and incorporating both medical and injury topics into the ITPC lectures, the course directors provided a program that attracted a mixture of sports physicians, general physicians, sports scientists, nutritionists and physiotherapists.  Each of the American faculty taught 3 to 4 general lectures and also presented two workshops. The workshops were focused to provide more advanced teaching to the sports physicians in attendance.
  
  The faculty received extremely positive feedback from the hosts and from the many attendees.  The course design allowed a lot of time for participants to have one on one discussion with faculty as well as having a number of general question and answer sessions.  This gave the attendees good exposure to the level of teaching at ACSM sponsored courses and hopefully encouraged them to attend one of the ACSM annual meetings.
  
  The South African Sports Medicine Society designated this as their annual meeting so most of the leading sports physicians from the major universities and urban areas in South Africa attended.  Dr. Renate Frankovich who is the current president of the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine and Dr. Paul Dijkstra who is the head physician for Athletics in the UK were additional international speakers who contributed to the program. 

• 2010 ITPC- Bangladesh

  The 2010 International Team Physician Course was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from December 3-5, 2010.  Dr. Mohammad Zubayer and the Bangladesh Institute of Sports Sciences served as the host, and Balu Natarajan MD served as ITPC course chair.  Faculty included David C. Dome MD, Suzanne Hecht MD, and Neeru Jayanthi MD.  The course attracted nearly 40 participants, comprised primarily by physicians and physical therapists.  Most attendees were from the Dhaka area, but a few traveled from their homes in the United States and the United Kingdom to be a part of the course in their native country.

  While the focus of the talks was on sport and sports medicine, workshops and discussion included pragmatic issues including treatment of arthritic conditions, exercise prescriptions for individuals with diabetes, and overall public health.  The ITPC faculty were inspired by the level of interest among participants, and are looking forward to sustained growth in sports medicine in Bangladesh.

  Pictured: 2010 ITPC Faculty and Organizers

  

• 2009 ITPC- South Africa

  The 2009 meeting was hosted by Johannesburg, South Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre from 12-15 February.  532 delegates from 14 different countries attended. The meeting, superbly hosted by Dr. Jon Patricios, was well supported by the pharmaceutical industry and sports medicine fraternity who complemented the outstanding presentations with a wonderful trade exhibition. The event was opened with an excellent address by Dr. Tim Noakes who then presented the ACSM faculty with Bafana Bafana (South Africa's National Soccer Team) shirts in commemoration of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup to be hosted in South Africa.

  The overseas faculty from the ACSM was lead by Dr. PZ Pearce and included Dr. Mark Hutchinson, Dr. Joel Press, and Dr. Doug McKeag. In total, this experienced panel covered 28 topics ranging from fieldside care and sports traumatology to care of specific sporting populations. Dr. Susan Carter also presented an excellent workshop on the Female Athletic Triad.  The ACSM contingent was joined by Dr. Dalius Barkauskas, a Lithuanian sports physician with experience from 6 Olympic Games, who presented a series of workshops and lectures integrating orthodox sports medicine with naturopathic therapies.  A number of prominent local speakers presented lectures of equivalent quality to their overseas colleagues, including Dr. Mark Ferguson, Dr. Ralph Posner, Dr. Demitri Constantinou, Dr. Glen Hagemann, Dr. Sello Motaung, Ron Veenis, Simon Lawson, Sean Pincus, Janine Hugo, and Estelle Watson.

  An exciting feature of the event was the participation of elite athletes in the program. National cricketer Neil McKenzie partook in an excellent breakfast seminar detailing his knee injuries with experienced orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ponky Firer. Bryan Habana opened the cocktail function with an address on the influence of sports science on his career whilst Oscar Pistorius had 500 medical professionals spellbound for 45 minutes during his keynote address “Birth to Bladerunner to Beijing- the influence of sports medicine & science on my career.” The William Webb Ellis Trophy won by South Africa at the 2007 Rugby World Cup was on display on the Thursday evening and was probably photographed more during the ITPC than during the World Cup!

  Feedback from local and overseas delegates has been overwhelmingly favorable. The 2009 ITPC was an excellent example of collaboration between international and local expertise and a wonderful learning experience for all, hopefully to be repeated.     

  Pictured: ACSM Faculty with Dr. Jon Patricios (Host) & the Rugy World Cup: L to R – Dr. Mark Hutchinson, Dr. Doug McKeag, Dr. Jon Patricios, Dr. PZ Pearce, Dr. Joel Press and Dr. Susan Carter.

  

• 2008 TPC, Part 2- Brazil

  The 2008 Team Physician Course Part II was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in October. The event was attended by more than 100 orthopedic surgeons and other sports medicine physicians. This is especially noteworthy because, in Brazil, only medical doctors can attend medical conferences and to get 100 physicians to a highly specialized conference is unusual.
  
  Our Brazilian hosts were Andre Pedrinelli, MD, FASCM and Andrea Arruda, MD. Drs Pedrinelli and Arruda worked tirelessly to ensure a successful program and to make our trip enjoyable. This year, more of the program was taught by Brazilian doctors as Brazil develops its sports medicine teaching network. Our goals are to establish the ACSM Team Physician Course as an international experience that can be taught around the world.
  
  The 6 physicians from North America representing ACSM were Pierre d’Hemecourt, MD, FASCM, Mary Lloyd Ireland, MD, FASCM, Anthony Luke, MD, FASCM, Steven Simons, MD, FASCM, Merrilee Zetaruk,MDand Peter Gerbino, MD, FACSM (Chair).
  
  Drs. Pedrinelli and Arruda plan on repeating Part I in 2010.  The goal is to establish a 2-year cycle as popularity grows and eventually give Team Physician Courses annually.

  Pictured: ACSM Faculty with Dr. Andrea Arruda

  

   

• 2008 ITPC- Chile

  The 2008 ITPC was held on July 23-25 in Santiago, Chile.  ACSM faculty included Margot Putukian, M.D., FACSM (serving as chair) along with Cindy Chang, M.D., FACSM, Bert Fields, MD, and Lisa Lattanza, M.D. Host organizers included:  Fernando Gonzalez, M.D., Alejandro Opazo and Marcella Torres.  The hosts were very gracious to the faculty, taking them on tours of their clinic, the city, and local markets.  Dr. Putukian stated, “the generosity and absolute hospitality of our hosts is hard to acknowledge in words as it was well above and beyond all expectations.”    The conference was very well organized and ran concurrently with another set of sessions for allied health providers.  There were approximately 250 participants, the majority of these (75%) were orthopedic surgeons, with the remainder being cardiologists, neurologists, primary care physicians, nutritionists, physical education teachers, and physiotherapists.  The breakout sessions were exciting and interactive, and all sessions were well attended with lively discussions following each session.
  
  The host lecture given by Dr. Fernando Gonzalez; “The Role of Growth Factors in Musculoskeletal Injury,” was a high quality presentation which provided some cutting edge information and was one of the highlights of the conference.

  The success of 2008 International Team Physician Course was in part due to a very committed faculty that worked especially hard at delivering a high level course, but also in part due to the tremendous hosts.  The facilities were beautiful, the participants were involved and invested and the feedback faculty received throughout the course was very positive.  The ACSM faculty made many new friends and colleagues, and represented ACSM well in this international initiative.  

  Pictured: 2008 ITPC Faculty & Organizers

  

• 2007 ITPC- Colombia

  The 9th International Team Physician Course was held in Bogota, Colombia on September 29-October 1, 2007.  The Istituto Distrital Recreacion y Deporte (The District Institute of Recreation and Sport) and Dr. Juan Carlos hosted the course.  Faculty members included:  Mark Bouchard, MD, FACSM (Course Chair), Erik Adams, MD, Ralph Bovard, MD, FACSM.  The conference was attended by nearly all of the sports medicine physicians in Colombia.  There were approximately 80 attendees.  Most were graduates of the country’s several Sports Medicine residency programs.  Topics including sideline preparedness, management of acute on-field injuries and general medical topics were covered during the three day course.  Hands-on workshops on joint examination were also given.  Dr. Carlos and his staff were very generous hosts and helped put on a very well-organized course.  The sports facilities in Bogota are very impressive.  Bogota is currently bidding to be the host city for the 2015 Pan American Games.

   

• 2006 ITPC- Mexico

  The 8^th International Team Physician Course was held in Monterrey, Mexico on November 20- 22, 2006.  The Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon and Dr. Pedro Morales hosted the course.  Faculty members included: Sandra Hoffmann, MD, FACSM (Course Chair); Mark Bouchard, MD, FACSM; Peter Gerbino, MD, FACSM; and Margot Putukian, MD, FACSM.  A small but enthusiastic group of students, residents, and practicing physicians listened intently during the three day course, which was followed by a special post course on soccer.  The first day of the course focused on the role of the team physician as well as being prepared for possible catastrophic sports emergencies such as head or cervical spine injuries.  The second day was spent primarily on joint specific problems such as the knee and shoulder.  Hands-on workshops led by the faculty allowed the students to focus on their physical exam skills.  The remainder of the course was spent on medical issues in sports, the role of exercise in treatment and prevention of chronic illnesses, and special populations.  In addition, a special presentation was given by Dr Jorge Gama Aguilar of the Instituto Politecnico Nacional on Doping Control in Mexico.

  Pictured (left to right):  Peter Gerbino, MD, FACSM (Faculty); Sandra Hoffmann, MD, FACSM (Course Chair); Dr. Pedro Morales (Course Host); Margot Putukian, MD, FACSM (Faculty); and Mark Bouchard, MD, FACSM (Faculty)

  

• 2005 ITPC- Malaysia

  The International Team Physician Course was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 23-25. The course allowed for teaching and fellowship among the ACSM faculty and the local attendees and drew approximately 50 attendees, mostly from Malaysia and Singapore.  The course was jointly sponsored by the Malaysian Association of Sports Science, the Football Association of Malaysia, the Olympic Council of Malaysia, and ACSM. The venue for the meeting was the beautiful National Sports Council Complex in Kuala Lumpur.  ACSM faculty included Robert Sallis, MD, FACSM (Course Chair), Robert Dimeff, MD, PZ Pearce, MD, and Marc Safran, MD, FACSM. Local faculty/organizers included Dr.Ramian Abdul Aziz, the newly appointed head of the Malaysian Sports Council,Dr John George, University of Malaya, Associate Radiologist of the National Sports Council, and Dato Dr. Amerit S. Gill, chairman of the Sports Medicine Society of Malaysian. Dr. Wye Mun Low, chair of the ITPC sub-committee, also attended and was instrumental in making the course a success.

  Pictured (left to right):  Mohd Ghazali Mohd Isa (course secretary); Marc Safran, MD (faculty); Associate Professor John George (Convenor); Dato’ Dr. Amarjit Singh Gill (chairman); Bob Sallis, MD; (course chair); PZ Pearce, MD (faculty); Bob Dimeff, MD (faculty); Dr. Wye Mun Low (ITPC sub-committee chair), and Marilyn Chang (assistant).

  

• 2005 TPC, Part 1- Brazil

  The Sociedade Paulista de Medicina do Esporte (SPAMDE), which represents the regional chapter of the Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte (SBME), hosted the first international Team Physician Course-Part I in Sao Paulo Brazil on May 11-14, 2005. The host organizers for this course were Andre Pedrinelli, M.D. and Andrea Arruda, M.D.  ACSM is pleased to be a part of sharing sports medicine knowledge with international colleagues. Offering this course outside the U.S. provides a learning opportunity for all involved.  The ACSM Medical Education Committee was called upon to consult with this group.  Faculty from ACSM invited to participate included: William W. Dexter, M.D., FACSM (Chair); Mark R. Hutchinson, M.D., FACSM; Mary Lloyd Ireland, M.D., FACSM; Elizabeth A. Joy, M.D., FACSM; William O. Roberts, M.D., FACSM: and L. Tyler Wadsworth, M.D. The Sociedade Paulista de Medicine do Esporte will look for an opportunity to offer Part II of the course in the very near future

  Pictured left to right): L. Tyler Wadsworth M.D., Elizabeth Joy, M.D., William Roberts, M.D., Andrea Arruda, M.D., Andre Pedrinelli, M.D., William Dexter, M.D., Mary Lloyd Ireland, M.D., Mark Hutchinson, M.D., and Jim Macintyre, M.D.

  

• 2005 ITPC- India

  The 2005 ITPC was held in Mysore, India on March 4-6, 2005. Dr. Bogadi Prashanth served as the host with Rob Johnson, M.D. serving as the course chair. Faculty included: Anne Allen, M.D., Balakrishnan Natarajan, M.D. and Angela Smith, M.D.  The course attracted 110 participants, 37 physicians (primarily orthopaedists, a few family physicians and internists) and 69 sports physiotherapists. Most attendees were from the Mysore and Bangalore area of the state of Karnataka with a few representing neighboring states of Karela and Hyderabad. There were a few delegates from north India, three representatives from the Karnataka State Cricket Board and a physician representing the National Cricket Board of Pakistan from Lahore, Pakistan.

  Pictured (left to right): Robert Johnson, M.D., Anne Allen, M.D., Bogadi Prashanth, MBBS, Angela Smith, M.D., and Balu Natarajan, M.D.