Equity in Elite Sports: The Paralympian

In this episode, we hear about the state of the science of sports medicine in the elite para-athlete.

Episode Guests:

Cheri Blauwet, MD is an Associate Professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, the Distinguished Chair in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Chief Medical Officer of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. She is an attending sports medicine physician at Mass General Brigham, where she also serves as Founding Director of the Kelley Adaptive Sports Research Institute. Dr. Blauwet is also a former Paralympic athlete in the sport of wheelchair racing, competing for the United States Team in three Paralympic Games (Sydney '00, Athens '04, Beijing '08) and bringing home a total of seven Paralympic medals. She is also a two-time winner of both the Boston and New York City Marathons.

Professor Wayne Derman is the Executive Head of the Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, as well as the Head of Division: Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine (ISEM) at Stellenbosch University. He is currently a Co-director of the IOC Research Centre in South Africa and heads up one of two FIFA Medical Centres of Excellence in Africa. His research focuses on secondary prevention of chronic diseases of lifestyle, and injury and illness prevention in athletes including those with disabilities.

Episode Resources:

Episode Articles & Related Research

• Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport-Amsterdam, October 2022
• Shoulder Pain, Function, and Ultrasound-Determined Structure in Elite Wheelchair-Using Para Athletes | Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
• Para sport translation of the IOC consensus on recording and reporting of data for injury and illness in sport | British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Kelley Institute for Adaptive Sports Research | Spaulding Rehabilitation Network

Advocacy, Education, & Community Organizations

• International Paralympic Committee

News & Services

• USA goalball makes incredible comeback | NBC Sports

If you are interested in one of the articles highlighted on the show, but are having trouble accessing it, please reach out to us at [e-mail].

Credits

Shonali Gaudino, OT, Host, Producer

Chuck Clough, Editor

This production is a collaboration between, and partially funded by, the Rehabilitation Outcomes Center at Spaulding and our Model Systems: the Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System (NIDILRR Award #90DPBU0008), the Spaulding-Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (NIDILRR Award #90DPTB0027-01-01), and the Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System Center (NIDILRR Award #90SIM0017-01-00).