CLEVELAND, Ohio — University Hospitals has created a new center for advancing research in the field sports medicine.
The Haslam Sports Innovation Center, named for Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam who are donating $20 million toward the project, aims to “strategically identify, support and invest in the world’s best innovations in sports medicine,” the hospital said in its announcement Tuesday.
The center aims to focus on increasing performance, reducing injury risk and promote healing in professional and recreational athletes, the announcement said. Initially it will utilize existing UH facilities and current staff but plans to add more researchers as the program grows.
The research center will be led Dr. James Voos, chair of UH Department of Orthopedic Surgery, president-elect of the NFL Physician’s Society, and head team physician for the Browns.
Voos is the surgeon who reconstructed the knee of Browns running back Nick Chubb after he was injured in September.
- Read more: Nick Chubb’s knee repair: the road to rehabbing a running back – cleveland.com
In addition to his work as a surgeon and physician for the Browns, Voos has contributed to a number of research efforts to improve outcomes of injured athletes.
These include a wearable device that helps assess when athletes are ready to return to play after ACL reconstruction, the development of artificial collagen tissue to improve reconstructive procedures in the knees, shoulders and elbows, and the development of a wireless surgical camera.
A surgical team at University Hospitals performs an arthroscopic surgery with a wireless camera.University Hospital
“The Haslam Center was created to revolutionize medicine for athletes in professional sports and of all ages and abilities. It will propel technology forward to enhance the health and safety for patients everywhere,” said Voos.
The new research center is the latest investment by the hospital into the growing field of sports medicine.
In June, UH opened an expanded wing of its Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood to house the Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute, where, among other things, athletes from amateur to the professional level can do rehabilitation on a 45-yard sports performance football training field.
The Haslams involvement in sports goes beyond the Browns. They purchased a 25% share of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks in April and in December 2018 became co-owners of the MLS’s Columbus Crew, ensuring the team would remain in Ohio.
Dee and Jimmy Haslam have donated $20 million to the new institute which bears their name.University Hospital
“The health and well-being of our athletes and our communities is of the utmost importance to us. We are inspired by Dr. Voos – his incredible drive and vision to continually innovate, searching for cutting-edge opportunities, while providing world-class care,” said Dee and Jimmy Haslam in a statement.
“We know the unique opportunity we have to invest in sports medicine, creating new technologies and innovations to improve performance and contribute to the future of sport, while creating healthier athletes and communities.”