Health and Medicine at the 2014 Sochi Olympics: Penn Medicine Experts Available for Comment

Internal Medicine

Gary Dorshimer, MD, chief of Internal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital. He will be traveling to Sochi as an Internal Medicine consultant for the NHL. He served in the same role at the 1998 Nagano, 2002 Salt Lake City, and 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and also serves as team internist with the Philadelphia Flyers, Phantoms, Eagles, and Kixx, and as a consulting internist to the Pennsylvania Ballet. Dr. Dorshimer will be available for on-site interviews in Sochi.

Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Injuries

**Additional specialized experts available upon request

Brian Sennett, MD, Director of Sports Medicine

Samir Mehta, MD, Chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Trauma. Treats patients suffering from traumatic orthopaedic injuries, including many extreme sports athletes (snowboarders, rock climbers, etc).

James Carey, MD, Director, Penn Center for Cartilage Repair and Osteochondritis Dissecans Treatment. Specializes in treating sports injuries and leads one of only a few cartilage repair centers in the nation.

Wen Chao, MD & Keith Wapner, MD, Foot and Ankle surgeons at Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Chao operated on speed skater Alison Baver of Reading, PA, in 2009, following a severe injury of her tibia and ankle. Baver has since recovered and competed on the US speedskating team at the 2010 Vancouver Games and will compete again in Sochi. Dr. Chao serves as foot and ankle surgeon to the Pennsylvania Ballet. Dr. Wapner is President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons (AAOFAS).   

Infectious Disease
- Flu (seasonal and novel strains)
-Vaccinations and disease prevention
 

Neil Fishman, MD, University of Pennsylvania Health System associate chief medical officer, chairman of CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee

Michael N. Braffman, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine, and John J. Stern, MD, chief, division of Infectious Diseases, Pennsylvania Hospital.

Neurology/Neurosurgery
- Head/Neck Injury
- Spinal Injury

M. Sean Grady, MD, Charles Harrison Frazier Professor of Neurosurgery and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery

Douglas Smith, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of the Penn Center for Brain Injury and Repair

Cardiology
- Heart Rhythm problems
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest

David Callans, MD, Associate Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology

Benjamin Abella, MD, Vice Chair of the department of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Research Director, Center for Resuscitation Science

Anti-Doping & Muscle Physiology

Tejvir S. Khurana, MD, PhD, associate professor of Physiology. He recently took research mice to within 1,000 feet of the summit of Mount Everest to study how a mammal’s physiology changes when exposed to low-oxygen conditions at extreme altitude.

Endocrinology
- Diabetes
- Metabolism
- Hormones

Mitch Lazar, MD, PhD, chief of the division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism

Mark Schutta, MD, Director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center

Psychiatry
- Performance Anxiety
- Mental Preparedness
- Eating Disorders

Michael E. Thase, MD, Director of the Penn Mood and Anxiety Program

Cory F. Newman, PhD, Professor of Psychology; Director, Center for Cognitive Therapy, expert in sports psychology

Thomas Wadden, PhD, Director of Weight & Eating Disorders

Travel Medicine
- Illness prevention
- Vaccinations for travel
- Motion sickness, jet lag, altitude sickness
- International disease surveillance

Suzanne Shepherd, MD, Director of Education & Research, PENN Travel Medicine, associate professor of Emergency Medicine

Stephen J. Gluckman, MD, director of Penn Global Medicine, professor of Infectious Diseases

Sleep Disorders
- Time Change/Jet Lag
- Sleep Deprivation

Allan Pack, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine and Director of the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology

David F. Dinges, PhD, professor of Psychiatry and chief, division of Sleep and Chronobiology