Robin West, MD, heads up new Inova Sports Medicine Program
Sports Medicine News
Inova has started a Sports Medicine Program, and has recruited orthopedic surgeon Robin West, MD, former assistant team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers and former head physician for teams at Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh, to be the program’s Medical Director.
“I’ve watched the development of the facility at the University of Pittsburgh over 12 years, so I’ve seen what works and doesn’t work,” says Dr. West. “Our mission is to provide high-level, integrative care to athletes of all ages and abilities and help them maintain an active lifestyle. This is a great area for it, with dynamic, sports-minded families and individuals. Busy people need convenient access to premier healthcare.”
As part of a five- to 10-year plan that includes constructing a regional sports medicine facility, the program will focus on the complete care of athletes of all ages, ranging from injury prevention to acute and chronic injury treatment, performance improvement and comprehensive rehabilitation.
The Next Step
Before the rise of the Sports Medicine Program, Inova’s efforts in this arena have centered on its group orthopedic practices peppered around northern Virginia and the Washington, DC, metro area. Board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians specializing in orthopedics, joint replacement and sports medicine deal with a wide array of common acute and chronic athletic injuries with a variety of inpatient and outpatient treatments and physical therapy offerings.
The new program will bring these different pieces together, notes Matthew Levine, MD, orthopedic surgeon. “We realize all of the resources Inova has to deal with athletes and sports-related injuries and we’re tying them all together into one approach instead of a fragmented system,” says Dr. Levine, who previously served as assistant team physician at Duke University and on the medical staff for the World Figure Skating Championships in 2003. “Dr. West brings Inova to that next level based on her experience as a national leader in sports medicine.”
Get Sports Medicine Care Now
Dr. West and her colleagues are currently practicing at Inova Medical Group Sports Medicine, which has three offices in Northern Virginia (Annandale, Arlington/Ballston, and McLean).
Concussion Care
One of the objectives of Inova’s new Sports Medicine Program is to focus on concussions and how to maximize players’ recovery.
Dr. West plans to collaborate with other Inova initiatives such as the recently created Concussion Program and Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI), which explores the connection between genomics and health. Research from both programs will enhance concussion treatment offered to athletes, she says.
Coaching App
Inova’s Coach Safely App offers Emergency Room wait times, a concussion guide detailing symptoms to look for, weather updates and more. Download it today for your mobile Android or Apple device. Learn more at www.inova.org/connect