ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos will be participating in the the league's Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, the NFL, NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) jointly announced Monday.
The program, which is in its second year, places medical students interested in primary care sports medicine and orthopedic surgery in one-month clinical rotations with NFL clubs. Students will work directly with orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians and athletic trainers to gain medical knowledge and exposure to patient care in sports medicine.
"Working toward diverse representation across all roles in our league continues to be a top priority, and this program helps us make a tangible impact to grow and bolster a pipeline of diverse sports medicine professionals," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We know that diversity makes us stronger at every level, and we look forward to welcoming the 2023 class to our player care teams at clubs across the league."
Last year's inaugural class was comprised of 14 students from the four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) medical schools who completed rotations across eight NFL clubs. This year's program expanded to include an additional 15 institutions.
The Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative is part of the league's broader commitment to ensure that staff and leaders in the league office and at NFL clubs reflect the racial and gender makeup of America. Among NFL club medical staffs, the initiative builds on existing efforts to recruit and hire diverse medical staff when positions become available across all roles, and to increase diversity across NFL medical committees.
As the program continues to grow, the league aims to further expand the pipeline initiative in the coming years to include additional disciplines, spanning additional roles in the NFL's player care "Team Behind the Team" including physician assistants, certified athletic trainers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists and behavioral health clinicians.
