Vanderbilt Sports Medicine is supporting an innovative collaboration linking the sports medicine and performing arts communities called “Athletes and the Arts.”
Spearheaded by the American College of Sports Medicine, the initiative will share knowledge about wellness, training and injury prevention between sports athletes and performing artists.
The effort will initially focus on musicians but will eventually expand to all performing artists.
“With Vanderbilt’s location in Music City, this is the perfect opportunity to take what we already know about treating sports injuries and apply it to musicians and other performing artists,” said Alex Diamond, D.O., assistant professor of Pediatrics and Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.
Modern jazz pianist Jon Batiste is serving as Artist in Residence for Athletes and the Arts, leading a series of performances and lectures around the country.
On Sunday, Jan. 26, Batiste and Diamond will host an educational session on the importance of artists taking care of their body. The free lecture will start at 11:30 a.m. in the Wadlington Conference Room at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
At 6 p.m. that evening, Batiste will perform at Vanderbilt’s Ingram Hall as part of the Great Performances series. Tickets range from $30-$40 and may be purchased through ticketmaster.com or Sarratt Student Center at 322-4230.
“Performing artists practice or perform every day. They’re often contorting their body or doing very repetitive motions and they frequently play through injury,” Diamond said. “We see these same aspects in athletes and have a lot of knowledge to share with this community.”
Performing artists are an underserved population in medical coverage.
“Sports Medicine is the perfect field to fill this gap, bringing what we already know from treating sports athletes and being able to connect them with additional services, like hearing or voice care,” said Andrew Gregory, M.D., associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation.
Get more information at www.vanderbilt.edu/greatperformances and athletesandthearts.com.
