There are approximately 60 million registered youth sports participants in the United States, according to the National Council of Youth Sports.
That’s a lot of brains and bodies to protect. Everyone from general practitioners, athletic trainers and physical therapists to coaches, teachers and concerned families are welcome to attend the 2025 Youth Sports Health & Safety Conference, presented by the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center, Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14, at the Bridgestone Arena.
“Sports have the opportunity to transform a young person’s life,” said Alex Diamond, DO, MPH, director of the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center and professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatrics and Neurological Surgery at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
“However, it’s incumbent upon all of us to make sure their sports experience happens in a healthy, safe and positive manner so they can reap those lifelong physical and mental benefits. This conference will allow all stakeholders to come together and gather the tools, resources and knowledge to make that a reality.”
The Youth Sports Health & Safety Conference will provide strategies to help prevent and treat youth and adolescent sports-related injuries, protect the physical and mental health of pediatric athletes and promote their well-being through participation in athletics.
One of the keynote speakers is retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Brian J. Reed, PhD, who has more than 34 years of distinguished military service. He was the primary planner behind Operation Red Dawn, the military operation that resulted in the capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and retired from active duty as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense. His talk is titled “Lessons on Leadership.”
Other keynote speakers include Allen Sills, MD, chief medical officer of the National Football League and professor of Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Katie O’Neal, MD, chief medical advisor of the Southeastern Conference; Tim McGuine, PhD, ATC, sports medicine research consultant for the National Federation of State High School Associations Sports Medicine Advisory Committee; and Bob Colgate, director of sports and sports medicine for the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Speakers from the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center include:
- Alex Diamond, DO, MPH
- English Flack, MD
- Doug Terry, PhD
- Lyndy Wilcox, MD
- Lance LeClere, MD
- Breann Tisano, MD
- David Ebenezer, MD
- Amanda Stone, PhD
- Charles Cox, MD, MPH
- Andrew Gregory, MD
- Kevin Johnson, MD
- Buddy Creech, MD, MPH
- Carla Lee, MD, PhD
- Tom Bossung, ATC
- Warne Fitch, MD
- Angel Carter, RN
Attendees receive two days of teaching, training and collaboration and continuing education credits are available for athletic trainers, nurses, therapists and educators.
“With the Safe Stars Initiative, along with this event, the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center continues to be a national leader in athletic health and wellness for kids and teens,” Diamond said. “We welcome everyone to join us and be a part of the team making a difference for young people across Tennessee and the southeast.”
Click here for the full list of conference speakers, agenda and tickets.
