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NFL Announces 2023 Roster of Medical Students Participating in ‘Diversity In Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative'

The NFL, together with the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS), announced the roster of medical students who will participate in the second year of the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative. The initiative aims to increase and diversify the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine and help diversify NFL club medical staffs. The students' clinical rotations will begin as training camps open for the 2023 NFL season next week.

Last year’s pilot program hosted 14 students at eight NFL clubs. This season, the program will expand league-wide to more than double the number of students in the program’s second year. Diverse students from 19 medical schools will complete clinical rotations with NFL club medical staff focused on primary care sports medicine and/or orthopedic surgery.

Participating students hail from the country's four Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ medical schools as well as other medical schools local to NFL clubs.

“The NFL and our club medical staff are thrilled to welcome these impressive medical students from around the country to the league this season,” said Dr. Allen Sills, NFL Chief Medical Officer. “The league-wide expansion of the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative this season demonstrates strong interest in sports medicine from diverse and under-represented medical students and is indicative of our clubs’ commitment to diversity in all facets of the game.”

The students participating in the program for the 2023 season include:

Name

Medical School

NFL Club

Temitope Elutilo-Ayoola

Morehouse School of Medicine

Arizona Cardinals

Brandon Chiedo

Morehouse School of Medicine

Atlanta Falcons

Safwan Hyder

Georgetown University School of Medicine

Baltimore Ravens

Mohamed Bah

University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Buffalo Bills

Alexis Restrepo

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Carolina Panthers

Tyler Kelly

University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville

Chicago Bears

Alexandria Williams

Morehouse School of Medicine

Cincinnati Bengals

Penelope Halkiadakis

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Cleveland Browns

Imari Parham

Meharry Medical College

Dallas Cowboys

Adrianna Hayden

Meharry Medical College

Denver Broncos

Tamarandobra “Dobra”
Ogeh

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Detroit Lions

Analisa Narro

McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Houston Texans

Adam Munoz

Morehouse School of Medicine

Indianapolis Colts

Lancelot Benn

Howard University College of Medicine

Jacksonville Jaguars

Patrick Baki

University of Kansas School of Medicine

Kansas City Chiefs

Cameron Harris

Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV

Las Vegas Raiders

Daniel Cordova

Charles R. Drew University

Los Angeles Chargers

Nonye Ikeanyi

Charles R. Drew University

Los Angeles Rams

Nicholas Cavil

Meharry Medical College

Miami Dolphins

Hassan Mian

University of Minnesota

Minnesota Vikings

Bryan Beaubrun

Howard University College of Medicine

New England Patriots

Schyler Morton

Meharry Medical College

New Orleans Saints

Valdemar Wany

Morehouse School of Medicine

New York Giants

Azra Dees

Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

New York Jets

David Jimenez

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Eagles

Warren Austin

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Pittsburgh Steelers

Bella Gomez

Stanford University School of Medicine

San Francisco 49ers

Brian Cedeño

University of Washington School of Medicine

Seattle Seahawks

Jamie Maignan

Morehouse School of Medicine

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Morgan Williams

Meharry Medical College

Tennessee Titans

Robert Emeh

Howard University College of Medicine

Washington Commanders​

During their one-month rotations, students will observe and participate in the care of NFL players, working directly with and under the supervision of the orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians and athletic trainers to gain medical knowledge and exposure to patient care in sports medicine. Additionally, students will become familiar with return-to-play guidelines and on-field treatment considerations for NFL players. By the end of the rotation, students will understand the basic elements of all facets of care provided to NFL players from an orthopedic, primary care sports medicine and athletic training perspective.

“We are incredibly excited to participate in the second year of such an impactful and important diversity program,” said Timothy McAdams, M.D., NFLPS President and San Francisco 49ers head team physician. “Mentorship is a critical component of recruiting students into our field, so we’re thrilled to immerse more talented medical students with diverse backgrounds into the NFL clubs’ medical communities. We’re all looking forward to watching this program continue to grow and impact more medical students in years to come.”

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.

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 the U.S. 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.

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