The Atlanta Falcons face off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI this weekend in Houston. Here are 10 things you need to know about both teams' top-tier physicians who ensure the players' and coaches' success and health.
Five Falcons physician notes:
1. Spero G. Karas, MD, has been the Atlanta Falcons' head team physician since 2011. In his role, Dr. Karas oversees medical and orthopedic care for all of the Falcons' players and coaches.
2. Dr. Karas is an associate professor of orthopedics at Emory University in Atlanta, where he is also the director of the orthopedic sports medicine fellowship program.
3. He received his medical degree from Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis before completing his residency at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and his fellowship at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo.
4. Dr. Karas' extensive background in shoulder and knee surgeries allowed him to become a member of the exclusive American Shoulder and Elbow Society.
5. He has been listed as one of America's "Top Sports Medicine Specialists" in Men's Health magazine, and has also been listed in Women's Health magazine's "Top Sports Medicine Doctors for Women."
Five Patriots physician notes:
1. Mark D. Price, MD, PhD, has been the New England Patriots' head team physician and medical director since May 2016. Previously, he served as an assistant team physician for the Patriots and the NHL's Boston Bruins.
2. Dr. Price practices at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he specializes in arthroscopic surgeries of the knee and shoulder in addition to total shoulder replacement and complex shoulder reconstruction.
3. After graduating from Harvard Medical School in Boston, he completed his residency at the Harvard Combined Residency Program and his fellowship at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala., where he studied throwing injuries with James Andrews, MD, and at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where he studied under the tutelage of David Altcheck, MD.
4. In his previous role at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass., Dr. Price played a vital role in establishing one of New England's busiest comprehensive shoulder programs.
5. Dr. Price is a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves and has been a U.S. Navy Medical Corps physician since 2008. He has been a Boston Red Sox team physician since 2008.
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