On February 25, 2025, NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills spoke with several NFL team doctors for a special edition of NFL Presents, live from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The group offered insight into their unique journeys to becoming part of the "Team Behind the Team" caring for NFL players and shared advice for current and prospective medical students interested in careers in sports medicine.
A recording of the event is available to view below:
Dr. Sills was joined by:
- Nancy Gritter, Head Team Physician for the Carolina Panthers
- Ed Khalfayan, Head Team Physician for the Seattle Seahawks
- Navdeep Singh, Chief Medical Officer for the Las Vegas Raiders
- James Voos, Head Team Physician for the Cleveland Browns and President of the NFL Physicians Society
Key takeaways from the conversation:
Advice for students and young professionals considering a career in professional sports medicine:
Dr. Gritter: "If you're interested in it, you have to be dogged and go after it, because yes, right place, right time, but you have to be the right person, and you have to be prepared for that opportunity. It's something I think you have to be proactive to pursue."
Dr. Khalfayan: "You have to have a high level of commitment. You have to seek out opportunities and just keep trying. I also think you have to be humble, because this job can be very humbling. There are many challenges. It's not your everyday practice of medicine, whatever field it is. You have to have a wide lens, you have to be aware of lot of different stakeholders that are involved in this and you have to remember that your priority should be to take care of your patient player."
Dr. Singh: "You really have to be passionate about it. And to [Dr. Nancy Gritter's] point, I think you really have to try to be the best at being a good doctor first. And then I think if you have the desire and the passion and you work at it every day, good things happen."
Dr. Voos: "Build your network. There's no job too small – volunteer for a team and build those relationships. I have multiple examples of athletic trainers I worked with in high school that are now working at the NFL level, or a scout that I used to sit on the back of the airplane with for the Giants, who's now a general manager. It's amazing those relationships you build in sports. I would encourage you to really build those relationships around you, nurture those relationships around you, in addition to your healthcare education."
On various pathways to get involved with sports medicine:
Dr. Gritter: "It can start at all levels, right? It could be Friday Night Lights, volunteering for your local high school. If you're a physician provider in the community, and to get involved in that way, whether it's a junior college, whether it's a four year college, whether it's an activity center, or YMCA, different sports leagues, there's that opportunity to become involved as a physician provider first, and then you gain the experience, the mentorship develops...There's many avenues and many things represent sports, whether it's formal athletic programs competition or community sports. So I think there's lots of opportunities."
Dr. Voos: "The global medical team that takes care of the players is really extensive…from being a strength and conditioning coach, to an athletic trainer, a physical therapist to a behavioral health person to a sports scientist. And now we even have a lot of data scientists, PhDs working with us, who have been incredibly invaluable, biomedical engineers who we work with on a regular basis that the NFL has had a remarkable relationship with. It's really a team approach, and so whatever angle you have from the sciences, you really have the opportunity to get involved."
On collaborating across an NFL medical staff and the critical role of athletic trainers:
Dr. Voos: "On the field, there's certainly a lot of competition during the games. But when it comes to health care, we're all on one team and this group, it's really an honor to represent them and be a part of all of the orthopedic and medical physicians. As we work together, we share all of our knowledge, we really try to create a uniform environment. Every time a player walks into whatever environment they're in, they know that they can expect the same level of healthcare, and it's remarkable, and makes my job very easy when we have such incredible partners and other that key positions to work with, where we can share research and knowledge and what has worked and what has not worked. It allows us to elevate the level of care to the players across the league, and then it allows us to transmit that knowledge to other pro sports society to college to our youth athletes"
Dr. Sills: "I've often said that I think they are the center of the hub of the spoke of athletic care that we provide. And I've learned, personally in my own career, so much from athletic trainers. They've taught me so much about the practice and also just about dealing with athletes at different levels."
On critical skills and the necessary mindset to be successful in sports medicine:
Dr. Singh: "This is a sport that is here and now, 24 hours a day. We look for people that are at the top of their game, have wonderful attitudes, and really want to bring whatever they can, whatever they're good at, and bring us to a better level. They have to be excellent communicators, and they have to be excellent collaborators. Because without that, you really can't move yourself forward. Everybody really needs to be on the patient, on the same page. And we talk about communication a lot, but I mean, without communication in your day-to-day, with everyone who's involved in the sport, it becomes an incredible challenge. So communication and people that really are at the top of their game."
On approaching player care from less traditional specialties and backgrounds:
Dr. Gritter, on practicing sports medicine coming from a background in nephrology: "It's all medicine. If our patients happen to be players, or warfighters or elite athletes – first and foremost, we take care of the whole patient. For me, a particular player had a kidney-specific problem, so I consulted there, but then you realize that most of the care of the patient is related to their medical issues. Out of that grew an interest, and I actually went back as a post-graduate year 23 after coming out of residency, fellowship, medical school and going back to do a primary care sports fellowship."
Dr. Khalfayan on how a background in military medicine prepared him for sports medicine: "You develop a certain discipline, there's a chain of command, and communication is vital in this setting. We work as a team and you need everybody on that team to work together and communicate effectively, and that's where I think my military background helped a lot."
For prospective or current medical students hoping to learn more or start working toward a career in sports medicine:
- Check out the NFL Physicians Society website to learn more about the network of team physicians supporting the 32 NFL clubs.
- Pursue additional training or certifications in sports medicine, such as the ACSM Sports Medicine Essentials Course, to expand your knowledge and credentials.
- Reach out to local high school, college, or community sports teams to explore opportunities to volunteer and gain experience.
- Build your network of relationships within the sports medicine community, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, and other healthcare providers who may be able to act as mentors or make you aware of opportunities.
- If you are currently a student at one of the participating medical schools in the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, consider applying for the opportunity to complete a clinical rotation with NFL club medical staffs across the league.
