NFL Tackles Racial Disparity In Medicine With Year Three Of Diversity In Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative

The NFL aims to combat racial disparity in medicine with the third year of its Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative.

The National Football League is on a mission to dispel racial disparity in medicine by providing Black medical students across the nation with the opportunity to gain real-time experience in sports medicine.

In its third year partnering alongside the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS), the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative has matched students across 21 medical schools, including four programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), with NFL club medical staffs to participate in clinical rotations centered around sports medicine and/or orthopedic surgery for one month.

“The Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society is once again immensely proud to be a part of such an impactful program,” said PFATS President and Vice President of Player Health and Performance for the Green Bay Packers Bryan “Flea” Engel. “Now entering its third year overall and its second as a league-wide expansion, the Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative speaks to the commitment that the NFL has in growing the opportunities in the areas of health and safety.”

He added, “The program creates unique experiences for medical students with diverse backgrounds within the NFL clubs’ medical staffs. This program is invaluable, not only to the students but to the NFL medical staff as well. It gives our staffs the opportunity to mentor these impressive students and recruit them towards a field providing the very best in medical care.”

A 2024 report shared by International Medical Aid revealed that out of the 107 HBCUs across the nation, only four of them have accredited medical school programs, showcasing racial disparity in medicine. Those institutions include Meharry Medical College (MMC), Howard University College of Medicine (HUCOM), Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, which will all participate in the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative.

Of HBCUs, only HUCOM is among the 15 medical schools in the U.S. with the highest enrollment rate of Black students.

In 2023, U.S. News data revealed that an average of 18.3% of the students enrolled in the schools are Black. The NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, which was launched in 2022, is on a mission to dispel that narrative by offering a league-wide program that “aims to increase and diversify the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine.”

In turn, they also look to develop a more diverse club of medical staff across the NFL.

“The NFL and clubs across the league are excited to welcome this year’s class of medical students and offer them the unique opportunity to complete clinical rotations with NFL club medical staffs,” said Dr. Allen Sills, NFL Chief Medical Officer. “We have an impressive group of participants joining us from a growing roster of medical schools this season as we continue our efforts to bring interested diverse and underrepresented medical students into the sports medicine professional pipeline.”

The Kansas City Chiefs, this year’s Super Bowl VIII champions, are among the teams participating in the program, as well as the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and a host of other NFL teams that will open the doors of its NFL club medical staffs to aspiring Black physicians selected to attend the program.

Currently, 32 teams make up the NFL, and a total of 28 students across the 21 participating medical schools have been assigned to their respective NFL club medical staff. The program will kickoff next month alongside the start of training camps for the 2024 NFL season.