Maryland athletics announces independent medical review board

The Maryland athletic department announced Thursday the formation of an Athletic Medicine Review Board (AMRB) that will review school policies regarding medical care of student-athletes.

The board will be led by Rod Walters, a national sports medicine expert and former athletic trainer who led Maryland’s external safety review after Jordan McNair’s death last June. The other nine members are a mix of experts from the athletic, medical and legal professions.

“I appreciate the University of Maryland’s full embrace of the recommendations made last fall, and look forward to continuing to work with them in support of the well-being of their student-athletes,” Walters said in the university’s release. “This board will bring some of the most insightful professionals from across the country to College Park to further work with current staff specific to best practices and current standards.”

The board will meet annually, and its members will serve three-year terms.

At a meeting with an advisory board on March 6, the athletic department said it had implemented 18 of the 20 recommendations made by the Walters report. The formation of this review board brings that number to 19. The school is still deciding which healthcare model to use for university athletics.

Here’s the full board:

• Rod Walters, CEO of Walters Inc.
• Ron Courson, University of Georgia athletic trainer
• Cynthia “Sam” Booth, former college athletic trainer for 36 years
• Mark Laursen, Boston University athletic trainer
• Dr. Robert Peele, retired orthopedic surgeon
• Scott Bennett, Radford University strength coach
• Jennifer Brunelli, Carolina Panthers & Roush Fenway Racing nutritionist
• Dr. Matt Leiszler, Notre Dame team physician
• Sean Barnes, University of Maryland operations management expert
• Ed Strapp, Maryland State Police Trooper/Flight Paramedic

In other news

Maryland gymnastics competes in the NCAA Tournament today. I wrote about the Terps continuing their resurgence as a program.

From The Diamondback, senior Alex Robinson has come back from an ACL injury to become a pivotal member of that gymnastics team.

Men’s lacrosse lost to Penn State over the weekend, but its seniors have led the team this week as it looks to bounce back against Michigan.

Six members of the women’s lacrosse team were named midseason All-Americans.

More from The Diamondback, as Maryland softball is battling injuries midway through the season.

Volleyball won its first match of the spring season, beating Navy in four sets.