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Rebecca Breslow, MD
2019 Winner: Rebecca G. Breslow, MD

Rebecca G. Breslow, MD
Primary Care Sports Medicine
Instructor, Harvard Medical School

Collaborators

Chris Troyanos, ATC
Boston Athletic Association
Cheri Blauwet, MD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Eric Goralnick, MD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Martin Schwellnus, MD
University of Pretoria
Nicola Sewry, MD
University of Pretoria

Project

SAFER at the Boston Marathon: An Injury and Illness Prevention Program

Millions of people in the U.S. participate in long-distance road races every year, and some experience life-threatening medical problems during or after a race. Breslow and colleagues seek to prevent race-day medical problems by identifying runners who are at high risk for injury or illness before they run a race. Her study is modeled on a similar program used in South Africa, which succeeded in lowering the rate of all race-day medical problems by 29 percent and reducing serious medical problems by 64 percent.

With the support of the Stepping Strong Center, Breslow will review B.A.A. race-day medical encounter forms from 2017 to 2021 and analyze the data in collaboration with South African colleagues. Based on this data and lessons learned from similar injury prevention programs, Breslow will then work with the B.A.A. Medical Committee and race organizers to implement pre-race screening and injury prevention protocols for future B.A.A. road races. If proven feasible and effective, the program has the potential to influence best practices for road race medical operations across the U.S.

Biography

Rebecca G. Breslow, MD, is a primary care sports medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Her work focuses on endurance/road race medicine and Olympic sports. She has research interests in the health and safety of participants and communities at sporting events, exertional heat stroke, and overuse injuries in endurance athletes. Breslow is skilled in non-operative management of musculoskeletal injuries, sports-related medical conditions, sports injury prevention and exercise counseling. She is also the Stepping Strong running team physician.

RELATED ARTICLES:
An Interview with Stepping Strong Award Recipient and Sports Injury Expert Rebecca Breslow
Exertional Heat Stroke at the Boston Marathon

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