Pac-12 becomes first Division I conference partner of athletic healthcare consulting group.
April 28, 2021 – The U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health (USCAH) has entered into a three-year partnership with the Pac-12 Conference and its Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Initiative (SAWHBI) to provide comprehensive analysis of the student-athlete healthcare experience. These services include assessment of healthcare delivery models and resources, education pertaining to important health and safety concepts and review of institutional athletic medicine policies and procedures.
“The Pac-12 has a history of excellence in serving its student-athletes, and the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health is honored to become a partner in fulfilling the commitment to enhancing the health and safety initiatives for the conference and its member institutions,” Dr. Jim Borchers, USCAH Co-founder and President, said. “As the landscape in collegiate athletics continues to focus on prioritizing healthcare and safety, we look forward to our future with the Pac-12 Conference.”
Launched in 2017, USCAH works with athletics programs to provide third-party, objective assessments of athlete health and safety practices, recommends new protocols, and delivers health measures aimed at improving the health, safety and wellness of all athletes.
USCAH’s offering to Pac-12 member institutions includes access to a new membership platform, the Athletics Healthcare Administrators Association (AHAA). Strategically designed to be an aid to those connected to the administrative needs of an athletic organization, the AHAA offers peer and expert insights via live discussions, real-time industry news alerts, webinars, and other content focused on best practices in athletic healthcare delivery.
In addition, all features of Athletics Healthspace, a USCAH developed e-learning platform dedicated to critical and timely athlete health and safety topics for student-athletes, coaches and athletic department staff, are available to each institution throughout the entirety of the partnership.
Miguel Rueda, senior associate AD of health & performance for the University of Colorado Boulder & vice chair of the Pac-12 SAHWBI board, added: “We are thrilled to partner with the USCAH. The resources provided by the USCAH will be a tremendous asset for all of our Pac-12 athletics departments as we continue to increase focus on the health and well-being of our student-athletes.
Miguel Rueda, senior associate AD of health & performance for the University of Colorado Boulder & vice chair of the Pac-12 SAHWBI board, added: “We are thrilled to partner with the USCAH. The resources provided by the USCAH will be a tremendous asset for all of our Pac-12 athletics departments as we continue to increase focus on the health and well-being of our student-athletes.
The Pac-12 becomes the first Division I athletics conference to become a league-wide USCAH partner, joining a roster of six Division II, III and junior college conferences.
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About USCAH: The U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health (USCAH) was founded upon the need within athletic institutions for trusted, independent partners with the experience and expertise to advise and consult with organizations regarding their healthcare delivery system. USCAH is committed to providing independent and unbiased medical expertise to organizations and individuals dedicated to the optimal health and safety for the athletes they serve.
USCAH is comprised of a diverse, multidisciplinary team of medical experts with experience serving in high-level positions within intermediate and collegiate athletic organizations. The team was strategically comprised of experts positioned to address all aspects of athletic healthcare, including compliance, assessment, education, personnel, programming and more.
For more information, visit uscah.com.
About the Pac-12 SAHWBI
Created in 2013, the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Initiative (SAHWBI) is a collective effort between the Pac-12 and all 12 member universities to find ways to reduce injuries, share current best practices and latest studies and conduct research to uncover new ways to keep student-athletes as safe as possible.
About the Pac-12 Conference
The Conference has a tradition as the “Conference of Champions,” leading the nation in NCAA Championships in 54 of the last 60 years, with 534 NCAA team titles overall. The Conference comprises 12 leading U.S. universities - the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Washington and Washington State University. For more information on the Conference’s programs, member institutions, and Commissioner Larry Scott, go to Pac-12.com/conference.
