CLEVELAND — One event at the NFL scouting combine that didn't get as much attention as the athletes on the field was the election of the new president for the NFL Physicians Society, and Cleveland has some bragging rights.
Dr. James Voos, head team physician for the Browns and the Jack and Mary Herrick Distinguished Chair of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at University Hospitals, was unanimously elected President of the NFLPS at the group's annual meeting Thursday. His goal is to execute three plays during his two-year tenure, with the focus being streamlining emergency plans, integrating more wearable technology, and introducing new state-of-the-art medical treatments for professional athletes that will also benefit the average weekend warrior or high school player.
Voos wants to see every professional team be on the same page when it comes to emergencies on and off the field.
"No matter which stadium you're at, all of the emergency action plans and all of the safety mechanisms — whether we're playing in Cleveland, Ohio, or whether we're playing in Brazil or London or other locations — that the safety of that game day is matched and unparalleled with every location," he said, adding that he wants every team to speak the same "language" when it comes to emergencies.
Voos has published more than 100 scientific papers on orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. In 2023, he was the recipient of the prestigious NFLPS Arthur C. Rettig Award for Academic Excellence for his presentation "Return to Play Assessment after ACL Reconstruction Using Wearable Technology," and integrating more wearable technology is another goal he's hoping to achieve.
"For example, players now have a tag in their shoe to know how much pressure is being placed on the foot," he explained. "The football now has a sensor in it to know how fast it is spinning and its velocity and its trajectory. Shoulder pads measuring impact, and now this year, several teams are wearing a select mouth guard that can assess impacts as they're hit. Additional devices for the future can measure things like their core body temperature or blood markers or sensors for fatigue like lactate or nitric oxide, so those are all in development and exist."
Voos has served as the Browns' head team physician since 2014. In addition to his work with the organization, he is the executive director of the UH Haslam Sports Innovation Center, and also lead orthopedic surgeon for multiple Northeast Ohio colleges and high schools. His medical research is another aspect he brings to the NFL.
"Taking care of professional athletes in these type of environments really enhances and accelerates the development of new technologies that then all of us can benefit from," he told 3News. "So whether you're a weekend warrior or a high school athlete, that's for me really believing in investing in your community and our sports medicine program."
Dr. Voos also plans to collaborate with other major sports, such as the NBA, Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League.
"Having all of those medical societies really work together and share our best practices, I think that enhances the care of all of our athletes," he said. "And everyone's goals are the same in terms of providing a safe, safe environment for our athletes."
Voos is a member of the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine, is board-certified in orthopedic surgery, and holds a subspecialty certificate of added qualification in sports medicine. Previously, he was a team physician for the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and head physician for the Kansas City Ballet, and now holds that position with the Cleveland Ballet. He also served as the assistant team physician for the New York Giants and WNBA's New York Liberty.