(May 5th, 2006, Chicago IL) Herm Schneider, head athletic trainer for the Chicago White Sox, presented World Series gifts to the World Series Champion Chicago White Sox medical team. The presentation of these was made at Rush University Medical Center.
Members of the medical team receiving gifts included Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush physicians Charles Bush-Joseph, MD, Kathy Weber, MD, Bernie Bach, MD, Greg Nicholson, MD, Nikhil Verma, MD, and Brian Cole, MD. Also honored were Rush University Medical Center physicians Joseph Hennessy Jr., MD, Dragan Djordevic, MD, Scott Palmer, MD, and Syed Shah, MD. Clinical staff members from both the hospital and Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush also received gifts including Marci Bilkey, Naveed Kazi, Kerry Kraushaar, Jessica Delgado, and Leigh Lundberg.
Head team physician, Charles Bush-Joseph, MD (orthopaedic surgery), and Kathy Weber, MD (primary care sports medicine/internal medicine), received official World Series rings, the same received by the White Sox players. "We're honored to receive World Series rings and truly value our three-year relationship with the White Sox," stated Dr. Bush-Joseph. "We hope the White Sox have another healthy season and we can add another ring!" he added.
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush is proud of the role they played in a remarkably healthy and successful White Sox World Series Championship season. Throughout the year, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush served as team physicians, working closely with trainer Herm Schneider to keep the team in top playing condition.
Apart from being on the field for every home game during the season, and every home and away game during the playoffs and World Series, the MOR physician team was also involved with player conditioning and training throughout the year. The team physician's function consisted of a broad range of responsibilities: direct diagnosis and treatment on the field; providing care for visiting team players, coaches and umpires; follow up and continued care in the office; phone consultation; facilitation of emergency care; managing care when the team was on the road; and coordination of all medical personnel involved in ensuring the overall health of the players, their families and the White Sox staff.
When injuries did occur, MOR physicians were on hand to provide an accurate, rapid diagnosis and initial care to minimize time away from the game. "Our close working relationship with the White Sox training staff enabled us to diagnose and treat injuries quickly, minimizing player downtime," says Charles Bush-Joseph, lead team physician. "In professional baseball, with such a fine line between success and failure, a few additional effective innings by a pitcher or a couple of extra healthy games by a position player can make a huge difference. I think we definitely saw that with the White Sox this year, when some key players were able to work through injuries to make important contributions at critical times."
Herm Schneider, White Sox Head Trainer, sought out the practice to provide the most comprehensive level of medical service available. "I wanted our players, staff and front office personnel to have the best medical expertise available. In addition, I wanted the team to have access to a full-service academic medical center like Rush University Medical Center, just minutes away from U.S. Cellular Field," says Schneider.
In addition to lead physician Dr. Charles A. Bush-Joseph, colleagues Dr. Bernard R. Bach, Jr., Dr. Gregory P. Nicholson, Dr. Kathleen M. Weber, Dr. Brian J. Cole, Dr. Anthony A. Romeo, and Dr. Nikhil N. Verma also served as primary team physicians. All are on the faculty of Rush Medical College. Bush-Joseph, Bach, Nicholson, Cole, and Romeo are orthopaedic surgeons who specialize in sports medicine; Weber is board certified in internal medicine and sports medicine. As orthopaedic specialists, Bush-Joseph, Bach, Cole, Nicholson, and Romeo treat everything from broken bones to torn anterior cruciate ligaments and rotator cuffs.
Dr. Weber served as the team's primary internal medicine physician and is one of Major League Baseball's few female team physicians. With her combined training in sports medicine, internal medicine and exercise physiology, she was uniquely qualified to address both orthopaedic injuries and the medical aspects of sports medicine, such as heat illness, head injuries, allergies, viral infections, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
The future also looks bright for the 2006 season, not only for the White Sox but also for MOR's involvement. "This is our third with the White Sox," says Dr. Weber, "and we will be able to use the solid foundation we have built thus far to further develop a model system of comprehensive medical care for both the individual athlete and the team."
