Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship - Chattanooga

Fellowship Overview

The University of Tennessee Health Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine-Chattanooga is proud to offer a one-year ACGME-accredited Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship.  The national accrediting body -- the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) awarded  Initial Accreditation for our institution, UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga, to begin a one-year fellowship for up to two fellows in the new program.  Our first fellow, Matthew J. Rotondo, MD, began training in our program on July 1, 2024, and will graduate from the fellowship on June 30, 2025.  Our Program is sponsored by our Departments of Family Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery.  The primary clinical training site for the fellowship is Erlanger Health and our Erlanger Sports Medicine Clinic.   Fellows who complete our program will be eligible to sit for the CAQ examination in Sports Medicine.

In conjunction with Erlanger Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, this fellowship will prepare the fellow to provide comprehensive treatments to all types of sports medicine conditions. Opportunities will include but not be limited to working directly with University of Tennessee Chattanooga sports medicine staff, high school athletes, mass athletic events and preparation, and combat sports including boxing and mixed martial arts. This fellowship will provide core training  in sports medicine and non-surgical orthopedics but also allow the fellow to pursue their individual interests. This will be accomplished by our wide range of associated board certified primary care sports medicine pediatric and adult specialists, sports orthopedic surgeons, foot and ankle surgeon, hand surgeons, spine surgeons, and physical therapists. 

About the Fellowship Program

The purpose of this fellowship is to provide fellows with the necessary attributes to excel in their career and care for a variety of patients. The fellow will be educated in the broad field of non-surgical orthopedics providing a multitude of treatments but also working directly with board certified surgeons to understand surgical treatments for patient education. Because of the variety of coverage opportunities, the fellows will learn acute on-field management, develop emergency action plans with athletic trainers, cast and splint injuries, be able to interpret radiographs, and most importantly be able to communicate directly with colleagues. This communication will continue to the patient and patient families to help them through difficult times.

Our Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship and the Erlanger Sports Medicine provide a collaboration of leading sports-medicine specialists in primary care, orthopaedics, neurology, cardiology, and more. We serve the region’s top teams and teach the latest sports medicine techniques to tomorrow’s doctors. And we offer the most comprehensive care available for athletes and active sports-loving families.  Our Fellows have ample opportunities to work with athletes from the point of injury through the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation process.  They will participate in a multi-disciplinary approach when providing care involving consultants, trainers, coaches, physical therapists, and family members. The fellow will also have opportunities to educate the community concerning injury prevention, and develop optimized training regimens for both individual patient and teams.

The Fellowship and the Erlanger Sports Medicine Program can be described with three words -- Comprehensive, Academic, and Trusted.

Comprehensive:  We are a unique collaboration between leading specialists in primary care, orthopaedics, neurology, cardiology, and rehabilitation—ensuring your injury gets the right kind of medical attention.

Academic:  The UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga has a major affiliation with the region’s only major academic medical center, which means our sports medicine physicians teach tomorrow’s techniques, holding to the higher standards of evidence-based medicine.

Trusted:  We are physicians for the region’s top teams including the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC), Bryan College, Chattanooga State Community College, Covenant College, Lee University, the Hamilton County School System, many other area high schools in the Southeastern Tennessee and North Georgia Region . Our comprehensive level of care has made the UT College of Medicine - Chattanooga and Erlanger the official medical providers for high-profile athletic events.

High Profile and Mass Athletic Events

• Chattanooga Marathon
• Chattanooga SWAT Team
• Iron Man Chattanooga
• State Championship Level Football
• USA National Cycling Championships

Fellowship Clinical Experiences

Our Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellows will gain experience in the following clinical areas:

• Continued medical management of primary care needs for the whole family
• Non-operative Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Injuries
• Non-surgical treatment approach to neck and back conditions such as osteoarthritis
• Non-surgical treatment approach to sports-related injuries and conditions such as exercise-induced asthma and hypertension
• Ultrasound-guided micro-invasive procedures
• Other minor office procedures
• Regenerative/biologic medicine
• Chronic condition management and overuse injuries
• Sports physical examinations
• Injury prevention
• Healthy approach to weight loss and weight gain in cooperation with a certified health coach
• Concussion management and post-concussion syndrome
• Physical Therapy
• Walk-in sports injury clinic
• Wellness, Exercise, Nutrition, and Preventative Care
• Rehabilitation services in close cooperation with physical therapists, occupational therapists, and athletic trainers

Fellowship Program Mission

The UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship strives to train and develop non-operative Orthopaedic physicians with knowledge based on total lifelong treatment plans and options for patients associated with musculoskeletal injuries, conditions and those seeking to remain active in life.  We utilize a team-oriented approach to patients with the patient being the focus.  Physicians will work together along with other allied health professionals, athletic trainers, coaches, and families to ensure fundamentals of treatment, rehabilitation and utilization of non-surgical means to provide patients with the highest quality care.  Physicians will also take on the role of research to further knowledge of non-operative orthopaedics to improve treatments and outcomes.

Fellowship Program AIMS

• Engage in hands-on experience in a clinic setting to develop acumen in history taking, physical examination, and evaluation of new and returning patients under the supervision of expert orthopaedic and general staff personnel
• Coordinate of patient needs and rehabilitation efforts
• Serve as Team Physicians for high school football and wrestling teams as well as collegiate Division 1 football teams
• Utilize diagnostic ultrasound to evaluate sports injuries involving shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle, and foot
• Develop proficiency in performing ultrasound-guided procedures to treat sport-related injuries including shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle and foot
• Participate in regional and national sports medicine professional meetings and conference with faculty
• Communicate sports medicine information to other healthcare professionals
• Continue to advance in the individual fellow's primary speciality including achieving board certification if that has not been achieved prior to the fellowship.