In this episode, Dr. Tony Phillips, the director of orthopedics and sports medicine at Saint Luke’s Health System of Kansas City joins Commissioner Mike Racy to talk about the sports medicine and athletic training industries.
As a former MIAA quarterback at Emporia State, Dr. Phillips talks about his experience as a student-athlete and a unique bond he shares with a past teammate and current ESU football head coach Garin Higgins (2:10-6:23). Next, he talks about why he decided to pursue a career in sports medicine (6:42-7:35). Dr. Phillips also discusses how sports medicine has evolved over the years, especially in the prevention of injuries (7:56-10:52).
With the trend of intense sports specialization in youth and high school sports, Dr. Phillips talks about some of the concerns that go along with playing a year around sport (11:17-14:16). He also talks about the changes with concussion safety and the positive trends in a safer game of football (15:00-16:43).
Next, Dr. Phillips talks about the concerns with mental health and explains some things St. Luke’s is doing to help with the mental health of student-athletes at all levels (17:03-21:12). He then talks about his greatest worry facing college sports (21:28-23:46).
As the episode closes out, Dr. Phillips talks about St. Luke’s new treatment facility inside Kansas City’s Hy-Vee Arena and why it is so important to both, him and St. Luke’s (24:09-25:47). He also discusses how a partnership with the MIAA during the Basketball Championships last March provided the company with a unique opportunity (26:15-27:51).