Recently, staff from Scottish Rite for Children attended the 8^th annual Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society (PRiSM) meeting. As with many medical conferences, this meeting was held virtually to ensure safety for all participants. Many experts in our Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine have been active members in this organization since it was founded in 2012.

Pediatric orthopedic surgeon and associate director of clinical research Henry B. Ellis, M.D., says, “This meeting is one of the most exciting for our team. The multidisciplinary nature of this organization makes it highly effective at conceiving and producing high quality research in a relatively young field.” PRiSM has more than a dozen research interest groups that have active participation from top tier pediatric sports medicine centers around the country. “We enjoy participating in an organization that shares our mission in leading in research to learn the most about taking great care of young athletes,” says Ellis.

Scottish Rite Studies Shared at the Annual Meeting
Under Ellis’ leadership, the team shared results of several studies this year.

Staff and trainees presented the following studies in virtual and on-demand lectures:

• Jane S. Chung, M.D., presented, Effective Administration of Mental Health Screening Tools Affects Appropriate Allocation of Resources and Improves Clinician Ability to Identify Those at Risk for Suicide.
• Breann Tisano, M.D., (UT Southwestern orthopedic surgery resident) and Philip L. Wilson, M.D., presented, Osteochondral Allografting for Unsalvageable Osteochondritis Dissecans in the Skeletally Immature Knee.
• Henry B. Ellis, M.D., presented initial findings from the Sports Cohort Outcomes REgistry (SCORE).
  • Learn more about this study.
• David Spence, M.D., Campbell Clinic Orthopedics, TN, presented results from a multi-center study including Philip L. Wilson, M.D. The study is called, Operative Versus Non-Operative Treatment of Severely Shortened or Comminuted Clavicle Fractures in Older Adolescent Athletes: Results from a Prospective, Multicenter, Level 2 Cohort Study.
  • Learn more about this study.
• Kirsten Tulchin-Francis, Ph.D., presented, Pedi-CHAMP Agility Test Varies by Age, Sex and Sport Specialization in Youth Athletes and Correlations Between Functional Testing and the Pedi-CHAMP Agility Test in Youth Athletes.
  • Learn more about movement science. 
• Ami Kapadia, B.B.A., B.S.A., UT Southwestern medical student and Ellis presented, Characteristics of Forearm Fracture in Youth Athletes.

Findings from these projects were presented as e-posters:

• The Impact of Sport Specialization and Level of Competition on Training in Young Athletes During COVID-19
  • Learn more about this study.
• The Benefits Conferred by Multi-Sport Participation May Not Include Improved Functional and Psychological Readiness Following Injury
  • Learn more about sports specialization and overuse injuries
• Soft Tissue CAM Impingement in Adolescents: MRI Reveals Impingement Lesions Underappreciated on X-ray 
  • Learn more about research on femoroacetabular impingement.
• Biopsychosocial Risk Factors Associated with Suboptimal Outcomes Following ACLR in the Pediatric Athlete
• Lower Quarter Y-Balance Scores are Associated with Isokinetic Knee Strength
• Hurdle Step Component Score from the Functional Movement Screen is Associated with Strength, Speed, and Jump Performance 
  • Learn more about this study.

Multi-Center Collaboration and Leadership
Our team is active in several multi-center projects. Here are two that were discussed at the meeting:

Surgery Complications and Outcomes
In addition to presenting findings from the project, Ellis also collaborated with PRiSM peers to provide an on-demand lecture addressing the difference of quality improvement (QI) projects and research studies. These initiatives occasionally overlap. However, the purpose and protocols are distinct. Ellis is leading a national QI project to evaluate complications in pediatric arthroscopic surgeries. Of the nearly 20 centers, Scottish Rite sports medicine contributes the largest number of participants for the Sports Cohort Outcomes REgistry (SCORE). This database will help to identify opportunities to improve care in all settings by combining data from more than 20 participating institutions. QI projects like this can have a profound impact on patient safety and outcomes.

Improving Care for Young Athletes
Sports medicine physician Jane S. Chung, M.D., collaborated with peers in the female athlete research interest group to evaluate preferences of athletes when considering their sports medicine provider. They shared a poster of the results, Gender Preferences of Youth Athletes for Their Sports Medicine Providers: A Systematic Review. This systematic review suggests that female athletes seem to prefer a same-sex provider when concerns are sensitive in nature.

3D Motion Analysis: The Future of Sports Medicine
The motion analysis research interest group of PRiSM led a leading-edge pre-course focusing on how 3D motion analysis technology can be used in sports medicine to inform treatment and contribute to research. Movement Science Lab assistant director Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., discussed the importance of testing healthy athletes, the logistics and potential impact of multi-person capture, and how Scottish Rite has successfully implemented the SAFE Program to investigate movement patterns of healthy athletes across age, sport and skill level. 

This presentation featured the great work and collaboration of our movement science team under the leadership of division director Kirsten Tulchin-Francis, Ph.D. 

Leading the Way 
At this meeting, several of our staff began responsibilities as the 2021 chairs for various research interest groups. 

• Kirsten Tulchin-Francis, Ph.D. - movement science 
• Sophia Ulman, Ph.D. - sports specialization
• Shane M. Miller, M.D. - sport-related concussion

Sports Medicine at Scottish Rite for Children
“Long before we opened the doors of our facility in Frisco, Scottish Rite and our team were laying the foundation for some great work in pediatric sports medicine,” says Philip L. Wilson, M.D. “The rapid growth of our practice and our team in the past few years has allowed us to expand our capacity and work product. Dr. Ellis has provided a vision and drive to support the team in these accomplishments.” As assistant chief of staff and director of the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine, Wilson provides leadership for sports medicine and other initiatives at our Frisco campus.