Speaker Biographies

Dr. Holly Silvers-Granelli

Holly J. Silvers is a board certified Physical Therapist specializing in sports orthopedic rehabilitation in Santa Monica, CA.  She is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a PhD in Applied Physiology and Biomechanics, Western University of Health Sciences (MS: Physical Therapy) and of Rutgers University (BS: Biological Sciences and Communications).  She is a current member of United States Soccer Federation’s Medical Team, a member of Major League Soccer’s M-MARC (Medical Research Committee), and a member of the International Cartilage Research Society’s Rehabilitation Committee.   She is also the spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association’s taskforce on ACL Prevention.  In addition, she is the director of rehabilitation for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy and on Major League Baseball’s Hamstring Injury Prevention taskforce.  

Currently, she is the owner of Velocity Physical Therapy and the director of research at the Santa Monica Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Research Foundation with a primary focus on ACL injury prevention, articular cartilage injury prevention and post-operative rehabilitation, groin injury and FAI treatment and prevention, hamstring injury assessment and prevention in Major League Baseball (MLB) and in soccer, and delineating return to play testing and guidelines post-injury in athletes.  Dr. Silvers-Granelli has published several peer reviewed articles on the prevention of ACL injury and prevention, cartilage implantation rehabilitation, groin and hip injury and patellofemoral disorders. 

Dr. Neeru Jayanthi

Dr. Jayanthi is considered one of the country’s leading experts on youth sports health, injuries, and sports training patterns, as well as an international leader in tennis medicine. He serves as a medical advisor for the WTA (Woman’s Tennis Association) Player Development Panel, and an unpaid consultant to many national youth sports organizations.  He is a team physician for the Atlanta Braves, Gwinnet Stripers, Georgia Tech Tennis, Johns Creek High School, Alpharetta High School and Pinecrest Academy.  Dr. Jayanthi has won many AMSSM Foundation and other Research Grants for his collaborative research on early sports specialized training and overuse injury in youth athletes.  He has been a course director nearly 30 times and has been an invited speaker over 175 times to local, regional conferences as well as at national academy conferences.

He is proud husband and father to 2 young active boys.

Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth

Elizabeth M. Pieroth, PsyD, ABPP, MPH is a Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist and is the Director of the Concussion Program at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. She was most recently the Associate Director of the NorthShore University HealthSystem Sports Concussion Program. 

She has been involved in the assessment of players in the National Hockey League since 1997 and is the Head Injury/Concussion specialist for the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, White Sox, Fire, and the National Women’s Soccer League, as well as numerous colleges and high schools across the State of Illinois.  Dr. Pieroth is the Co-Director of the NFL Neuropsychology Consulting Program.  She is also on the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of Illinois and is a member of the USA Football Heads Up Advisory Committee, the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee, the US Soccer Concussion Taskforce and the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois Safety Committee. She has been awarded the 2018 Chicago Illini of the Year Award, the 2016 USA Hockey Excellence in Safety Award, the University of Illinois 2016 LAS Alumni Achievement Award, the 2014 AHAI Presidents Award, and 2012 Brain Injury Association of IL Make A Difference Award. 

She has published on concussion management and neuropsychological assessment.  Dr. Pieroth recently completed her Masters in Public Health through the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dr. Michele Kerulis

Dr. Kerulis’ years of experience as an athlete, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, performer, and therapist have created the foundation of her belief that the skills necessary to achieve success in sport and performance are the same skills necessary to achieve excellence in life. She works with a variety of populations and helps groups and individuals live their dreams through helping them realize the limitless possibilities while attaining mental toughness. Dr. Kerulis works as a sport and clinical therapist in the Chicagoland area with athletes and performers, with specializations in individual and group sports and the performing arts. She consults for collegiate and youth teams, actors, dancers, and singers. She uses educationally based techniques that clients can use in sport and in life. Examples of client issues include, but are not limited to, coping with injury, dealing with stress and anxiety, visualization for success, crisis management, motivational techniques, positive outlook, transition out of sport, setting and obtaining goals, overcoming stage fright, and achieving life balance and wellness. Dr. Kerulis graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University with a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision. She graduated summa cum laude from Arizona School of Professional Psychology and earned a Master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Psychology. Dr. Kerulis also holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Loyola University Chicago. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois and a Certified Consultant through AASP.

Dr. Timothy Churchill

Timothy Churchill, MD, is a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Churchill specializes in evaluating and treating heart disease in athletes and physically active individuals. His clinical practice is focused on sports cardiology and cardiac ultrasound. He is a member of the Cardiovascular Performance Program, a program within the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center that provides clinical care and exercise testing for active individuals. He believes strongly in a patient-centered approach to care and sharing the process of medical decision-making with the patient. 

Dr. Rob Huggins

Dr. Robert Huggins is currently the President of Research and Athlete Performance & Safety at the Korey Stringer Institute and Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. His is responsibilities include the supervision, management, and coordination of research initiatives currently conducted by KSI. Dr. Huggins focuses on two major areas of research, athlete health and safety and athlete performance. From an athlete performance perspective, his research interests include the heat illness prevention, thermoregulation, hydration, monitoring physiological biomarkers, exercise stress, training load and injury prevention in soccer, football, and elite endurance athletes. He has been a lead or co-author on ~50 publications. Dr. Huggins has been a licensed Athletic Trainer since 2007 and his research has focused on improving AT services at the secondary school level, emergency best practices in youth athletes, and the economic impact of medical services rendered by ATs. He is the Director of the Athletic Training Locations and Services or ATLAS Project. Dr. Huggins has experience at mass medical events such as the Falmouth Road Race, Boston Marathon, and Marine Corps Marathon where he has treated more than 70 cases of exertional heat stroke. He received his bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from the University of Connecticut in 2007, his master’s degree in Athletic Training from the University of Virginia in 2008, and his doctoral degree from the University of Connecticut in 2014, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut from 2014-2017.

Lindsay Langford

Lindsay is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Lindsay received her Bachelor’s degree from University of Alabama and received her Master’s degree from Louisiana Tech University.

Lindsay has experience in clinical nutrition, endurance coaching and nutrition coaching for athletes and teams in the NFL, NHL, NBA, IRL and elite level endurance athletes. She focuses on performance-based nutrition to help an athlete feel, train and perform at a higher caliber.

Dr. Rick Cost

Rick Cost is U.S. Soccer’s Director of High Performance, bringing a wealth of experience to the role with more than 21 years in the field, most recently as Head of Performance and Innovation at Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord.

Cost worked with Feyenoord since the start of the club’s 2016 season, helping the team win the league in his inaugural season and the KNVB Cup in 2018. One of the Netherlands’ biggest teams, Cost managed the club’s medical, nutrition and strength and conditioning staff. He developed training and rehab programs, testing protocols and worked to physically prepare youth players for the first team.

Prior to working in soccer, Cost helped the Dutch National Field Hockey Teams reach Olympic glory as the program’s Head of Sports Performance and Medicine. During his tenure, the women won silver at the 2012 London Olympics and finished fourth at Rio 2016, while the men took silver in 2012 and finished fourth in 2016. The teams also medaled in all four World Cups played during his time on staff. In a similar role to Feyenoord, Cost oversaw medical, strength and conditioning, nutrition and video performance staff and worked to track load management, create periodization plans and manage physical/medical testing.

Cost launched his physiology career working in handball with the Dutch women’s national handball team and professional club HV Helias, before moving to field hockey with pro teams HGC and HC Rotterdam. He also owns and operates his own chain of private physiotherapy practices in the Netherlands, providing sport science services, physical/medical testing, gait analysis and more.

Dr. Holly Benjamin

Holly J. Benjamin, MD, FACSM, is a specialist in sports medicine and non-surgical musculoskeletal injuries. She has been regionally and nationally recognized for expertise in treating all types of athletic injuries in young patients. She routinely does office consultations discussing sport safety and return to play guidelines following an injury. Dr. Benjamin sees patients to discuss sport "readiness" for activities such as weightlifting and "en pointe" for ballet.

She is currently chair of the committee on sports medicine and fitness for the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. She serves as director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Program at the University of Chicago Student Care Center.

Dr. Benjamin has been invited to present dozens of lectures on sports problems in child, adolescent and female athletes. She is a member of the editorial board for the American Academy of Pediatrics' "Sport Shorts" — an educational publication for physicians, coaches, and parents. She is a medical officer for the Chicago Marathon and Chicago Triathlon and is part of the medical team for the WNBA Chicago Sky. In addition, she is head team physician for the University of Chicago Lab School, and a team physician for the varsity athletic program where she specializes in the treatment of medical conditions in the athlete.

Dr. Sara Chrisman

Dr. Sara Chrisman is a pediatrician, physician scientist and Adolescent Medicine specialist who is working to decrease the public health impact of concussion through prevention and treatment. She has received funding for her work from a wide variety of sources, including the NIH, CDC, NCAA and Pac-12, and is currently leading several research projects in this area. She also has interests in athlete mental health and youth physical activity.

Ben Roper

Ben Roper is a Senior Sales and Distribution Manager with 12 years of experience in Stryker’s Medical Division (EMS, Treatment, Public Access). He has launched projects for Stryker in 20 states, 3 U.S. territories, and 4 countries in Latin America, and is currently fighting to increase survival to sudden cardiac arrest.

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