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The third Sports Medicine Institute Annual Conference took place Friday, September 27th at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, and despite a few weather setbacks, was a success. The event was attended by experts from all facets of the field, along with exercise science researchers and students.

Featured speakers included providers from UNC, Duke, and UPMC, and included a range of multidisciplinary topics from sports medicine and sports psychology to performance nutrition and sleep medicine–with the overall theme of the conference focusing on hip conditions.

Image of an auditorium filled with people.       Conference attendees getting coffee.       Conference attendees discussing with table attendants.

Learning objectives included:
– Utilize evidence-based management strategies to treat the following hip conditions: femoroacetabular impingement, labral tear, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, deep gluteal space syndrome, sports hernias, and chronic pain.
– Improve the care of active individuals by integrating publicly accessible, evidence-based resources for sleep, nutrition, and mental health.
– Treat athletes holistically by recognizing the need for and referring to specialized providers for sleep, nutrition, mental health, and strength & conditioning needs.
– Utilize a staged return to sport protocol to safely progress patients to return after injury or surgery

“This conference is unique because it offers presentations from multiple professions to provide different perspectives and equips attendees to improve their practice,” said Carla Hill, DPT, and member of the conference planning committee. Attendees were given the opportunity to view posters, learn from a variety of perspectives to create best practices, and network with other professionals from the field.

“It has been great to see the conference grow every year and to see people come back from previous years, as well as welcome new people to UNC,” added Anna Cochis, Admin Support Associate for the Sports Medicine Division at UNC Orthopaedics and conference assistant.

Be on the lookout for 2025 Sports Medicine Institute Annual Conference information next year!

Image of six people taking a photo together
The SMI Annual Conference planning committee.