[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/07\/pittsburgh-passion\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/07\/pittsburgh-passion\/","headline":"UPMC Sports Medicine: Dedication to Pittsburgh Passion Elevates Health and Status of Team","name":"UPMC Sports Medicine: Dedication to Pittsburgh Passion Elevates Health and Status of Team","description":"UPMC Sports Medicine's relationship with the Pittsburgh Passion women's professional football team has made for healthier players on and off the field.","datePublished":"2021-07-28","dateModified":"2025-05-09","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","name":"Sports Medicine","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/sports-medicine\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-183751395.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-183751395.jpg","height":325,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/07\/pittsburgh-passion\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Sports Medicine"],"wordCount":1063,"articleBody":"In 2015, the Pittsburgh Passion lost their longtime team physician when Tanya Hagen, MD, died unexpectedly at age 45.Dr. Hagen was a sports medicine specialist at UPMC and the first female primary care physician hired by UPMC Sports Medicine. She had served many Pittsburgh professional, college, and high school teams.UPMC Sports Medicine didn\u2019t hesitate in appointing another team physician to succeed Dr. Hagen.Treating Female Sports InjuriesOur team physicians for the Passion see a lot of ACL injuries, just as they would expect to see from male football players. But there are more emotional aspects to the injuries of female professional athletes.Many of the players hold daytime jobs and have families in addition to their positions on the team. For female athletes, it\u2019s also extremely important to consider hormonal changes, which potentially put them at higher risk of injury, and issues related to dehydration.UPMC Sports Medicine experts see the same injuries between male and female professional athletes. However, the mechanisms of the injuries are often different.For men, we usually see contact injuries \u2014 some sort of acute trauma from contact. For women, who are likely to be older, there is typically more of a degenerative component on top of the injury.The team physician attends local practices, scrimmages, and games. They travel to away games at their own expense. Being there gives the team a consistent medical presence and perspective on all on-field player injury decisions.Elevating the Stature of the Team and LeagueUPMC shows a high level of attention to female athletes\u2019 health. That kind of attention from a major sports medicine program was rarely seen among other teams in the early years of the Women’s Football Alliance, the league in which the Passion plays, says Teresa Conn, the Passion’s owner and head coach. Legendary Steelers player Franco Harris is a team co-owner.\u201cReally, UPMC Sports Medicine has been here for the Passion since day one \u2014 our exhibition year in 2002 and our first season in 2003,\u201d says Teresa, a former Passion player. \u201cThe fact that we had an athletic trainer from UPMC for all our practices and games really separated us from the pack from the perspective of player safety. We were ahead of the curve, and it set the bar for the entire league.“Now, they all have a relationship with a medical program, and that has elevated the stature of the league. The players really appreciate the level of attention we\u2019ve been given.\u201dPassion practices and scrimmages often take place at off-hours due to field availability.\u201cWe might have late-night practices that start at 11 p.m. and run to 1 a.m.,\u201d Teresa says. \u201cThe athletic trainers and physicians are out there with us in the cold in January and in the heat in July.\u201d‘A Completely Unique Atmosphere’\u201cIt\u2019s been intriguing to work with the Passion because there\u2019s such a range of ages, sizes, body types, ethnicities, and day jobs among the players,\u201d says Maddison Miller, the graduate student athletic trainer for the Passion.Maddison is working on her master\u2019s degree in sports medicine at Pitt. She worked as an athletic trainer for a Division III college football team and a women\u2019s rugby team in the past.\u201cThe experience has solidified what I want to do for my career,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is a completely unique atmosphere, and it\u2019s helping me grow as a clinician. We focus on the whole athlete \u2014 the psychological and mental aspects \u2014 in addition to the physical injuries, and we have to take their day jobs into consideration when we\u2019re making our rehabilitation plans.“I can really relate to these players because they\u2019re doing it on the side as a second job \u2014 just like me.\u201dTeresa describes the team as a “melting pot” of people from various backgrounds and at different stages of their lives.“We\u2019re all working toward a common goal,” she says. “It\u2019s built on respect of self, respect for others, competition, friendship, and fun.\u201dHaving Freddie Fu on the TeamThe Passion also saw tremendous support from Freddie Fu, MD, chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC. Dr. Fu, a legend in the sports medicine field, died in September 2021.\u201cThe players were just so grateful to Dr. Fu for always being so supportive,\u201d Teresa says. \u201cWhen our players saw him and knew he was their doctor, it did something for our whole team\u2019s perspective. When we would text him with an issue, he\u2019d respond immediately. He\u2019d get our players in for appointments quickly. It was just unbelievable, really.\u201dSome players became close to Dr. Fu and his staff because they saw them so often at practices, games, and at the UPMC Freddie Fu Sports Medicine Center while rehabbing an injury.Lisa Horton, a quarterback who retired after 17 years in the game and now coaches for the Passion, had that experience. In her day job, she is vice president of operations, membership, and healthy living for the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh.\u201cDr. Fu did my ACL surgery in July 2008,” Lisa says. “I rehabbed at UPMC for over six months. They had me ready to play again the following spring. It\u2019s a huge deal for us to have the UPMC docs and athletic training staff travel with us. It\u2019s a great comfort and gives us peace of mind having them there.\u201dJust months before his death in September 2021, Dr. Fu shared that he\u2019s always had a passion for the Passion.\u201cIt was incredible to be a part of their first championship and to support them,\u201d Dr. Fu said. \u201cThey are the most diverse team in Pittsburgh sports, and they\u2019re so welcoming and encouraging for other women to take part. I feel privileged to be taking care of them.\u201dThe 2021 SeasonThe Passion were conditioning for the 2020 season that spring when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The pandemic halted, then suspended their entire season. The league enjoyed a modified 2021 season.Details on the 2022 season are still coming together, but UPMC Sports Medicine plans to be there for all of it.Visit the Pittsburgh Passion website\u00a0to learn more about the team, the players, and their upcoming season. Editor's Note: This article was originally published on July 28, 2021, and was last reviewed on January 7, 2022."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"07","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/\/07\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"UPMC Sports Medicine: Dedication to Pittsburgh Passion Elevates Health and Status of Team","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/07\/pittsburgh-passion\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]