Sports Medicine Fellowship

POSITION OVERVIEW

• Organization: Cleveland Browns Football Club
• Department: Health and Performance
• Reports to: Head Athletic Trainer
• Term: One year (12 months), full-time
• Location: Berea, Ohio, with team travel

The Cleveland Browns are seeking a highly motivated Sports Medicine Fellow for a one-year, full-time position. The fellowship is designed for licensed healthcare providers - Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), or Master of Science athletic trainers (MS, ATC) - who are recent graduates or are engaged in post-doctoral education or research.

The program gives academically motivated sports medicine clinicians a pathway into professional football while strengthening the Browns' culture of research and innovation. The Fellow works across the medical, sports science, and strength & conditioning staffs on player health monitoring, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and data-driven performance modeling. The goal is a clinician-scientist who can deliver hands-on care and turn player data into better decisions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Care & Player Health

Assist with evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, and return-to-play progressions under the direction of the sports medicine staff and team physicians.

• Provide pre-practice and pre-game taping, bracing, and activation/strengthening work to support player readiness.
• Participate in player assessments, biomechanical screenings, and neuromuscular evaluations, including preseason and in-season screening.
• Support emergency action plan readiness, including sideline medical setup and staff emergency drills.
• Maintain accurate, timely medical documentation in the club's electronic medical record, following league and HIPAA confidentiality requirements.
• Supervise athlete transportation to off-site clinical appointments when necessary.

Performance Integration

• Partner with strength & conditioning staff to apply data-driven insights to training loads, recovery, and the transition from rehabilitation to full performance training.
• Help design and monitor individualized recovery and late-stage rehab plans alongside performance coaches.
• Contribute to the season-long performance plan (offseason program, training camp, in-season, bye weeks) from a player-health perspective.

Sports Science & Data

• Assist in integrating and evaluating new technologies (wearables, motion capture, neuromuscular assessment tools) for validity, reliability, and practical value.
• Help maintain data quality and standardized testing protocols across departments.

Applied Research

• Assist with applied research on injury prevention, rehabilitation outcomes, biomechanics, and performance optimization.
• Support literature reviews, study design, data analysis, and preparation of abstracts or manuscripts where appropriate and approved by the club.

Daily Athletic Training & Operational Support

• Assist with morning training room setup, ensuring medical supplies, hydration materials, and emergency equipment are ready.
• Maintain daily treatment logs, injury reports, and inventory tracking.
• Assist with practice setup and breakdown, including rehabilitation equipment, hydration stations, and sideline medical support.
• Support team travel logistics, including packing medical trunks, hydration supplies, and emergency medical kits.
• Provide hotel coverage and player bed checks when required for away games.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

By the end of the fellowship, the Fellow will be able to:

1. Deliver evidence-based care across the full injury timeline, from prevention and acute management through return to play, in a professional football setting.
2. Communicate effectively in an interdisciplinary team of athletic trainers, physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, performance coaches, and sport scientists.
3. Collect, analyze, and interpret athlete monitoring data, and explain its practical meaning to both clinical and non-clinical audiences.
4. Critically evaluate new sports medicine and sports science technology before adoption.
5. Design and complete an applied research project relevant to football player health.

Development opportunities include:

• Mentorship from the Browns' athletic training, sports science, and strength & conditioning leadership, with scheduled quarterly reviews.
• Rotations across the athletic training room, weight room, and sports science department.
• Exposure to league-wide education
• Continuing education to maintain licensure and certification.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Doctoral degree (DAT, DPT, or DC) or Master of Science with ATC credential (MS, ATC), AND/OR a current Ph.D. student or recent Ph.D. graduate in Sports Medicine, Biomechanics, Exercise Science, Rehabilitation Science, Data Science, or a related field.
• Licensed or certified in a relevant discipline (ATC, DPT, or DC), and eligible for Ohio state licensure before the start date.
• Current CPR/AED certification for the professional rescuer (or equivalent), plus emergency care training.
• Familiarity with sports science technology such as force plates, GPS tracking, dynamometry, and biomechanical assessment tools.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including early mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, and team travel.

Preferred

• Clinical experience with collegiate or professional football, or other high-level team sports.
• Experience with athlete management systems and electronic medical records.
• Strength & conditioning credential (e.g., CSCS) or experience working within a performance department.
• Research experience with peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations.
• Additional clinical credentials (e.g., SCS, CCSP, or similar sports certifications).

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work takes place in athletic training rooms, weight rooms, outdoor and indoor practice fields, stadiums, and during team travel, in all weather conditions.
• Must be able to stand for long periods, move quickly on the field in an emergency, and lift and carry up to 50 lbs (medical trunks, hydration equipment).
• Hours are long and seasonal: training camp and the regular season demand the heaviest schedule.