Sports Medicine Advisory Committee

Javier Cárdenas, MD (Chair)
Child Neurology
Barrow Neurological Institute,
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
Member, B.R.A.I.N.S. Program

Dr. Cárdenas graduated from Arizona State University with highest honors and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. As a special education teacher, he instructed children with traumatic brain injury and developmental disabilities. For the past 16 years, he has volunteered for Special Olympics in Arizona. His background in special education and long history of volunteerism has guided his career, leading him to the field of child neurology. He graduated from the University of Arizona, College of Medicine with honors in Neurology. He completed a residency in pediatrics at St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he received a number of awards, including “Pediatric Intern of the Year,” “The Walt Vikram Troester Memorial Scholarship, for Exemplary Compassion in the Care of Neonates,” and “Outstanding Resident Teacher of the Year.” Dr. Cárdenas trained at Barrow Neurological Institute in the Department of Child Neurology where he received awards for academic presentations and leadership.

Dr. Cárdenas participates in advocacy training focused on pediatric traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, including the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum, sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology. Governor Janet Napolitano appointed Dr. Cárdenas to her “Advisory Council on Spinal and Head Injuries,” which provides services and support for individuals with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Cárdenas helped to establish the Barrow Resource for Acquired Injury to the Nervous System (B.R.A.I.N.S.) program which includes a multi-disciplinary brain injury clinic in collaboration with the Brain Injury Association of Arizona and Arizona State University. Dr. Cárdenas is committed to the care, treatment, and prevention of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury in children.

Dr. John Parsons, Ph.D., ATC, AT
Associate Professor & Director
Athletic Training Program
Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
A.T. Still University

Dr. Parsons, a BOC certified and state licensed athletic trainer, is an Associate Professor and Director of the Post Professional Athletic Training Program. He earned a bachelor's degree in sports medicine from Marietta College, and masters of science degrees in exercise and sports science and medical informatics from the University of Arizona and the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine respectively. His doctoral degree is in communication, with an emphasis on organizational communication, from Arizona State University. Dr. Parsons’ previous healthcare experience includes athletic training in the secondary school and clinical settings. His areas of research interest include includes the study of the effects of sports related injury (SRI) on health-related outcomes in athletes, especially pediatric and adolescent athletes. He has lectured and published on the related topics of disablement and health-related quality of life as they relate to sports-related injuries. He also has both teaching and research interests in healthcare policy, healthcare education, and regulation of healthcare professions, and has written and presented nationally on issues of organizational and management issues in healthcare and healthcare education. Dr. Parsons currently serves on the NATA Post Professional Education Committee, the BOC Standards Committee, and serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Sports Rehabilitation and Athletic Therapy Today. He is also the current President of the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association, and a member of the NATA District 7 (RMATA) Board of Directors.

Dr. Jeffrey Vaughn, DO
Pediatric Sports Medicine/Orthopedic Surgery

Jeffrey M. Vaughn, DO, a sports medicine trained pediatric orthopedic surgeon, is director of the PCH Sports Medicine Program for Young Athletes at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, Ariz.

Dr. Vaughn received his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, Mo., and went on to complete his internship at Memorial Hospital, York, Pa. He also completed an orthopedic surgery residency, at Memorial Hospital, York Hospital, Pa. with rotations at Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, Md., and Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Md.

To complete his sub-specialty training, Dr. Vaughn finished a pediatric/adolescent sports medicine and arthroscopy fellowship at Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

David Hayward

David Hayward earned his Bachelors Degree in Physical Education at Northern Arizona University in 1995 and his Masters in Education at Oregon State University in 1999. Past work experience includes working with the Oregon State Wrestling program, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Rattlers, and he is currently the Head Athletic Trainer/Sports Medicine Instructor at Highland High School (1998 - present). He has served as a committee member on the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (2003 - 2005) and as the Sports Medicine Advisory Chair (2005 - 2010).

Nicholas Theodore, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Nicholas Theodore is Chief of the Spine Section in the Division of Neurological Surgery and is also Director of the Neurotrauma Program at the Barrow Neurological Institute.

He graduated from Cornell University, where he was the recipient of a Cornell Tradition Academic Fellowship. He attended medical school at Georgetown University, where he graduated with honors. After completing his internship at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Dr. Theodore served as a Senior General Medical Officer with the United States Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan.

Dr. Theodore completed his neurosurgical residency and fellowship in spinal surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and the recipient of many research awards including a prestigious RO-1 grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health.

After completing his residency in 2001, Dr. Theodore served as Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery at Naval Medical Center San Diego, overseeing the largest neurosurgery complement in the Navy. In 2003 he rejoined the faculty at Barrow Neurological Institute. His area of focus includes brain and spinal cord injury, minimally invasive surgery, and robotics. Dr. Theodore is a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Mark H. Strom, NMD
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Integrative Medicine of Scottsdale, PLLC

Dr. Strom is a primary care provider. He treats adolescent and adult patients. His practice emphasis is on sports medicine and injury rehab. Dr. Strom is a former adjunct professor of Sports Medicine and Orthopedics at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe Arizona. He continues to stay involved with medical students by allowing them to complete clinical rotations in his clinic. Dr. Strom is passionate about reducing sports-related head injuries and continues to find ways to educate his peers about the latest research and specialty-guidelines. He is currently creating a concussion / traumatic brain injury course, for continuing medical education credits, that will allow all doctors to stay informed about the latest news from brain injury research and clinical practice.