The very first Clinical Sports Pharmacy Summit is officially in the books, and wow, what a kickoff it was. Held April 11–12 on the Nova Southeastern University campus in sunny Fort Lauderdale, the Summit brought together nearly 150 healthcare professionals and vendors from across the country (and the world!) for two packed days of education, networking, and inspiration.
“This summit is more than just a meeting; it’s a movement,” said Brandon K. Welch, PharmD, founder of the Sports Pharmacy Network. “We’re building a stronger foundation for sports healthcare—together.”
In the fast-paced world of sports today, we’re seeing a vibrant shift towards innovative and collaborative approaches that prioritize athletes’ health and performance. The Summit set the tone by bringing pharmacists, physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, dietitians, and researchers together to reimagine the role of sports pharmacology in everything from recovery and safety to performance optimization
From the science of sleep to managing concussions, every talk was packed with real-world insight and research-backed strategies. Here’s a breakdown of the incredible speaker sessions that had the room buzzing:
- Katie Dabrowski, PT, DPT, CSCS “Optimizing Muscle Recovery in Athletes: Integrating Clinical Practices with Evidence-Based Strategies for Athletic Success”
- Sean Casey, RD, CSCS “In Search of the Holy Grail of Holistic Brain Health”
- Eli Friedman, MD, FACC “Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Young Athletes: Pharmacological Management and Safety Considerations”
- Michael Swartzon, MD “Navigating Concussion in Sports: Challenges, Collaboration, and the Future of Care”
- Jamie Tartar, PhD “The Power of Sleep: Optimizing Athlete Performance and Recovery”
- Tammy Hanson, MS “Safeguarding Integrity and Athlete Health: Anti-Doping Strategies for Healthcare Professionals”
- Jessica Beal-Stahl, PharmD “The Female Athlete Redefined: Empowering the Female Athlete Over a Lifespan”
- Christina O’Connor, RD “Leveraging the Gut Microbiome for Exercise and Performance: The Role of GLP-1”
- Angela Garcia, PharmD, MPH, CPh “Managing Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm: Optimizing Athletic Performance and Respiratory Health”
- Susan J. Hewling, PhD “Fueling Excellence: The Role of Protein Metabolism in Athletic Performance”
- Korey Van Wyk, MS, CSCS, Pn2 “What Sports Health Professionals Need to Know About Pre-Workout Ingredients”
- Panel Discussion: “The Emerging Role of The Sports Pharmacist” Featuring: Athena Cannon, PharmD; Robert Nickell, RPh; Jessica Beal-Stahl, PharmD; Brandon Welch, PharmD, MS (c)
Keynote speaker Julius Thomas, former NFL tight end, two-time Pro Bowl athlete, and now a mental performance and wellbeing expert, shared his insights on the mental side of elite performance. His journey from Division I college basketball to the NFL and later to a career in clinical health psychology captivated the audience. It reinforced The Summit’s focus on total athlete wellness.
“Most athletes in sports settings don’t have a diagnosable mental health condition. Most of them have mental health symptoms, challenges just like all of us in this room, that they have to work with,” shared Thomas. “We’re finding ways to think about, ‘how can we make positive changes in the environment of sports?’ And I think that’s what we’re all here to do today.”
Honoring a Pioneer in Sports Pharmacy
A highlight of the summit was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Pharmacy to Robert Nickell, founder of SportPharm™ and the first-ever official team pharmacist for the USA Olympic Medical Team at the 2004 Athens Summer Games. His trailblazing career includes consulting for more than 85% of all U.S. professional sports teams and elevating the role of pharmacists in the care of athletes.
“It was such an honor to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Pharmacy from the Sports Pharmacy Network, and to see how sports pharmacy has improved and grown over the last decade and a half,” shared Nickell. “The future is going to be even stronger, bigger, and brighter than it was during my time—and even more so than it is today. I also proudly accept the title of the Godfather of Pharmacy. It’s an honor, I’m humbled, I’m appreciative. Thank you all so, so much.”
A Global Gathering of Changemakers
From Turkey and Brazil to the UK and across the U.S., attendees traveled far and wide to be part of this history-making event. As London-based sports pharmacist Dickie Okochi-Friday shared:
“It’s been inspiring to meet professionals from so many different corners of the world—people who are genuinely passionate about helping athletes perform at their best.”
What’s Next?
The momentum isn’t stopping here. With an expanded vision for 2026 already in the works, the Clinical Sports Pharmacy Summit is quickly becoming the go-to annual gathering for leaders in this field.
“We’re not just supporting athletes with prescriptions—we’re advocating, educating, and protecting them,” said Kristal Potter, PharmD, Editor-in-Chief at Sports Pharmacy Network.
Watch our Summit highlight video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqAbHEU6-4k
Become a Member
If you want real-time clinical cases, webinars, evidence-based sports supplementation resources, continuing education, anti-doping resources, and access to exclusive digital content, join the Sports Pharmacy Network here.
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Written by Jessie Tobin, MA, BA
After receiving her master’s in professional communication, Jessie began her professional career at a healthcare technology startup, where she managed all content writing, paid media, email marketing and partner relationships. She is deeply passionate about using storytelling to build strong emotional connections between brands and their audiences, a skill she has refined through her YouTube channel, which has over 17 million views. Aside from copywriting, she shares her expertise as a professor at The University of Tampa.