DENVER - The University of Denver has announced the launch of a new Pioneer Health and Performance program that will combine the talents of Sports Medicine and Sports Performance (formally strength and conditioning) into the same subdivision, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation Peg Bradley-Doppes announced on Tuesday.

"We are looking forward to seeing the impact of the coming together of departments that have a tremendous impact on our student-athletes' wellness at the University of Denver," Bradley-Doppes said. "Julie [Campbell] and Matt [Shaw] have done a tremendous job with their individual areas, and now we are looking forward to the collaborative effort between the two groups to even further enhance our student-athletes' college careers."

Former Director of Sports Medicine Julie Campbell has been promoted to the Associate Athletic Director for Pioneer Health and Performance.

"I really look at this change as a massive collaboration to promote health and wellness," Campbell said. "We will take these four different areas and pool them all together so we can collectively work at the highest level. This will give our student-athletes an enhanced experience that will promote success and excellence in training and competition.

"I think this is the direction that a lot of top tier programs are moving toward. The joining of our areas emphasizes the student-athlete experience to make it the best that it can possibly be. DU wants to stay cutting edge, and I think as we took a look across the country, we believe that this is the future of this industry. I'm excited that Denver can be a front-runner in that process."

In all, Pioneer Health and Performance will include Sports Medicine, Sports Performance, team physicians, medical consultants, sports psychology and mental health, biomechanics and sports nutrition. Pioneer Health and Performance is designed to increase the performance and decrease injuries through a multi-disciplinary approach and giving the University of Denver student-athletes the best possible care and services related to health, wellness and performance.

"Pioneer Health and Performance will bring together resources and collaboration across four areas for the benefit of our student athletes' health and physical development," head sports performance coach Matt Shaw said. "Being able to expand resources and technology available for education, evaluation and training will allow us to maximize the student-athlete experience and performance outcomes. We are all incredibly excited about this unveiling and its future impact on our athletes for years to come."

The subdivision will also collaborate with the DU Human Dynamics Laboratory for research, performance enhancement and injury reduction.

"One of the very exciting pieces of this component is that it will affect every student-athlete across the board," Campbell said. "To have that type of impact is exciting for the future of the athletic department. We are looking forward to the ability to integrate resources, technology and research. This is going to open up opportunities for collaborative research, not only within this group, but also involving external campus partners and others inside the University."

Quotes on Pioneer Health and Performance:

"While at DU for my four years, the training staff were key in my development and time spent on the field. It didn't take long for me to see how important the strength and training staff would be to me as I saw how different the college game was compared to what I had seen previously. The time that I spent in the weight room developing and in the training room taking care of my body was an important aspect, however it was the people there that made the difference. These intelligent and highly dedicated staff in both the weight and training rooms helped me to become the athlete I was in college. They were always there whether I needed to improve in the weight room or when I needed help with an injury. Not only that but they continued to push all the athletes to improve on and off the field." - DU men's soccer midfielder Jordan Schweitzer

"[Pat Hoxsey] definitely helps us stay healthy. If we ever have a tweak or something going wrong we always know we have someone there 24/7 to help us. He has been here a long time, he has seen a lot of different stuff and knows what is best for us. We feel lucky to have him. It is really essential to compete at a high level every day that we are staying healthy and going through the recovery process with Pat and our strength and conditioning team." - DU men's basketball guard Jake Holtzmann

"Combining the two departments should enhance the overall student-athlete experience. The combination of resources will benefit all of DU's student-athletes and their training, and this collaboration should take our performance to the next level." head gymnastics coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart

"I think strength and conditioning and sports medicine have become an important part of the University of Denver student-athlete experience. When you can get candidates in those positions that are skilled and equipped in their profession, it's a huge advantage for us. Now that they are coming under one umbrella, I think it is really important that the student-athletes are able to balance themselves out and stay healthy so they can be on the field, but also be able to build strength and power in what they do. There will be a lot of collaboration between the departments in this new setup, and I think it's going to be working in the best interest of our student-athletes. Matt [Shaw] and Michael [Eckert] being able to work together, that's only going to enhance the physical development of our guys." - head men's soccer coach Jamie Franks

"Josie's been here every day, and every player in this locker room thinks the world of her. She keeps us on the field and keeps us healthy. She takes care of us. She's basically the mom of the 48 guys in this locker room, and is a key component to putting us in the best situation to be successful on the field. Matt Van Dyke this past year stepped up with a team that was brand new to him and did a great job getting us ready to go. We all look up to him and his knowledge of the human body to help us get stronger, faster and more fit than we have been before." - Denver attackman Connor Cannizzaro

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