National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance

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Athletic Performance Expert

Michael F. Bergeron, PhD, FACSM

The National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance (NIAHP) and Center for Youth Sports & Health opened in the fall of 2008 under the direction of Dr. Michael F. Bergeron, FACSM. Internationally known for his research in exercise, heat stress, and athletic health and leadership in the sports medicine community, Dr. Bergeron serves as the Director of the institute located at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD.  

The National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance (NIAHP) and Center for Youth Sports & Health are located in Suite 204 of the Van Demark Building on the campus of the Sanford USD Medical Center. Professional services for athletes and other active individuals include detailed physiological evaluations in a controlled environmental chamber, fitness testing, sport nutrition consults, and assessments on the athletic field, as well as presentations and seminars for teams and organizations. The institute is equipped with a 336-sq ft environmental chamber with the capability to regulate temperature (40-122°F) and humidity levels for testing athletes exercising in various environmental conditions. Individuals can be tested using a Viasys Vmax Encore 29 cardiopulmonary exercise testing system and various exercise equipment including treadmills and cycle ergometers, as well as a CompuTrainer stationary trainer, so that athletes can use their own competition cycle for fitness and performance evaluations. 
 

Mission

The NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ATHLETIC HEALTH & PERFORMANCE AT SANFORD serves to be a trusted resource and recognized leader in conducting research, assessing athletes, providing the most current educational information, and recommending guidelines and policy for safe and appropriate exercise, training, and sports participation.

The Institute will:

• Focus on new research to address training and competition challenges for youth and other populations.
• Provide individually customized strategies to athletes and other active individuals that will reduce injury risk, optimize performance, and minimize rehabilitation and return-to-play time.
• Partner with sport and sports medicine national governing bodies in developing new educational initiatives, guidelines, and policy for safe and appropriate exercise, training, and sports participation.

Meet the Team

Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM is Director of the National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota at the Sanford USD Medical Center. Dr. Bergeron is a Fellow and Trustee of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and past Chair of the ACSM Strategic Health Initiative – Youth Sports and Health Committee. He is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee for the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and currently serves as an Editorial Board member for the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism and Journal of Athletic Training. He also serves as a clinical and scientific consultant to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Medical Services. Dr. Bergeron has worked with a number of junior, collegiate, and professional athletes on training and nutrition related to preparation, competition, and recovery strategies in the heat, with a particular emphasis on helping athletes to avoid muscle cramping.

Jason C. Dorman, M.S., CSCS is the Project Manager for the National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance at the Sanford USD Medical Center. He has his Master’s degree in exercise physiology and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Jason worked as a Sport Science Intern at the US Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY and also as a Post-Graduate Scholar in the exercise physiology department at the Australian Institute of Sport. Jason has tested and advised myriad high school, collegiate, and professional athletes in numerous sports, including gold medal and world record-breaking Olympic athletes.

Lisa M. Esposito M.S., RD, CSSD, LN is a Research Associate III for the National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance at the Sanford USD Medical Center. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics and earned her Master’s degree in exercise science. Lisa is also a member of the American Dietetic Association, the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition dietetic practice group and Sports Dietetics USA. Lisa has worked with a variety of athletes, each with their own specific physical and performance goals, including weight gain, strength gain, weight loss, meeting a weight class goal, and management of blood lipids, diabetes, and food allergies. 
 

News

11/6/2009 -- Sanford Researcher Meets with White House Staff and Congressional Leaders

9/24/2009 -- Sanford Employs Only Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics in South Dakota

9/9/2009 -- A Dangerous Game

9/2/2009 -- Overlooked Issue? Coach's trial raises questions about heat-related deaths 

9/1/2009 -- Coach on Trial for Homicide in Player's Heat Death

8/19/2009 -- Young Athletes at Risk for Heat Illness as Fall Sports Begin

8/4/2009 -- Health Radio featuring Michael F. Bergeron, PhD discussing Football: ACSM Guidelines Reducing Heat Injury Risk

8/4/2009 -- Health Radio featuring Michael F. Bergeron, PhD discussing Hydration Challenges & Muscle Cramps - Fatigue/Overload vs. Sweat-Induced

8/4/2009 -- Health Radio featuring Michael F. Bergeron, PhD discussing ACSM Overload/Overuse/Scheduling in Youth Sports Initiative

6/26/2009 -- Michael F. Bergeron, PhD, FACSM Elected to American College of Sports Medicine Council

3/31/2009 -- Michael F. Bergeron, PhD Chosen to Receive UCONN Alumni Award

2/3/2009 -- Sanford's Michael F. Bergeron, PhD to Co-Chair United States Professional Tennis Association Advisory Council 
 

1/29/2009 -- Michael F. Bergeron, PhD Interviewed by Bloomberg.com About Temperature Concerns at the Australian Open
 

1/21/2009 -- National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance at Sanford Announces Environmental Chamber Testing

10/8/2008 -- Exercise & Athletic Performance Researcher Joins Sanford Health

Articles

For specific resources, click on the following topics:
 

Competing and Training in the Heat

• Youth Football: Heat Stress and Injury Risk
• Heat Injury Prevention Practices in High School Football
• Youth Football: Recommendations and Guidelines for Heat Stress and Injury Risk
• Core Body Temperature during Competition in the Heat
• Repeated-Bout Exercise in the Heat in Young Athletes: Physiological Strain and Perceptual Responses 
• Dehydration and Thermal Strain in Junior Tennis 

Sports & Health

• Improving Health Through Youth Sports: Is Participation Enough?

Clinical Conditions & Exercise Challenges

• Erythrocyte Sickling during Exercise and Thermal Stress
• Muscle Cramps during Exercise - Is It Fatigue or Electrolyte Deficit?
• Exertional Heat Cramps: Recovery and Return to Play
• Heat Cramps: Fluid and Electrolyte Challenges during Tennis in the Heat

Nutrition

• Nutrition and Performance: Do We Still Need to Stress Hydration?
• Effect of Overhydration on Time-trial Swim Performance 

Web Resources

For additional resources regarding athletic health and performance go to:

sanfordorthosports.com

sanfordpowercenter.com

sanfordwellness.com

http://www.acsm.org 
http://www.amaasportsmed.org  
http://www.nata.org 
http://www.aap.org/sections/sportsmedicine
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa 
 

For more information regarding the National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance at Sanford click on the latest news or contact:

Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM
Director  |  National Institute for Athletic Health & Performance and Center for Youth Sports & Health 
Sanford USD Medical Center
1210 W 18th Street, Suite 204
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
PHONE: 605-328-4750