UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Niagara Falls Memorial team up to support Niagara University athletics

NU athletes to benefit from UBMDOSM’s comprehensive sports medicine expertise

UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center have signed agreements with Niagara University to provide sports medicine services to Niagara University’s Division I and club sports programs beginning with the 2020-21 school year.

The agreements call for UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine to serve as team physicians for the Purple Eagles, and Niagara Falls Memorial to provide timely access to diagnostic imaging and other needed care services to Niagara’s student athletes. Memorial’s certified athletic trainers will provide supplemental athletic training services to the university, working with Niagara’s training staff to promote injury prevention, injury recognition and rehabilitation services on and off the field and ice.

Athletes also will have access to same day walk-in care at UB OrthoCare, a center for urgent orthopedic injuries located at the Summit Healthplex on Williams Road in Niagara Falls.

UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine serves as team physicians for numerous professional, collegiate and high school athletic programs across Western New York, including the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, University at Buffalo Bulls, Buffalo State Bengals, Erie Community College Kats, Niagara County Community College Thunderwolves and Rochester Americans.

"Providing elite-level sports medicine care to our more than 330 scholar-athletes is a priority,” said Simon Gray, director of athletics at Niagara University. “Considering the current medical environment and the increased demands on an annual basis, this partnership with UBMD and Niagara Falls Memorial will provide Niagara Athletics with comprehensive coverage."

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to deliver compassionate care to all NU student-athletes. Both Niagara University and UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine will benefit from a long-term partnership,” said Dr. William Wind, a sports medicine and knee and shoulder arthroscopy specialist who will serve as lead team physician for NU. Wind is head team medical physician for UB Athletics and the Rochester Americans, head orthopedist for NCCC Athletics and the assistant team physician for the Sabres.

Memorial has provided athletic training services for more than a decade to sports programs at NCCC and the Niagara Falls, Niagara-Wheatfield, Grand Island, North Tonawanda, Tonawanda, Kenmore East, Kenmore West, Charter School of Applied Technology (CSAT) and Lewiston-Porter school systems.

“UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine has worked closely with us at all of those schools,“ said Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo. “It has been a very productive partnership and they have unfailingly provided the highest quality care.”

In addition to Wind, three other board-certified UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine physicians, all of whom will be working with Memorial, will serve as team physicians for NU.

Dr. Michael Freitas, a primary care sports medicine specialist, is also the team medical physician for UB Athletics, Daemen College Athletics and the Americans. He is an assistant team physician for the Sabres and a medical consultant for the Bills.

Dr. Benjamin Levy is a new physician with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and will start seeing patients during the first week of September. He specializes in sports medicine and joins UBMDOSM after completing his fellowship at the University of Connecticut. He has experience as team physician fellow for the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University.

Dr. Heidi Suffoletto is a primary care sports medicine specialist and also works out of the UB Concussion Management Clinic. Suffoletto is the NFL visiting team liaison, team physician for ECC Athletics and team physician for the Sabres. She also practices emergency medicine.