Miami’s Performance, Health, and Wellness department was created to better serve its 400-plus student-athletes. Performance, Health, and Wellness encompasses the areas of athletic training, strength and conditioning, physical therapy, nutrition, and sports psychology. Dr. Luis Feigenbaum, previously the UHealth Chief of Sports Physical Therapy and now Senior Associate Athletics Director for Performance, Health, and Wellness, oversees the department.
Overall, the Performance, Health, and Wellness department houses 34 employees across athletic training, strength and conditioning, physical therapy, nutrition, and sports psychology.
Click here to read about the department’s recent grant proposal for the NFL’s Play Smart, Play Safe research program.
Sports Psychology
The mission of the Sports Psychology department is to provide comprehensive services to support student-athletes at becoming their best selves, to promote mental health, emotional wellness, and optimal performance. Our mission is accomplished through promoting a culture that reduces the stigma of mental health needs and identifies seeking help as a sign of strength.
We are committed to:
- Ensure that mental health care is provided by licensed practitioners qualified to provide mental health services.
- Clarify and disseminate protocols for both emergency and routine referrals.
- Provide a mental health screening in pre-participation evaluation.
- Create and maintain a health-promoting environment that supports mental well-being and resilience.
Dr. Eric Goldstein works with athletes from all 18 athletic teams, focusing on performance enhancement, coach-athlete communication/motivation and competition anxiety, as well as helping student-athletes maintain emotional/mental health and well-being.
Prior to coming to Miami, Dr. Goldstein was a consultant in private practice, specializing in performance psychology. In his corporate work, he has worked with more than half of the Fortune 100 companies, the Federal Courts of the United States, law firms, financial services firms and technology start-ups.
For more information on our sports psychology department please click here.
Strength & Conditioning
The mission of the Strength & Conditioning Department is to provide a well-designed, collaborative training program based on proven physiologic principles. Our goal is to provide the student-athlete with the best-coached strength and conditioning program in the country. We are committed to the principles of ethical conduct, integrity, and excellence.
David Feeley, Director of Strength & Conditioning for Football
Victor Ishmael, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Football and Golf
Caitlin Smith, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Volleyball, Men’s Tennis, Track & Field and Cross Country
Brandon Kuhn, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Women’s Basketball
Jordan Barber, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Football
Kevin Kroboth, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Football
Chas Dodd, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Football
Arianna Luther, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Rowing, Swimming & Diving, Soccer
Phil Baier, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Men’s Basketball
H.R. Powell, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach – Baseball, Women’s Tennis
For more information on UM strength and conditioning please click here.
Athletic Training
The Athletic Training Department within the University of Miami Athletics is comprised of Certified Athletic Trainers, licensed physicians and several other health care professionals who collaborate to optimize performance and provide health care for the student-athletes competing for 18 intercollegiate teams. This healthcare delivery team works together in the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities.
Under the direction of Vincent A. Scavo ATC LAT, the Athletic Training staff, certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification, and licensed by the State of Florida, work out of three athletic training facilities. They provide physical medicine and rehabilitative services for the student-athletes throughout the day, as well as first responder professional rescue services at the teams’ practices and competitions. Various other responsibilities include travel with teams; drug testing coordination; appropriate health care referral; supervision; education; evaluation of students enrolled in the Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP); and education of student-athletes and coaches in numerous health-related areas.
The Athletic Training Department could not operate without the direction of additional medical personnel both within and outside of the university. Team physicians’ weekly visits to the athletic training room significantly enhances the program. Dr. Lee Kaplan, a physician specializing in Orthopedic Sports Medicine, serves as the Director of Sports Medicine. His presence in the athletic training room in conjunction with the services offered by the University of Miami Hospital function as an overall asset to the department. The athletic training department also is supported by the University of Miami Health system which has resources for over 1.200 physicians on the University of Miami Medical campus.
Sports Nutrition
Proper nutrition is often overlooked as a performance edge for elite athletes. The Sports Nutrition Department at the University of Miami is dedicated to supporting the nutritional needs of its student-athletes to reach their highest level of performance both on and off the field. We strive to support our athletes and meet them where they are at regarding their knowledge on nutrition. We cultivate healthy habits for impactful and sustainable performance results tailored to each student-athlete and team.
We are committed to:
- Providing evidence-based nutrition practices and education for the highest standard of care.
- Fueling student-athletes in conjunction with their training and recovery for performance, recovery, and overall health.
- Staying at the forefront and applying the latest science within the field of sports nutrition.
- Developing individualized nutrition care to all student-athletes through dietary and body composition assessments.
- Creating opportunities for student-athletes to develop necessary nutritional habits that last beyond college.
- Supporting a multi-disciplinary team approach with collaboration among other performance departments.
- Complying with all NCAA rules and regulations.
Nutritionists
Kyle Bellamy, MS, CSCS, SNS (Football)
Erika Gonzalez-Rebull, MS, RD, LDN (Olympic Sports)
For more information on UM sports nutrition please click here.
