NFL Taps Vanderbilt Doctor As League's First Chief Medical Officer

NEW YORK, NY — Allen Sills, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center neurosurgeon and sports concussion expert, will be the first full-time chief medical officer for the National Football League.

NFL Commissioner Robert Goodell announced Sills' appointment Sunday, which comes after a seven-month search by a special panel of league officials and medical experts. Sills will begin his NFL gig in May but is expected to continue working at Vanderbilt.

"There is no higher priority for the NFL than player health and safety and we continually seek to raise our standards and then surpass them," Goodell said in a release "We sought a highly-credentialed physician and leader with experience as a clinician and researcher, and Dr. Sills' extensive experience caring for athletes makes him the right choice for this important position."

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Sills is the founder and co-director of the Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center and has served as a neurological consultant to the NCAA and the International Equestrian Foundation, as well as on NFL sidelines as a league-mandated unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant. Locally, he has worked as the consulting neurosurgeon for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, the NHL's Nashville Predators and all Vanderbilt and Belmont athletic teams.

Though Sills' background is neurology and concussions, all of the league's medical committees will report to him, including those dealing with musculoskeletal injuries, cardiovascular issues and infectious disease.

Image via VUMC