The Big Ten Conference has selected James Borchers, MD, to serve as its inaugural chief medical officer.
Dr. Borchers was previously the head team physician in the athletics department at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
As CMO, Dr. Borchers will serve as a consultant to all 14 Big Ten member institutions on matters related to the health and safety of student-athletes. He will also oversee sports medicine programming and initiatives, including policy development and research, according to an Oct. 7 news release.
"It is an honor to be named chief medical officer for the Big Ten Conference, which has long been a leader in collegiate athletics," he said. “This will be a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with the talented medical professionals within the conference and across all levels of college and professional sports as we continue to provide a best-in-class environment of health, safety and wellness for our nearly 10,000 student-athletes."
Dr. Borchers earned his medical degree at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown, now known as Northeast Ohio Medical University.