UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute at UH Ahuja Medical Center Offers World-Class Care

Innovations in Orthopaedics | Fall 2023

Celebrating its grand opening in June 2023, the University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute is part of a $236 million expansion at UH Ahuja Medical Center. The world-class facility offers expert, multidisciplinary sports medicine, rehabilitation and performance training to athletes of all ages.

James Voos, MD

Michael Salata, MD

“We are so grateful to our supporters, particularly Michael and Grace Drusinsky, and our hospital leadership, for enabling us to share our vision and see it through to reality,” says James Voos, MD, Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Jack and Mary Herrick Distinguished Chair of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center “It adds to our gratitude to see the center in operation.”

The transformative capabilities of the UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute encompass 76,200 square feet of interactive, collaborative space. The multistory facility includes six rehabilitation rooms, 10 treatment stations, 18 sports clinic rooms, advanced imaging modalities, a therapy pool and a healthy on-site cafe. The fieldhouse boasts a 45-yard training gridiron, basketball court, batting cages and ballet barres.

The addition of eight state-of-the-art operating suites expands UH Ahuja’s surgical capacity by 80 percent. Dr. Voos, who is also the Charles H. Herndon Professor and Chair of Orthopaedics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, performed the first surgery in the new space. “One of the benefits has been how proud our employees are to come to work each day,” he says. “We have built a wonderful team, and the institute is a great place to care for our patients.”

Sports Medicine Specialization

The institute provides elite athletes, active patients and the community a central hub to access fellowship-trained surgeons, sports medicine specialists, primary care doctors, nutritionists, sleep experts and more.

“One of our requisites was that the surgeons and primary care physicians working out of the institute must have subspecialty training in sports medicine,” says Michael Salata, MD, Director of the Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute and the Joint Preservation and Cartilage Restoration Center at UH Cleveland Medical Center. “Our athletes and patients know they will receive the highest level of care when they walk through those doors.”

T3 Performance Partnership

The Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute is collaborating with T3 Performance, a premier athlete training provider. T3 Performance’s fee-for-service programs include individual and group classes for adults and adolescents ages 10 and up. It also hosts skills camps and speed, strength and injury prevention training for elite and recreational athletes.

“The T3 partnership has taken off exponentially,” says Dr. Voos. “The program is a great resource for the East Side of Cleveland’s active community.”

Supporting Northeast Ohio’s Athletes

In addition to providing medical coverage and lead physicians for the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Monsters and the Cleveland Ballet, the UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute supports more than 70 local high school and college athletic programs.

“We have experienced so much excitement from our student-athletes and their families,” says Dr. Voos. “We really appreciate the positive feedback that assures us we built the right facility to help our young athletes with performance training and injury prevention.”

Friday Night Walk-in Clinic

The After the Lights Injury Clinic at the UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute reimagines care delivery through a unique walk-in orthopaedic clinic that provides immediate access to sports medicine experts when high school athletes experience an injury during a Friday night game or practice.

“Our goal is to prevent injury, but there is always a risk any time you are active,” says Dr. Salata. “If a student does get injured, having the After the Lights clinic provides reassurance that there is a nearby facility with providers who are well-equipped to take care of you.”

An Exciting Next Chapter

“You enter the UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute and see all of these people working to get healthy and stay healthy, which was our vision in the first place,” says Dr. Salata. “We have always felt we had excellent sports medicine providers and programs, but now we have this physical manifestation to extend everything we have accomplished over the last decade. We are fortunate to practice medicine here.”

For more information about the UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute, call 440-756-6853.

Contributing Experts:  

James Voos, MD 
Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery 
Jack and Mary Herrick Distinguished Chair, Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine 
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center  
Charles H. Herndon Professor and Chair of Orthopaedics
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine 
Head Team Physician, Cleveland Browns 
Medical Director, Cleveland Ballet 

Michael Salata, MD
Director, Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute
Joint Preservation and Cartilage Restoration Center
Young Adult Hip Program
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Associate Team Physician
Cleveland Browns
Gretchen and Gregg Levy Family Chair in Sports Medicine