Slauterbeck, who specializes in sports medicine, currently serves on the faculty at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine in Burlington, Vt., where is a professor in Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, and has a joint appointment in the Department of Pediatrics. He also serves as the head team orthopaedic surgeon for the University of Vermont athletics program.
"Dr. Slauterbeck brings to USA Health a tremendous combination of clinical care and research activity related to sports medicine and the prevention of injuries for both children and adults,” said John V. Marymont, M.D., MBA, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the USA College of Medicine. “His experience as a leader at other academic health centers will enable him to build a department of academic providers unrivaled in the region.”
Slauterbeck's community outreach and sports medicine research have identified risk factors for and prevention of athletic injuries especially pertaining to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. His greatest contribution to orthopaedics has been identifying that risk factors for and the outcomes after ACL injury are different between females and males.
“Injury prevention programs must be designed differently between the sexes,” Slauterbeck said. He has dedicated his career to playing sports more safely and returning athletes to the activities they love. He has provided care for every level of sport, from middle school dreamers to Olympic champions. Slauterbeck will bring new and exciting innovations to the region with the hopes of delaying or preventing arthritis with cartilage preservation and meniscus transplant surgeries.
“This is a very exciting time to join the USA College of Medicine and USA Health,” Slauterbeck said. “Having the ability to build upon the foundation that exists at USA Health and focus on increasing patient access to the highest levels of orthopaedic medicine makes this a wonderful time to come to Mobile. I look forward be being part of the effort to transform medicine in the Upper Gulf Coast region.”
Slauterbeck joined the University of Vermont in 2004. He started his career at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas, serving in a variety of leadership roles including residency director and vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
With funding from the National Institutes of Health and other agencies, Slauterbeck has examined a number of areas related to sports injury prevention and repair, with a significant emphasis on the legs and knees. The author of more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, Slauterbeck is a sought-after national and international speaker.
“With Dr. Slauterbeck’s clinical and research background, as well as his leadership activities, the people of our region will have access to an unprecedented level of care as it relates to orthopaedic medicine,” said Owen Bailey, MHA, chief executive officer at USA Health and senior associate vice president for medical affairs. “I look forward to Dr. Slauterbeck joining us in Mobile.”
Slauterbeck earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Arizona State University in Tempe, and his medical degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson. After completing his residency at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, he completed a sports medicine fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.
