Dr. Claudette Lajam, an Orthopedic Surgeon, became interested in the medical management of cycling injury and performance after she began riding in NY in 2006. She found the New York City cycling community to be amazing, and she found that there was so little medical support for people who get hurt a LOT. As "OrthoChick,", She has been trying to help out as much as possible when folks get injured. Two years ago she asked for the support of NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in helping to be more involved in the NYC Cycling world. Her hospital Chairman, Dr. Joseph Zuckerman, then president of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Claudette, and, by extension, the hospital, became more involved in working on the health side of cycling. Last year NYU HJD was the official medical coverage at the Harlem Criterium. It was a real learning experience for Claudette and her colleagues about how much it takes to do it right.

This past November, Claudette attended the first ever "Medicine of Cycling" Medical Summit, organized by USA Cycling and Dr. Anna Abramson, wife of Mark Abramson, VP of USAC, and a Hospital Medicine/Sports doctor in California. The conference was for physicians and health care practicioners. Claudette spoke to Anna and Mark and they agreed that even though cyclists will know their body fat % to the second decimal place, they seldom have adequate medical care or resources. After that conversation it was even clearer that this was an avenue with great potential. When Dina Pagnotta, the head of the NYULMC Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Network and Dr. Laith Jazrawi, Chief of Sports Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, approached Claudette about a possible cycling medical conference, she couldn’t believe her luck. They put together the concept and the conference so that cyclists and coaches would have the chance to learn a little about the resources they have for both recovery AND performance from the medical perspective. Claudette had met Iñigo san Millán at the USAC Medical Summit, and wrote to ask for him to be the keynote speaker. The rest of the speakers are local experts, including some NYU Langone physicians. They also had some of our favorite local vendors come so that they could talk about their products to the crowd.

Of course Claudette had read about Damian’s story through nyvelocity. Coincidentally, she and Nanci Modica went to Junior High together. Claudette and Nanci discussed the Symposium and Damian and decided that it would be great for him to attend and meet some of the folks involved in cycling in NYC.

Claudette and everyone at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases are very pleased that we could put on such an event. She thanks everyone involved and is very grateful to everyone. The NYU Langone Medical Center and Hospital for Joint Disesases hopes to do more things like this in the future and welcome suggestions.