About Us
Donna Merkel, DPT SCS CSC - President
Welcome to the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society (PRiSM) website!
What is PRiSM?
PRiSM is a multidisciplinary group comprised of Athletic Trainers, Primary Care Sports Medicine Physicians, Physical Therapists, Orthopedic Surgeons, Research Scientists, Musculoskeletal Radiologists, Sports Nutritionists, Nurse Practitioners and Sports Psychologists all of whom are dedicated to the care of the young athlete.
PRiSM was created in 2012 by our Founding Board of Directors to improve interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of pediatric and adolescent sports medicine. Our purpose is to be the worldwide leader in advancing the field of pediatric sports medicine through collaborative research and education efforts. As a result of the incredible diversity of experiences amongst our members, PRiSM is focused on care of the young athlete as a whole – from diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries to sports performance optimization, injury prevention and overall athlete wellness.
Why PRiSM?
Many pediatric sports injuries and conditions are unique to young athletes and occur only infrequently. As a result, high-quality research in pediatric sports medicine has traditionally been limited. By creating an environment where collaborative research may be performed at a variety of locations by an extensive team of clinical and nonclinical scientific investigators, PRiSM enables its members to perform research that affords greater power, confidence and generalizability of results. Thus, PRiSM members are uniquely positioned to increase the impact of pediatric sports medicine research on young athletes.
PRiSM’s Mission: Research and Education
PRiSM’s research endeavors are centered within our Research Interest Groups comprised of members from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds with a common interest in specific pediatric and adolescent sports-related conditions. Concussion, Motion Analysis, Meniscus, Female Athlete and Sports Specialization are particularly popular RIGs, but there are many other topics of collaboration. Over the last decade, the RIGs have successfully published cutting edge research across the many different topics represented. PRiSM is dedicated to supporting multidisciplinary and collaborative research, and our RIGs are the primary example of this dedication in action.
The 2026 PRiSM Annual Meeting represents the pinnacle of the educational calendar and is the highlight of the year for most PRiSM members. In addition to scientific sessions devoted to new and emerging research, the program is full of educational content including Instructional Course Lectures, Poster sessions, student/trainee sessions, and exceptional Keynote Speakers. The 13th Annual Meeting will be held in Austin, Texas on January 29 – February 1, 2026. We would love to see you there, and welcome anyone who has an interest in pediatric sports medicine research. In addition to the annual meeting, the PRiSM’s webinar series rounds out the excellent educational content on offer for members throughout the remainder of the year.
Our Members
Every PRiSM member is crucial to our mission and collective experience. The theme for the year is “Be involved.” Recognizing that diversity within our membership is essential to being an inclusive, effective, and influential multi-specialty research society, PRiSM is committed to creating a culture that encourages and values diversity and building both a membership and leadership of PRiSM that are reflective of the communities that we represent, study and care for. Read more in our Diversity Statement. But, no matter your background, we want you to be engaged and involved to better promote the welfare of the children who are the end goal and sole focus of why we do what we do.
Member volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization, without whom our Research Interest Groups (RIGs), Committees, Webinars and Annual Meetings could not exist. Thank you (!!) to all of our members who have volunteered your time and expertise in support of our collective endeavor.
Interested in getting more involved? Consider becoming involved by volunteering for one of the Research Interest Groups or a Committee. Interest and enthusiasm are the only requirements. Feel free to reach out to me or our management team if you have any questions about how to become engaged.
New to PRiSM? We encourage YOU to become a PRiSM member. In addition to all types of sports medicine professionals with an interest in pediatric sports medicine, students and trainees are invited and encouraged to join PRiSM. Working together, we can advance the field of pediatric sports medicine for all of our young athletes.
Please feel free to direct questions, suggestions and comments to me and our Board of Directors at info@prismsports.org or 414-918-9876.
Sincerely,
Donna Merkel, DPT SCS CSC
President