Alumnus Excited to be Karpovich Keynote and Celebrate AT Program

By: Damon Markiewicz

When alumnus Brian Pietrosimone ’05, PhD, received an email from Springfield College Dean of the School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sports Leadership M. Sue Guyer, DPE’03, he couldn’t hold back how extremely honored he was at Guyer’s request.

“To be asked to be the keynote speaker at the Peter V. Karpovich Lecture is a huge honor,” expressed Pietrosimone. “The names associated with the Karpovich Lecture are legends, and they are people who taught me so much as a student. I am very honored to come back to campus and be a part of the Karpovich Lecture, and I am really excited to see so many familiar faces.”

The annual Peter V. Karpovich Lecture will take place on Wednesday, October 14, starting at 6:30 PM in the Cleveland E and Phyllis B. Dodge Room inside the Flynn Campus Union. The lecture is open to the campus community and all alumni. The Peter V. Karpovich Lecture celebrates academics and strides in the fields of exercise physiology, research, sports medicine, and other related scientific aspects of physical education.

“I have so much appreciation for how much the Springfield College Athletic Training program prepared me for future success,” explained Pietrosimone. “I had great professors and classmates. Being at Springfield College was a great fit for me.” 

As a current professor of Athletic Training in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, his lecture will explore the growing evidence linking biomechanics to joint biology and discuss how these discoveries are transforming our understanding of rehabilitation. At UNC, Pietrosimone also serves as director of the MOTION Science Institute and co-director of the UNC Sports Medicine Institute. 

Pietrosimone’s talk is titled, “Rewriting the Future of Knee Injury: Using Biomechanics to Prevent the Long-Term Consequences of Sport Injury.” From identifying biomechanical risk factors to developing personalized gait retraining strategies and wearable technologies that monitor joint loading in real time, new approaches are emerging that move rehabilitation beyond restoring function toward preserving lifelong joint health. Together, these advances offer an opportunity to rewrite the future of knee injury by preventing, rather than simply managing, its long-term consequences.

“After graduating from Springfield College, I went to the University of Virginia and earned my master’s degree, and I started to really get interested in research,” explained Pietrosimone. “I stayed at the University of Virginia for my PhD, and my training focused on sports medicine and biomechanics.”

Pietrosimone’s work integrates disciplines of biomechanics, biology, and clinical research to develop new strategies for preventing and treating musculoskeletal conditions. For decades, successful rehabilitation after knee injury has been defined by returning athletes to sport. Yet for many individuals, the real consequences of injury emerge years later. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries dramatically increase the risk of developing post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis, often leading to chronic pain, disability, and, ultimately, joint replacement at a relatively young age. Research over the past two decades has revealed that the way we move after injury may play a critical role in determining long-term joint health. Even subtle alterations in walking biomechanics following ACL injury and reconstruction can change how forces are distributed across the knee, triggering biological responses that accelerate cartilage degeneration long before symptoms appear. 

To make Pietrosimone’s return to Alden Street even more exciting, in addition to the Karpovich Lecture, he will also have a chance to be a part of the 50 years of Athletic Training at Springfield College celebration during Homecoming Weekend. As part of the AT celebration, he will lead a lecture focusing on the lasting impacts of concussions and knee injuries. In addition, Pietrosimone is looking forward to taking part in hands-on breakout sessions led by current Springfield College Athletic Training faculty, and reconnecting with former classmates and colleagues.

“Springfield College was my only school of choice when enrolling as an undergraduate student,” explained Pietrosimone. “I was introduced to the Springfield College AT program by Charlie Redmond ’68, G’71. I originally got interested in AT during my high school days, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the Springfield College AT program.”

Once enrolled at Springfield College, Pietrosimone honed his skills by learning from the best, including Redmond; Mary Barnum, G'90; Barclay Dugger, G'96; Wayne Rodrigues, G'85; Jeanne O'Brien '86, G'92; and Guyer.

“They have all helped shape the proud legacy of the Springfield College Athletic Training program,” explained Pietrosimone. “I love Springfield College, and I was always in the AT room. The SC professors helped me achieve success. I wanted to work football because of Barclay (Dugger). The Springfield College AT professors get the most out of their students. They really show they care, and they want to teach their students. That is what makes the Springfield College AT program so special.”