NETANYA, ISRAEL — The 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championships is proud to present Dr. Reuven Dressler as the tournament’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Dr. Kenneth Tepper as Associate CMO and Head Orthopedic Surgeon.
Dr. Dressler has practiced medicine in the United States and Israel for more than a decade and is currently a family physician and clinical director in Ma’ale Adumim, Israel, as well as a reserve medical officer in the Israel Intelligence Corps. His previous positions include medical officer in the Israeli Defense Forces, staff physician for the Knesset and medical director and family physician at Ir Ganim Clinic in Jerusalem.
The doctor spent his undergrad at Yale University, where he also shined as a lacrosse goalie. As a senior in 1994, the netminder received All-America Honorable Mention distinction and was named an Academic All-American to cap off an illustrious collegiate career. He continued his education at Temple University and Johns Hopkins University, earning his doctorate and masters at the universities, respectively.
Dr. Dressler returned to the lacrosse field in 2014, playing goalie and serving as co-captain for the Israel men’s national team at Denver’s 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championships at age 41. Dr. Dressler is excited to bring his clinical experience and extensive knowledge of health promotion and injury prevention to the coming games in Netanya.
“It is a huge privilege to be able to contribute in any way possible to the work of Israel Lacrosse and the FIL,” Dr. Dressler said. “I simply cannot pass up the opportunity to give even just a little back to the sport that has been a huge part of my youth and later adult life. I thank the Israel Lacrosse family for so much, including its invitation to serve as the CMO for the upcoming championships.”
Dr. Tepper has been involved with lacrosse for more than 40 years as a player, coach and team physician. He is a sports medicine fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon with MedStar Sports Medicine in Baltimore with a practice that includes hip arthroscopy, shoulder and knee surgery and sports medicine.
Dr. Tepper has also served as Head Team Physician at Stevenson University in Baltimore County, Maryland, for 15 years and is a consultant for sport hip injuries at Loyola University, Towson University and UMBC. Additionally, Dr. Tepper is a member of the medical branch of the Emergency Volunteers Project (EVP), an organization of medical professionals willing to deploy to Israel to provide medical care in times of crisis.
He is familiar with Israel Lacrosse as well, acting as a medical consultant to the program since 2014.
“It has been remarkable to witness the explosive growth of lacrosse in Israel and around the world, and Israel is an ideal location to showcase how to successfully grow the game,” Dr. Tepper said. “I am honored and very excited to have the opportunity to provide medical care to the highest level of lacrosse athletes from the 46 countries that will be playing in the largest FIL World Lacrosse Championships to date.”
Dr. Tepper will also be gathering injury surveillance data during the tournament to better anticipate medical needs in future games and minimize any safety issues.
“I look forward to working with Reuven Dressler, MD, who brings along his international lacrosse experience playing with Israel’s World Team in 2014,” Dr. Tepper added. “Reuven, myself and our staff are well prepared to address any medical or orthopedic issues that arise, and hopefully injuries will be kept at a minimum.”