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Andrew Watson, MD, MS

Through both the Watson Human Performance Laboratory and Badger Athletic Performance, our research broadly addresses two primary areas: cardiovascular exercise physiology and primary care sports medicine. Within exercise physiology, we use advanced exercise-based cardiac imaging techniques to evaluate the independent effects of physical activity on cardiovascular function throughout the lifespan. Among youth and collegiate athletes, we also evaluate how various factors such as subjective well-being, sleep, training load and fitness influence injury risk, and how injuries impact mental health. Ultimately our research is intended to promote physical activity and sport participation across the lifespan in order to promote physical and mental health.

In the Spotlight

Honors and Awards

2020

  • NCAA Research Award, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. Matusak M, Sanfilippo J, Watson AM.  Increased Sleep is Associated with Physical and Psychological Well-Being in Division 1 Men’s Basketball Student-Athletes. 

2018    

  • Oded Bar-Or Award, 2nd Place, American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference, Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness: Watson A, Brickson S. Acute Decreases in Sleep Duration Predict In-Season Injuries in Female Youth Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Study

2017   

  • Provider Champion Award, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation

2017  

  • Oded Bar-Or Award, 1st Place, American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference, Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness: Watson A, Brickson S, Kliethermes S. Sport Specialization Is Associated with Impaired Sleep and Subjective Well-Being in Female Youth Athletes.

2016 

  • Oded Bar-Or Award, 1st Place, American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference, Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness: Watson A, Brickson S, Brooks A, Dunn W. Training Load and Well-Being Predict In-Season Injury and Illness in Female Youth Athletes.

2014 

  • Harry Galanty Young Investigator Award, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine: Watson A, Eickhoff J, Nemeth B, Carell A.  BMI and VO2max, but Not Body Fat Percentage, Are Independently Related to Insulin Sensitivity in Non-Obese Children.​

Publications

  • McGuine T, Kliethermes S, Biese K, Bell DR, Post EG, Watson AM, Brooks MA, Lang PA. The Incidence and Risk Factors for Injuries in Girls Volleyball: A Prospective Study of 2072 Players. J Ath Train 2020, ePub ahead of print.
  • Olewinski L, Brooks MA, Wilson J, Heidel E, Watson AM. Student Athletes’ Perceptions of Helmet Use while Riding Mopeds or Scooters. J Amer Coll Health 2020 (in press).
  • Haraldsdottir K, Watson AM.  Psychosocial Impacts of Injuries in Adolescent Athletes. Curr Sp Med Reports 2020 (in press).
  • Watson AM, Johnson M, Sanfilippo J. Decreased Sleep Is an Independent Predictor of In-Season Injury in Collegiate Men’s Basketball Players. Ortho J Sports Med 2020 (in press).
  • Watson AM, Koontz J. Youth Sports in the Wake of COVID-19. Br J Sports Med 2020 (in press).
  • ​​McGuine TA, Biese K, Hetzel SB, Kliethermes S, Reardon CL, Bell DR, Brooks MA, Watson AM. The health of US adolescent athletes during CoViD-19 related school closures and sport cancellations. J Athl Train 2020 (in press).
  • Kliethermes SA, Marshall SW, LaBella CR, Watson AM, Brenner JS, Nagle KB, Jayanthi N, Tenforde, Herman DC, DiFiori JP, Beutler AI.  Definng a research agenda for youth sport specialization in the USA: the AMSSM Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit. Br J Sports Med 2021;55:135-43.
  • Watson AM, Haraldsdottir K, Biese K, Goodavish L, McGuine TA. COVID-19 in Youth Soccer. medRxiv doi: 10.1101/2020.09.25.20201616, https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.25.20201616
  • McGuine TA, Biese K, Hetzel S, Petrovska L, Kliethermes S, Reardon C, Bell DR, Brooks MA, Watson AM. Changes in the Health of Adolescent Athletes: A Comparison of Health Measures Collected Before and During the CoVID-19 Pandemic. medRxiv doi: 10.1101/2021.01.12.20248726,https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.12.20248726
  • Watson AM, Haraldsdottir K, Biese K, Goodavish L, McGuine TA. The Assocation  of COVID-19 Incidence with Sport Type and Face Mask Use in United States High School Athletes. medRxiv doi: 10.1101/2021.01.19.21250116, https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.19.21250116
  • Albrecht J, Biese K, Bell D, Chaefer D, Watson AM. The Relationship Between Training Load and Injury Among Middle School-Aged Athletes. J Ath Train, (in press).
  • Watson AM, Post E, Biese K, Kliethermes S, Brooks MA, Bell DR. Decreased Physical Activity and Sleep, but Not Sport Specialization, Predict Illness in Middle School Athletes. Sports Health, in press.
  • Biese K, Bell DR, Watson AM, Brooks MA, Kliethermes S, Lang P, McGuine T.  Sport specialization and sport participation opportunities and their association with injury history in female high school volleyball athletes. Phys Ther in Sport 2019 (in press).
  • Goss KN, Haraldsdottir K, Beshish AG, Barton GP, Macdonald JA, Levin TS, Watson AM, Palta M, Chesler NC, Francois CJ, Wieben O, Eldridge MW. Biventricular inefficiency in adults born preterm. JAMA Cardiology (ePub ahead of print).
  • Watson A, Njaanes J. Soccer Injuries in Children and Adolescents. Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness; Council on School Health. Injuries in Youth Soccer. Pediatrics 2019 (ePub ahead of print).
  • Kliethermes SA, Nagle K, Cote J, Malina RM, Faigenbaum A, Watson A, Feeley B, Marshall SW, LaBella CR, Herman DC, Tenforde A, Beutler AI, Jayanthia N. Impact of Youth Sports Specialisation on Career and Task-Specific Athletic Performance: a Systematic Review Following the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) Collaborative Research Network’s 2019 Youth Early Sport Specialisation Summit. British J Sports Med 2019 (ePub ahead of print).
  • Watson AM, Brickson S.  Relationships Between Sport Specialization, Sleep and Subjective Well-Being in Female Adolescent Athletes. Clin J Sports Med 2019; 29(5).
  • Post EG , Trigsted SM, Schaefer DA, Cadmus-Bertram LA, Watson AM, McGuine TA, Brooks MA, Bell DR. Sport Specialization, Overuse Injury, and Travel are Associated with Increased Daytime Sleepiness in Youth Athletes. Athl Train and Sports Health Care 2019 (ePub ahead of print).
  • Post EG, Schaefer DA, Biese KM, Watson AM, McGuine TA, Brooks MA, Bell DR.  A Comparison of Team Sport Volume Between High School and Club Sport Coaches. Orthop J Sports Med 2019 (ePub ahead of print).
  • Post EG, Green NE, Schaefer DA, Trigsted SM, Brooks MA, McGuine TA, Watson AM, Bell DR.  Sport specific associations of specialization and sex with oversue injury in youth athletes.  Sports Health 2019 (ePub ahead of print).
  • Haraldsdottir K, Watson AM, Beshish AG, Pegelow DF, Palta M, Tetri LH, Brix MD, Centanni, RM, Goss, KN, Eldridge MW. Heart Rate Recovery After Maximal Exercise Is Impaired in Healthy Young Adults Born Preterm. Eur J Appl Physiol 2019 (Epub Ahead of Print).
  • Watson AM, Brickson S. Impaired Sleep Mediates the Negative Effects of Training Load on Subjective Well-Being in Female Youth Athletes. Sports Health. 2018;10:244-9.
  • Watson A, Coutinho C, Haraldsdottir K, Brickson S, Dunn W, Eldridge M.  In-Season Changes in Ventricular Morphology and Systolic Function in Adolescent Female Athletes. Eur J Sports Sci 2018:534-540.
  • Goss KN, Beshish AG, Barton GP, Haraldsdottir K, Levin TS, Tetri LH, Battiola TJ, Mulchrone AM, Pegelow DF, Palta M, Lamers LJ, Watson AM, Chesler NC, Eldridge MW.  Early Pulmonary Vascular Disease in Young Adults Born Preterm. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 (ePub ahead of print).
  • Post EG, Trigsted SM, Schaefer DA, Cadmus-Bertram LA, Watson AM, McGuine TA, Brooks MA, Bell DR. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Youth Sports Coaches Regarding Sport Volume Recommendations and Sport Specialization. J Strength Cond Res. 2018;6:1-8.
  • Post EG, Green NE, Schaefer DA, Trigsted SM, Brooks MA, McGuine TA, Watson AM, Bell DR. Socioeconomic status of parents with children participating on youth club teams. Phys Ther Sport 2018;32:126-32.
  • Bell DR, Post EG, Trigsted SM, Schaefer DA, McGuine TA, Watson AM, Brooks MA. Sport Specialization Characteristics Between Rural and Suburban High School Athletes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018; 6 (eCollection).
  • Brooks MA, Post EG, Trigsted SM, Schaefer DA, Wichman DM, Watson AM, McGuine TA, Bell DR. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Youth Club Athletes Toward Sport Specialization and Sport Participation. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018;6 (eCollection)
  • Haraldsdottir K, Watson AM, Goss KN, Beshish AG, Pegelow DF, Palta M, Tetri LH, Barton GP, Brix MD, Centanni RM, Eldridge MW. Impaired Autonomic Function in Adolescents Born Preterm. Phys Rep:2018;6:e13620.
  • Haraldsdottir K, Brickson S, Sanfilippo J, Dunn W, Watson A. In-Season Changes in Heart Rate Recovery Are Inversely Related to Time to Exhaustion but not Aerobic Capacity in Collegiate Rowers. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2018;28:418-424.
  • Watson A. Sleep and Athletic Performance. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2017 Nov/Dec 16(6):413-18.
  • Coutinho C, Watson A, Brickson S, Sanfilippo J.  Maximal Heart Rate Varies Across Laboratory, Field Testing, Training, and Match Conditions Among Female Athletes.  J Human Sport Exerc. 2017; 12:386-95.
  • Watson A, Brickson S, Brooks A, Dunn W.  Pre-Season Aerobic Fitness Predicts In-Season Injury and Illness in Female Youth Athletes.  Clin J Sports Med. 2017; 27:302-7.
  • Watson A, Brickson S, Sanfilippo J.  Short-Term Heart Rate Recovery is Related to Aerobic Fitness Among Elite Intermittent Sport Athletes. J Str Cond Res 2017; 31:1055-61.
  • Watson A, Brindle J, Allee T, Brickson S, Sanfilippo J. Pre-Season Fitness Is Related to In-Season Injury Risk in Collegiate Soccer Players. Clin J Sports Med. 2017;27:302-7.
  • Watson A, Brickson S, Brooks A, Dunn W.  Subjective Well-Being and Training Load Predict In-Season Injury and Illness in Female Youth Soccer Players.  Br J Sports Med. 2017; 51(3):194-9.
  • Watson A, Liem R, Lu Z, Saville B, Acri S, Shankar S, Buchowski M. Longitudinal Differences in Maximal Aerobic Capacity Between Children with Sickle Cell Anemia and Matched Controls. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:648-53.
  • Watson A, Eickhoff J, Nemeth B, Carell A.  In Non-Obese Children, BMI and Fitness Are Independently Related to Insulin Sensitivity. Pediatr Exerc Sci Apr 2015;27:203-7.
  • Ghannad A, Watson A, Brooks M, LaBella C. Musculoskeletal Injuries Not To Miss in Teens. Adolesc Med State Art Rev 2015;26:53-78.
  • Watson AM, Kannankeril PJ, Meredith MI. Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Emergency Response Planning in High Schools After Automated External Defibrillator Legislation. J Pediatr 2013;163:1624-7.
  • Meredith MI, Watson AM, Kannankeril PJ, Gregory A, Givens TG, Abramo MT. Sudden Cardiac Arrests, Automated External Defibrillators and Medical Emergency Response Plans in Tennessee High Schools. Ped Emer Care 2013;29:352-6.
  • Watson A, Saville B, Zengji L, Walsh W. It’s Not the Ride: Inter-Hospital Transport Is Not an Independent Risk Factor for Intraventricular Hemorrhage Among Very Low Birth Weight Infants. J Perinatol 2013;33:366-70.

Andrew Watson

Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Team Physician, University of Wisconsin Athletics

(608) 263-6647

1685 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-2281