Full Name
Leroy Sims, MD
Job Title
SVP, Medical Affairs
Company
NBA
Speaking At
Speaker Bio
Dr. Leroy Sims, MD, MSc, CAQSM, is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and primary care Sports Medicine. He is Senior Vice President and Head of Medical Affairs for the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a practicing ER physician at Mills Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, California. In his role with the NBA, Dr. Leroy Sims leads medical operations, develops and implements health and safety policies and protocols, investigates medical technologies for optimization of the employee and fan experience, conducts international and domestic medical risk assessments and delivers innovative strategies and processes to keep NBA’s senior leadership, Board of Governors, employees, staff and fans safe around the globe.
Dr. Sims and the NBA showcased the breadth and depth of their expertise and medical delivery in the summer of 2020 at the NBA’s campus at Walt Disney World, also known as the “Bubble.” During the Bubble, the NBA successfully resumed and completed its season and playoffs, bringing 22 teams and almost 2,000 people to Disney, with emphasis on compliance with public health measures of mask wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting. The key components to the successful campaign included: collaboration with world renowned experts in infectious disease, epidemiology, industrial hygiene; frequent communication with all participants through a multiple-pronged approach (physical signage, web conferencing and town hall meetings, emails, and in-person briefings); and a meticulously designed health and safety protocol that incorporated and integrated technology for tracking compliance with daily testing, symptom screening, physical distancing and contact tracing. The NBA reported 0 positive cases among players for the duration of the Bubble and conducted ~200,000 COVID tests from June to October while in Orlando.
Dr. Sims represented the United States Olympic Committee at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, serving as a team physician for the USA Track and Field (USATF) team. Dr. Sims was previously the Medical Director and team physician for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors from 2011-2014.
Dr. Sims graduated from Stanford University with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Biological Sciences. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University School of Medicine, during which time he was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship. He completed Emergency Medicine residency at the county hospital Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. He went on to complete a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Sims and the NBA showcased the breadth and depth of their expertise and medical delivery in the summer of 2020 at the NBA’s campus at Walt Disney World, also known as the “Bubble.” During the Bubble, the NBA successfully resumed and completed its season and playoffs, bringing 22 teams and almost 2,000 people to Disney, with emphasis on compliance with public health measures of mask wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting. The key components to the successful campaign included: collaboration with world renowned experts in infectious disease, epidemiology, industrial hygiene; frequent communication with all participants through a multiple-pronged approach (physical signage, web conferencing and town hall meetings, emails, and in-person briefings); and a meticulously designed health and safety protocol that incorporated and integrated technology for tracking compliance with daily testing, symptom screening, physical distancing and contact tracing. The NBA reported 0 positive cases among players for the duration of the Bubble and conducted ~200,000 COVID tests from June to October while in Orlando.
Dr. Sims represented the United States Olympic Committee at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, serving as a team physician for the USA Track and Field (USATF) team. Dr. Sims was previously the Medical Director and team physician for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors from 2011-2014.
Dr. Sims graduated from Stanford University with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Biological Sciences. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University School of Medicine, during which time he was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship. He completed Emergency Medicine residency at the county hospital Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. He went on to complete a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
