Lisa R. Callahan, MD

Lisa R. Callahan, MD, is a board-certified primary care and sports medicine physician and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Along with Jo Hannafin, MD, PhD, Dr. Callahan co-founded the Women’s Sports Medicine Center (WSMC) at HSS, the first of its kind in the United States. She served as the WSMC’s Medical Director for 25 years, shepherding the multidisciplinary center’s growth to a team of more than 25 clinicians, including physicians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, physical therapists, and sports psychologists dedicated to treating female athletes of all ages and abilities.

In addition to her work with the WSMC, Dr. Callahan served as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Player Care at Madison Square Garden Sports, where she oversaw the care of the Knicks (NBA), Rangers (NHL), Westchester Knicks (NBA D-League), and Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). The first female head team physician in the NBA, she served two terms as President of the NBA Team Physicians Association and was awarded NBA Team Physician of the Year in 2014. As team physician for USA Basketball from 2014 to 2021, Dr. Callahan was with both the men's and women's gold-medal winning teams in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Dr. Callahan’s extensive experience has also included serving as a team physician for the New York Power (WUSA), New York Giants (NFL), Stanford and San Jose State Universities, and as medical coordinator and event physician for triathlons; biathlons; multiple soccer World Cups; running, rowing, Olympic-level gymnastics and collegiate-level golfing championships; and an international sumo wrestling tournament.

Dr. Callahan has been a member of the HSS Sports Medicine team since 1994. In 2023, she transitioned from actively treating patients into an advisory/mentoring/educational role for the WSMC and Primary Sports Medicine Service.

Departments

Specialized Centers

Women's Sports Medicine Center