MAYWOOD, IL – For 30 years, Loyola Medicine sports medicine specialist Pietro Tonino, MD, and his colleagues have served as team physicians for Loyola University Chicago's men's basketball team.

On Thursday, March 15, 2018, Dr. Tonino and Nathaniel Jones, MD, will be courtside as the Ramblers play in their first NCAA tournament in 33 years.

"It's a privilege to be part of this historic game," Dr. Tonino said. "We hope no one gets hurt, but in the event there are any injuries, we will be on the court immediately."

Dr. Tonino, an orthopaedic surgeon and Loyola Medicine's program director of sports medicine, Dr. Jones, a family medicine physician and medical director of sports medicine, and Douglas Evans, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon, have served as team doctors this season.

Other Loyola Medicine physicians who have provided care for the Ramblers include Paul Belich, MD, Nickolas Garbis, MD, Dane Salazar, MD, Michael Bednar, MD and Adam Schiff, MD.

As sports medicine specialists, Dr. Tonino and other team doctors treat conditions ranging from cuts and bruises to more serious injuries such as foot fractures and ACL knee injuries. They are also available to treat players and staff for colds and other minor illnesses.

Loyola's sports medicine specialists provide comprehensive, integrated orthopaedic and sports medicine care for high school, college and professional athletes as well as casual players. Multispecialty fellowship-trained sports medicine physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, primary care doctors, athletic trainers and physical therapists provide services to prevent injuries, maintain health and optimize performance.

About Loyola Medicine

Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a nationally ranked academic, quaternary care system based in Chicago's western suburbs. The three-hospital system includes Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), Gottlieb Memorial HospitalMacNeal Hospital, as well as convenient locations offering primary care, specialty care and immediate care services from nearly 2,000 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. LUMC is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. and Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, the John L. Keeley, MD, Emergency Department, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois's largest burn center, the Nancy W. Knowles Orthopaedic Institute, a certified comprehensive stroke centertransplant center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for over 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.   

For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org. You can also follow Loyola Medicine on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).

About Trinity Health

Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 127,000 colleagues and more than 38,300 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 26 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 93 hospitals, 107 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country, 142 urgent care locations and many other health and well-being services. In fiscal year 2024, the Livonia, Michigan-based health system invested $1.3 billion in its communities in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. For more information, visit us at www.trinity-health.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter).