Holly J. Benjamin, MD, FACSM, FAMSSM is a specialist in sports medicine and non-surgical musculoskeletal injuries. She has been regionally and nationally recognized for expertise in treating all types of athletic injuries. Dr. Benjamin treats athletes for all types of acute and overuse sport related injuries. She also coaches athletes at the high school and collegiate level in strength and conditioning, sport rehabilitation, endurance exercise, and sport biomechanics. Her coaching philosophy is promoting safe and speedy return to play post-injury and injury prevention.
She is currently Chair of the Committee on Sports Medicine & Fitness (COSMF) for the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP), and a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) & the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine (AMSSM). She served in leadership roles on multiple boards for sports medicine governing societies. Dr. Benjamin is the inaugural Director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Program at UChicago Medicine Student Wellness Center.
Dr. Benjamin has been invited to present dozens of lectures on sports problems in child, adolescent, & collegiate athletes at the local, regional, national and international levels. She is serving as the Head Medical Team Physician for the WNBA Chicago Sky and a medical officer for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, US Soccer, and USA Triathlon. In addition, she is head team physician for the University of Chicago Lab School, and a team physician for the NCAA Division III UChicago Maroons. She is one of only a few sports medicine specialists in the country to offer diagnostic and procedural musculoskeletal ultrasound in her office.
Primary Care Sports Medicine Lutheran General Hospital
Park Ridge, IL
Fellowship - Clinical Associate, Department of Pediatrics
1998
The University of Chicago Children’s Hospital
Chicago, IL
Residency, Pediatrics
1997
Kent State University
Kent, OH
B.S - Integrated Life Sciences
1994
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Rootstown, OH
Medical School - combined BS/MD
1994
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Rootstown, OH
MD
1994
Case Western Reserve School of Medicine
Cleveland, OH
Pre-doctoral Fellowship - Molecular Biology
1992
Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: Using Machine Learning to Predict Delayed Concussion Reporting.
Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: Using Machine Learning to Predict Delayed Concussion Reporting. Am J Sports Med. 2024 Jul; 52(9):2372-2383.
PMID: 39101733
Latent Profiles of Acute Symptoms, Cognitive Performance, and Balance in Sport-Related Concussions.
Latent Profiles of Acute Symptoms, Cognitive Performance, and Balance in Sport-Related Concussions. Am J Sports Med. 2024 Jul; 52(8):2110-2118.
PMID: 38857057
Association of Premorbid Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Concussion Recovery in Collegiate Student-Athletes.
Association of Premorbid Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Concussion Recovery in Collegiate Student-Athletes. Sports Health. 2025 May-Jun; 17(3):498-511.
PMID: 38835137
The Prevalence and Influence of New or Worsened Neck Pain After a Sport-Related Concussion in Collegiate Athletes: A Study From the CARE Consortium.
The Prevalence and Influence of New or Worsened Neck Pain After a Sport-Related Concussion in Collegiate Athletes: A Study From the CARE Consortium. Am J Sports Med. 2024 Jun; 52(7):1845-1854.
PMID: 38742422
Mechanisms of Injury Leading to Concussions in Collegiate Soccer Players: A CARE Consortium Study.
Mechanisms of Injury Leading to Concussions in Collegiate Soccer Players: A CARE Consortium Study. Am J Sports Med. 2024 May; 52(6):1585-1595.
PMID: 38656160
Opioids and Youth Athletes.
Opioids and Youth Athletes. Sports Health. 2024 Mar-Apr; 16(2):269-278.
PMID: 38366642
Myocardial Blood Flow Quantified Using Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance After Mild COVID-19 Infection.
Myocardial Blood Flow Quantified Using Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance After Mild COVID-19 Infection. JACC Adv. 2024 Mar; 3(3).
PMID: 38433786
American Medical Society of Sports Medicine Position Statement: Mononucleosis and Athletic Participation.
American Medical Society of Sports Medicine Position Statement: Mononucleosis and Athletic Participation. Clin J Sport Med. 2023 May 15.
PMID: 37186809
Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: A Longitudinal Analysis of Recovery.
Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: A Longitudinal Analysis of Recovery. Am J Sports Med. 2023 01; 51(1):214-224.
PMID: 36412549
Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: The Influence of Previous Concussion Diagnosis Status on Baseline Assessment Outcomes.
Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: The Influence of Previous Concussion Diagnosis Status on Baseline Assessment Outcomes. Am J Sports Med. 2022 10; 50(12):3406-3416.
PMID: 35998010
Interview - Naperville Sun article, “Big spike in Naperville District 203 concussion numbers tied to
2017
Common Pediatric Medical Procedures Videos, AAP.
2015
Interview –“Safe Bee Water Intoxication” for the AMSSM Weekly Digest, Columbia, AM
2015
Fitness and Health: Expert opinion on Menstruation and distance running, for Runner’s World.
2015
Common Pediatric Medical Procedures video, American Academy of Pediatrics. http://pedia
2015
Ankle Sprains in Youth Sports. AAP News Today, Orland, FL.
2014
AAP Digital Medical Solutions: Pediatric Orthopedic Emergencies. Video CME Production.
2014
Invited to serve as a volunteer physician for the Olympic Training Center. Colorado Springs
2008
Elected Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (2nd female pediatrician ever elected fell
2003
Distinguished Alumni Award, The New Aurora High School Alumni
1999