Facilitating research, application, and communication between sports scientists and the world.

With a $2.5 million dollar endowment, the Sydney and J.L. Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance was created to facilitate an active interchange of information and research findings among strength and sport conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, health and wellness coordinators, clinicians, sports and clinical physiologists and rehabilitation specialists.  in short, Huffines is a community dedicated to investigating, applying, and engaging in a dialog about sports medicine.  

Creation of the Institute was inspired by the unprecedented interest in sports medicine and sports science that has occurred over the past several years.  It is now recognized that there is a scientific foundation for the training of athletes, both to improve performance as well as to reduce the risk of injury or re-injury.

There are three objective of the Huffines Institute:

• To Facilitate cutting edge research and fund development in sports medicine,
• To Apply research to the practice and improvement of health and human performance,
• To Be the International Resource for information regarding sports medicine and human performance.

These objectives will be achieved by implementing the following actions:

To Facilitate:
1) Grant mentorship programs
2) Grant reviews / templates
3) Seed Grants
4) Travel Grants

To Apply:
1) Conduct workshops for coaches, fitness practitioners
2) Sponsor Clinical Fellows
3) Testing of athletes and the public

To Be:
1) Weekly audio podcasts
2) Seminar speakers with public outreach
3) Providing up-to-date, accurate, and relevant information for practitioners and public through website
4) Annual Huffines' Discussion series  

Our Mission:  To be the bridge between scientists, practitioners, and the lay public in the dynamic and ever-changing environment that is sports medicine and human performance.

New surgical techniques allow athletes to return to competition sooner and with minimum effect on subsequent performance. New training techniques and an improved understanding of the nutritional needs of the athlete have resulted in substantial improvements in athletic performance.  This novel information should be shared among researchers and practicing professionals and should spark further research in the sports medicine area.  The most recent application of sports medicine involves the detection and treatment of the number one killer of both men and women in the western world: Coronary Heart Disease.  Clinical and Applied Exercise Physiologists use graded exercise in conjunction with electrocardiography to evaluate cardiovascular status and prescribe appropriate exercise and lifestyle adjustments to help prevent the disease.  They also council those who have had various forms of cardiac problems and cardiac surgeries as to how exercise may help them recover from these problems more quickly and avoid them in the future. 

Dr. Tim Lightfoot serves as director of the Institute. Faculty members from numerous Colleges and labs contribute to the Huffines Institute through research collaborations, seminars, grant activities, and residency exchanges. In addition, members of the Huffines Institute work closely with the Texas A&M athletics staff to improve performance enhancement assessments and education.