February 17, 2021

The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) are excited to announce that Ravid Ved, DO from the Allegheny Health Network will serve as the team’s head physician for the 2021 season. Dr. Ved specializes in internal medicine and primary care in the area of sports medicine. 

Dr. Ved joins the Thunderbirds as part of the new AUDL Athletic Care Network (ACN), a new league-wide program that provides each of the league's 22 teams with a Head Team Physician. As the Head Team Physician, Dr. Ved will be overseeing all Thunderbirds health protocols and personnel, including medical specialists, athletic trainers, and other allied healthcare professionals. He will work with the league network to provide an avenue for safely re-opening play in 2021.

Announced today, the formation of the ACN originated from the work in early 2020 to assemble the AUDL COVID Task Force (ACTF). A multidisciplinary committee of eight experts in medicine, epidemiology, and public health, the ACTF together created the AUDL COVID Policies and Procedures, a precursor to establishing a more comprehensive AUDL Health and Safety Guidelines. These guidelines include specific COVID-related protocols pertinent to the short-term, as well as general health and safety best practices to ensure the well-being of AUDL players and personnel in the long-term. 

 More details on the Athletic Care Network can be found on the AUDL website.