James C. Puffer

Dr. Puffer is a recognized authority in sports medicine, having established one of the first nonsurgical fellowship programs in sports medicine in the United States at UCLA in 1986. He subsequently was instrumental in establishing sports medicine as a recognized subspecialty by the American Board of Medical Specialties in 1989. He served as Head Team Physician to the 1988 United States Summer Olympic Team that competed in Seoul, Korea, as well as physician to the 1984 United States Winter Olympic Team that competed in Sarajevo. He served as a team physician to the UCLA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics from 1979 until his departure from UCLA in 2002 to assume responsibilities as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Board of Family Medicine until 2018. Upon his return to UCLA in 2019, he has resumed providing care to UCLA intercollegiate athletes as a team physician as well as teaching in the UCLA Sports Medicine Fellowship. He has given more than 600 presentations, written over 100 scientific papers, 28 editorials and commentaries, 37 book chapters, and edited one textbook.