Thursday, November 13, 2008

Dr. C. Harmon Brown dies

Longtime USATF contributor Dr. C. Harmon Brown dies

INDIANAPOLIS - Known worldwide as a pioneer in sports science and medicine, Dr. C. Harmon Brown died from cancer on Tuesday, November 11. He was 78.

A well-respected author, coach, professor, speaker, endocrinologist, team administrator and track meet official, Dr. Brown, a resident of San Mateo, Calif., served the sport of track and field in countless ways.

"All of us at USA Track & Field are saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend Dr. Harmon Brown," said USATF President Bill Roe. "His contributions to our organization are immeasurable, and he is one of the people in our sport for whom the term 'gentleman' is an understatement. He will be greatly missed."

A hurdler in his younger days, Brown held the Lafayette College school records in the 120-yard high hurdles and 220-yard low hurdles, and won four conference titles. After graduating from Lafayette (Easton, Pa.) in 1952, Brown earned his M.D. from the George Washington School of Medicine in 1956.

While pursuing his career in medicine in California, Brown continued to pursue his passion for track and field by coaching in club, high school, collegiate, national and international levels. During his coaching career he mentored numerous All-Americans and three Olympic throwers. He served on coaching staffs with nine Team USA international teams from 1967-1986, including two Olympic and two Pan-American teams.

When he began coaching in 1962, women were not permitted to participate in collegiate competitions. Brown became a tireless advocate on behalf of women athletes and conducted pioneering research on the effects of strenuous exercise on the female body to demonstrate women's physiologic and performance capabilities. Brown worked to find physiological, biochemical and nutritional performance benefits to counter the rise in drug use in elite sport.

Brown served TAC/USATF as chair of the organization's Sports Science and Medical Committee for two decades where he was instrumental in developing USATF's innovative drug testing initiatives. The past few years he served as USATF's High Performance Sports Science Chair. Brown was also one of the co-architects of USATF's High Performance Programs philosophy of track and field being an athlete-centered, coach-driven and scientifically applied sport.

Brown served the sport worldwide as a member of the IAAF Medical and Anti-Doping Commission. In the early 1980s he helped to initiate and then chair the IAAF Medical Education Working Group, a forerunner to the current Medical and Anti-Doping Commission on which he alsoserved until stepping down in 2007. In all,Brown's contribution to the IAAF's medical and anti-doping programme consisted of 24 years of devoted service, a period which also involved many appointments as Medical Delegate to IAAF championships.

A contributing author to the USA Track & Field Coaching Manual, Brown was a well respected author. He served as the editor and co-author of the IAAF Medical Manual for Athletics and Road Running Competitions: A Practical Guide, a publication which is now in its third edition.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Source: USATF

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Sports medicine pioneer Harmon Brown passes away

Monte-Carlo - It was with great sadness that the IAAF received the news that Charles Harmon Brown, a pioneering energy in the field of sports medicine, and a long time member of the IAAF Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, passed away on Tuesday afternoon (11 November).

A former hurdler, who was three-time Conference champion, Brown’s life long passion for athletics saw his expertise in medicine and sport, combine. Energised first as a college coach with his work to get women athletes the right to compete at collegiate level, he was later to make huge efforts in the field of anti-doping, and made pioneering research into the effects of strenuous exercise on the female body.

A Javelin Throw, Discus Throw, and Shot Put coach, Brown trained from club to high school to national and international level. In particular, Brown coached nine USA Track and Field international teams from 1967 to 1986 including two Olympic and two Pan Am Games squads.

As a physician Brown’s specialty was as an endocrinologist.

In his time with Team USA as chair of USATF's Sports Medicine and Sports Science Committee he worked to find physiological, biochemical and nutritional performance benefits to counter the rise in drug use in elite sport.

At global level in the early 1980s Brown helped to initiate and then chair the IAAF Medical Education Working Group a forerunner to the current Medical and Anti-Doping Commission on which he also served until stepping down in 2007. In all, Brown's contribution to the IAAF’s medical and anti-doping programme consisted of a remarkable 24 years of devoted service, a period which also involved many appointments as Medical Delegate to IAAF championships. In recognition of his service, Brown was made a recipient of the IAAF Veterans’ Pin in 2007.

Setting up teaching programmes in sports medicine around the world, equipping doctors to help athletes stay healthy while achieving top performance always remained Brown’s working ethos.

Brown was a well respected author, notably the editor and co-author of the ‘IAAF Medical Manual for Athletics and Road Running Competitions: A Practical Guide’, a publication which is now in its third edition, and was a contributing author to the 'USA Track and Field Coaching Manual'.

IAAF

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What is an endocrinologist?
An endocrinologist is a specially trained doctor. Endocrinologists diagnose diseases that affect your glands. They know how to treat conditions that are often complex and involve many systems within your body. Your primary care doctor refers you to an endocrinologist when you have a problem with your endocrine system.
http://www.hormone.org/public/endocrinologist.cfm

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