Big Ten Recognizes 2026 Athletic Medicine Award Recipients

ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Big Ten announced the recipients of its premier athletic medicine honors for 2026 on Tuesday, recognizing two members of the conference athletic medicine community whose careers exemplify excellence, leadership, and service to student-athletes across the conference.

Doug Calland of Ohio State has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Doug Boersma Distinguished Big Ten Athletic Medicine Award, while Dr. David Bernhardt of Wisconsin has been named the 2026 Andy Hipskind Distinguished Big Ten Team Physician Award recipient.

Established to honor the legacy of former Purdue Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Performance and Sports Medicine Doug Boersma, the Doug Boersma Distinguished Big Ten Athletic Medicine Award recognizes a medical provider whose career reflects exceptional service, leadership and commitment to raising the standard of athletic medicine with the Big Ten. The award is presented annually after a nomination and review process conducted by Big Ten team of physicians, with a recommendation made to the Athletic Medicine Cabinet.

Calland’s career in athletic medicine spans more than four decades, marked by thoughtful leadership and a commitment to holistic student-athlete care. He began his journey at Oklahoma State as a graduate assistant athletic trainer and held various leadership roles across the NCAA before joining Ohio State, where he currently serves as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sport Performance.

During his tenure at Ohio State, Calland has led comprehensive reorganizations of athletic training, strength and conditioning, and sport psychology services, fostering a collaborative and integrated approach to sports medicine. His work has elevated standards for interdisciplinary care and, beyond his administrative accomplishments, Calland is widely respected for his mentorship of future leaders in athletic medicine. He has served as an educator at Ohio State, contributed nationally through professional organizations, and remains a trusted voice across the Big Ten sports medicine community.

The Andy Hipskind Distinguished Big Ten Team Physician Award was established in 2024 to honor the memory of Dr. Andy Hipskind, a longtime primary care sports medicine physician at Indiana, whose impact as a clinician, mentor and colleague continues to resonate across the conference. A Bloomington native who served IU from 2003 until his passing in 2021, Hipskind was a valued leader within the Big Ten medical community and was posthumously recognized with the Indiana University Distinguished Service Medal.

Dr. Bernhardt has served at Wisconsin for more than 31 years as a team physician, educator, and leader, guided by his enduring principle that the athlete always comes first. Since joining Wisconsin Athletics in 1994, Bernhardt has provided medical care across numerous sports while serving as Head Medical Team Physician, earning the trust of student-athletes, families, coaches and administrators alike.

Known for his calm clinical judgement, thoughtful communication and exceptional humanity, Bernhardt has played a critical role in supporting student-athletes through injury, recovery, and return to competition. He has also influenced medical students, residents, fellows and athletics trainers serving across the Big Ten and nationwide through his work as a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Co-Director of the Wisconsin Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship.

As Bernhardt prepares to retire in June 2026, his legacy is evident in the countless student-athletes he protected, the professionals he mentored, and the standards he helped set for collegiate athletic medicine.

Both awards honor careers defined by service, humility, and unwavering advocacy for student-athlete health.