The University of North Florida Athletics Department announced Monday a partnership with Mayo Clinic to be the official healthcare provider of UNF athletes.

UNF held an event at the UNF Arena to commemorate the partnership. Multiple UNF coaches and athletic staff members attended the event, where attendees heard from both UNF and Mayo Clinic representatives.

UNF also revealed Dr. Kristina DeMatas as the Head Team Physician for UNF and Dr. Matthew Crowe as the leader in orthopedic care. 

DeMatas is a sports medicine specialist who works with Mayo Clinic. She completed her fellowship at UNF in 2012. DeMatas focuses on treating sports injuries such as concussions and providing guidance on nutrition.

“What makes this partnership especially meaningful to me is the people behind it, and I’ve had the privilege to work with many of the athletes, the coaches, the administrators, the staff that makes this program so strong. The families that support that are all behind the scenes that make this community so meaningful and that’s why I care so deeply about it,” said DeMatas.

UNF Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Nick Morrow opened the event. He said the partnership will provide UNF athletes with weekly checkups and medical coverage at home games. Mayo Clinic will also have a larger presence throughout North Florida Athletics’ facilities and digital platforms.

“Through this collaboration, our student athletes will benefit from Mayo Clinic’s world-class expertise, ranging from weekly on-site clinics within our athletic training facilities to comprehensive medical coverage at home competitions with industry-leading physicians delivering industry-leading care. We are elevating not just the performance but the life-long health of every Osprey,” said Morrow. 

UNF Interim President Angela Garcia Falconetti also thanked Mayo Clinic at the event for the sponsorship. 

“I can attest to the fact, I’m sure many of us can, of the quality healthcare that Mayo Clinic brings to Jacksonville, but also the Jacksonville region Northeast area,” said Falconetti.

“We would not be where we are going to be in the future as Ospreys without the Mayo Clinic and this partnership with our athletics department, so again, thank you to everyone here. We are very fortunate to have this amazing partnership with this quality healthcare entity,” said Falconetti.

The Mayo Clinic Vice President and CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida Dr. Kent Thielen, then expanded on what the collaboration represents for both organizations. “Today’s announcement reflects more than a partnership; it represents a commitment. A commitment to the health, performance and long-term well-being of UNF’s student athletes,” said Thielen.

“Student athletes represent some of the very most driven, disciplined and resilient individuals in our community. They push themselves every day, they push themselves very hard, physically and mentally, in pursuit of excellence, and they deserve access to the highest level of care, support, and expertise to help them perform at their very best and to stay healthy both on and off the field,” said Thielen

Women’s Tennis Head Coach Catherine Dunagan and Student Athlete Isabel Oliveira shared their first-hand perspective on receiving care from Mayo Clinic. 

“In 2021, I had a player who had a hip fracture and we got a phone call saying that she may never play tennis again and I remember getting off that phone and thinking…how am I going to tell my player this, that she may never play the sport she loves, and the next day we got together and we got her referred to Mayo and when we got to Mayo we had a different message, and that was a message of hope,” said Dunagan.

“After the next year, she was able to get surgery in the summer and she was able to compete in both singles and doubles her senior year which led to a championship in 2023. Once that happened, I knew from that day I want all of my athletes to go to Mayo,” said Dunagan.

“I watched one of my best friends and teammates avoid surgery and get healthy again through the work that you guys do, so it’s amazing,” said Oliveira. “I went through surgery and the recovery process myself and I can say that when I went to Mayo and had my visit, I felt truly heard and I also think that my doctor, he saw me as a person, not just an athlete, and think that’s something really important.”

For more information, go to the UNF Athletics website.

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