INF Medical Committee

The Board of Directors has established a Medical Committee.

The INF Medical Committee (MC) – an expert medical panel – is the authority for all medical, health and anti-doping matters for the sport of netball.

The MC is advisory and will make recommendations to the INF Board to assist INF achieve its vision, values and strategic goals as outlined in the Strategic Plan, with respect to anti-doping and the health and wellbeing of the participants of netball.

Aim

Promotion and protection of the health of players, as well as injury prevention and rehabilitation, by enhanced knowledge and skills for maximal performance of the sport of netball at all levels

Terms of Reference

The INF Medical Committee role:

Advising and guiding the INF Board and Members on medical issues specific to netball to ensure timely and informed decision-making.
Determining and recommending policies, rules and regulations and developing related norms and standards for INF.
Taking responsibility for the implementation of all technical aspects of the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Standards, including the work of the INF Therapeutics Use Exemption Committee.
Ensuring the adoption and implementation of relevant national and international standards applicable to the sport of netball by INF and its affiliates, including at the Netball World Cup and other international events sanctioned by INF.
Providing representation for INF at selected national and international forums on medical, health and anti-doping issues, as requested.
Providing management strategies for International and Public Health measures, specific to each region.
Conducting and supporting research to provide INF with advice on future trends, opportunities and direction.
Establishing and maintaining linkages with other Medical and Anti-Doping Organisations, Commissions and Committees.

The priority areas are:
- Adoption and implementation of the WADA Code, International Standards, INF Anti-Doping Policy and all related rules, regulations and guidelines.
- Development of policies, norms and standards for medical and health areas of sports relevant to netball.
- Information provision and education of INF and affiliates on medical, health and anti-doping issues relevant to netball, to encompass alternative modalities, including sports medicine, biomechanics, physiology applied to sports, nutrition and all sciences linked to sports.
- Generating research specifically relating to medicine and science in netball

For full terms of reference for the Board Committees, Working Groups and Panels click here.

The members of the Committee:

	Chair Dr Grace Bryant OAM Appointed April 2019	Dr Grace Bryant OAM is a Medical Specialist – Sports and Exercise Physician, based in Sydney, Australia. Grace served as the Chief Medical Officer for Australian Netball from 1990 until 1999 and since 1998, she has been the Team Doctor for the NSW Swifts Netball Team. Grace has been a member of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association Medical Commission since 1999. She has attended 6 Commonwealth Games as a member of the Australian Medical Team and was the Chief Medical Officer for Australia at Glasgow and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Grace is a Netball representative level player for University Blues. Grace has been a member of the INF Medical Committee since its inception in 2006.
	Committee Member Sharon Kearney Appointed April 2019	Sharon Kearney is a Physiotherapist with a post graduate diploma in Sports Medicine specialising in ACL Injury Prevention in Netball, based in New Zealand. Sharon served as team physiotherapist to Netball New Zealand at the Netball World Youth Cup, the Netball World Cup and Commonwealth Games from 1992-2015 and was Medical Co-Ordinator and Physiotherapist Lead for Netball New Zealand from 2003 until 2016. Currently, Sharon is the Injury Prevention Programme Manager for Netball New Zealand, working on the NetballSmart programme which aims to decrease injuries and develop competent confident movers.
	Committee Member Prof. Christa Janse Van Rensburg Appointed April 2019	Prof Christa Janse van Rensburg is a Medical Specialist – Rheumatology, working in private practice, based in South Africa. Christa is a qualified Sports Physician and Co-director of Sport at the University of Pretoria’s Sports Science Medical Unit. She is currently a member of the Scientific Committee for the 2020 IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in sport. Christa has been the team doctor at a number of Netball events e.g. All African Games and Commonwealth Games as well as providing medical support to other sports at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Prof Janse tutors at the annual IOC Advanced Team Physician courses and has previously played representative level netball in South Africa.
	Committee Member Dr Praimanand Singh Appointed April 2019	Dr Praimanand Singh is a qualified Sports Medicine Physician and Lecturer in Sports Medicine, based in Jamaica. Dr Singh was the Physician for Netball Jamaica for 15 years and President of Jamaica Association of Sports Medicine for 9 years. He attended the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 Netball World Championships as Head of the Medical Delegation for Jamaica. Dr Singh was the Medical Officer for Jamaica at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, and Chief Medical Officer for Jamaica at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games. In 2001, Praimanand was honoured by the IOC for his remarkable contribution as a volunteer to the development of sport and Olympism. He has also been honoured by the Jamaican Netball Association many times for his outstanding contribution.

Aim

Terms of Reference

The members of the Committee:

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