Prof Wayne Derman: Sports Science

Sports and exercise medicine professor and keynote speaker Prof Wayne Derman delivers evidence-based insights on athlete health, performance, and resilience drawn from elite international sport and medicine.

Quick Facts:

  • Highlights:
    • Professor of Sports and Exercise Medicine at UCT
    • Co-Director of FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence and IOC Research Centre
    • Chief Medical Officer for multiple Olympic and Paralympic Games
    • Senior partner at leading sports medicine practice
  • Formats:

    Keynote speaker, sports medicine expert, medical educator

  • Audience:

    Healthcare professionals, sports organisations, athletes, coaches, executives, and audiences interested in performance, health, and resilience.

  • Outcomes:
    1. Deeper understanding of athlete health and injury prevention
    2. Evidence-based insights into performance and recovery
    3. Practical lessons from elite sport applicable to leadership and life
Reading time: 3 min
Reviews: (0 reviews)
  • Travels from: Cape Town

Keynote Topics

Talent Short Bio

Wayne Derman is Professor of Sports and Exercise Medicine at the UCT Sport Science Institute and Co-Director of the Sports Medicine Services and Research Group, which incorporates the FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence and the IOC Research Centre for Injury Prevention and Health of the Athlete.

He is also a senior partner at Derman & Schwellnus Inc., a leading sports medicine practice providing specialist consulting services to South African Rugby, Soccer, Cricket, Commonwealth and Olympic teams, as well as the general public.

Prof Derman has played a pivotal role in the medical care of South Africa’s elite athletes on the international stage. He served as Chief Medical Officer for Team South Africa at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Medical Officer for the South African Paralympic Team at the Beijing 2008 Games, and Chief Medical Officer for the South African Paralympic Team at London 2012. His experience also includes serving as Medical Officer for Cape Town during the FIFA 2010 World Cup and as Flight Surgeon to Mark Shuttleworth during the “First African in Space” mission.

Prof Wayne Derman is Professor of Sports and Exercise Medicine at the UCT Sport Science Institute of South Africa and is Co-Director of the Sports Medicine Services and Research Group, incorporating the FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence and IOC Research Centre for Injury Prevention and Health of the Athlete at the Institute.

Wayne Derman is a senior partner of Derman & Schwellnus Inc., the Sports Medicine Practice at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa.

This practice provides specialist Sports Medical consulting services to the South African Rugby, Soccer, Cricket, Commonwealth & Olympic Teams as well as members of the public.

Prof Wayne Derman has played an important role in clinical support for South Africa’s athletes at International level.

He fulfilled the positions of Chief Medical Officer for the South African Team to the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 Olympic Games, and Medical Officer for the South African Paralympic Team to Beijing in 2008.

In December to May 2002, Wayne Derman served as Flight Surgeon to Cosmo naught Mark Shuttleworth during the “First African in Space” mission in Russia and served as the Medical Officer for Cape Town for the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

Having diverse interests, he has been awarded many accolades in his career ranging from a Fellowship of the American College of Sports Medicine; the Val Schreire Award for the Outstanding Investigator in the Cardiovascular Field in Southern Africa; the Paul Harris award from Rotary International for community contribution; to a Mondi Award nomination for journalism.

In December 2004, Prof Wayne Derman was named recipient of the Department of Health and Health Professionals Council award for Excellence in Health Care in South Africa.

Wayne Derman is presently Specialist Sports Medical Editor of Men’s Health and is widely regarded as a popular entertaining and humorous educational and motivational speaker.

“The zone of total engagement”

Imagine the difference it will make to your life if you could achieve the same levels of performance in your endeavors as those achieved by Olympic and Paralympic athletes in their chosen sports.

Prof Wayne Derman will share the latest scientific insights as well as the lessons learnt from work with International elite athletes, the most successful Paralympic team in South African history, cosmonaughts and business leaders.

This talk will focus on how to achieve a balance that facilitates optimal performance in ones own life, to create and zone of total engagement within surrounding chaos, and unleash the athlete within.

“Secrets of the Alchemists”

A behind the scenes tour of what really happens at the Paralympic games.

The South African Paralympic team to the 2008 Beijing Games was arguably the most successful multicoded team to an International event, winning 21 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals.

Discover the secrets behind the success of this team and the individual strategies these remarkable athletes employ to overcome adversity and transcend to excellence at the highest level.  Learn how these principles can be used in one’s personal and professional life to ascend to excellence.

“Mark Shuttleworth’s Odyssey; a personal physicians’ front row seat”

This talk relives the medical and physiological challenges and hurdles Mark had to overcome to become the First African in Space. The extraordinary behind the scenes training for this mission is relived and the astonishing Russian space rituals are described.

Prof Wayne Derman talk provides insight into the Space Tourism industry and the personality who was awarded the South African Newsmaker of the Year award and has inspired a nation to reach for their dreams (visuals and video by Peter Ribton).

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