Medalist to head Murray hospital

Five-time Olympic gold medal skater Eric Heiden, who captured international attention during the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, is the new medical director of The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Murray.

Heiden, a surgeon who specializes in soft tissue arthroscopy including shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle repair, was introduced during a news conference at TOSH Wednesday.

He said he believes that Utah has everything it needs to be a "national gathering place for athletes. Maybe even international."

His practice in Sacramento has included his wife, Karen, an orthopedic hand surgeon, and his long-time partner Dr. Massimo "Max" Testa, known internationally for his sports medicine research. All three will make the move to TOSH.

Over the years, Heiden said, he's been recruited by some pretty prominent places. But through his long affiliation with national and Olympic speedskating teams, he was already familiar with TOSH when it made him an offer. TOSH was a training center for athletes worldwide during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and is the official sports medicine provider for the U.S. speedskating, ski and snowboard teams. He said when TOSH recruited him he decided to convince his wife and Testa to come out to Utah, where "we're going to be able to work with athletes on a daily basis. We were a little removed in Sacramento."

Heiden's sports-related credits include stints as team doctor for both of Sacramento's pro basketball teams, the Kings and the Monarchs.

Testa has been the team physician for the 7-Eleven, Motorola and Mapei pro cycling teams. He's also a member of the Italian Association of Cycling Physicians and the Sporting Safety and Conditions Commission of the International Cycling Union.

TOSH offers a mixture of sports training and treatment. Besides surgery and rehab, the facility has motion analysis, nutrition, bone density, pool therapy, human performance testing programs and more, including opportunities for sports-related research. Recently, the Intermountain Health- care-owned facility underwent a 15,000-square-foot expansion.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com