USC welcomes Sarah Lyons as Senior Director of Athletic Medicine Operations and Head Athletic Trainer

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- USC Student Health's Athletic Medicine program and USC Athletics are pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Lyons as Senior Director, Athletic Medicine Operations and Head Athletic Trainer. 

Lyons will arrive at USC on August 24, 2026 to join the leadership team in Athletic Medicine, that includes Dr. Seth Gamradt, director of athletic medicine; faculty physicians of the Keck School of Medicine of USC from the Dept. of Neurosurgery; the Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery, the Dept. of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences; and USC Student Health providers who are faculty physicians of the Dept. of Family Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Her arrival overlaps concurrently with the service of Russ Romano in this role through Sept. 1 before his official retirement begins, allowing for a warm handoff that is a hallmark of Keck Medicine of USC. We are grateful to both outstanding professionals for their wholehearted commitment to a smooth transition as we begin a new academic year and fall sports season.

Lyons joins the Trojan Family with more than 23 years of experience in collegiate athletic training and sports medicine, bringing a collaborative leadership style and a longstanding commitment to student-athlete health, safety, and performance. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for developing strong partnerships across athletics, mentoring athletic training professionals, and fostering environments where student-athletes can perform at their highest level. 

Prior to joining USC, Lyons served as assistant athletics director of athletic training at Stanford University, where she provided strategic leadership for one of the nation's premier collegiate athletic training programs. She oversaw athletic training operations supporting more than 900 student-athletes across 36 varsity sports, supervised a multidisciplinary sports medicine staff, and worked collaboratively with coaches, physicians, and campus partners to advance student-athlete health and performance. Even while serving in an executive leadership role, Lyons continued to provide direct athletic training care for several teams, including football, women's tennis, women's gymnastics, and men's rowing.

Lyons joined Stanford in 2013 as an assistant athletic trainer and steadily advanced through the department's leadership ranks, serving as associate director of athletic training, senior associate director of athletic training, and ultimately assistant athletics director for athletic training. Her progression reflected a career defined by leadership, innovation, and a commitment to excellence in collegiate sports medicine.

Before Stanford, Lyons spent more than a decade at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she began her collegiate athletic training career after earning her M.S. in kinesiology from CSUN. She earned her B.S. in kinesiology, with an emphasis in athletic training, from San Diego State University. During her time at CSUN, she also provided athletic training services for FedEx, the United Soccer League's San Fernando Valley Quakes, and the Los Angeles Rampage of the Women's Premier Soccer League, expanding her experience across collegiate, professional, and occupational athletic healthcare settings.

In addition to her work with student-athletes, Lyons has been an active leader in the athletic training profession. She has served in leadership roles with the California Athletic Trainers' Association and the Far West Athletic Trainers' Association, contributed to conference-wide student-athlete health and safety initiatives, and volunteered her expertise as an athletic trainer for the AIDS/LifeCycle and Helen's Cycles Century Ride. Her dedication to service and professional development has earned recognition from her peers and reflects her commitment to advancing the profession beyond the collegiate setting.

Lyons' appointment reflects the USC Student Health Athletic Medicine program's continued commitment to providing outstanding care and support for its student-athletes.

SOURCE University of Southern California