Jiří Dvořák (neurologist)

Professor
Jiří Dvořák
Dvořák in 2020
Born (1948-11-22) 22 November 1948
Hulín, Czechoslovakia
CitizenshipSwitzerland, Czech Republic
EducationMedicine
Alma materCharles University, University of Zurich
Known forFootball injury, concussion, and NCD prevention, scientific wellness
SpouseBabette Dvořák-Kisling
AwardsISSLS Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award
Scientific career
InstitutionsSchulthess Klinik, University of Zurich, Yale School of Medicine, BDMS Wellness Clinic Bangkok
Websitewww.dvorakmedical.com

Jiří Dvořák (born 22 November 1948) is a Swiss-Czech neurologist. He served as a titular professor of neurology at the University of Zurich specializing in spinal disorders. For 23 years he served as Chief Medical Officer at FIFA. In his medical practice and research focuses on preventive care for spinal disorders, sports injuries, and related symptoms.

Early life and education

Dvořák was born 22 November 1948 in Hulín in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). He began his pre-clinical medical studies at Charles University in Prague in 1966. Due to the Soviet invasion in 1968, he left Czechoslovakia as a refugee and continued his education in Switzerland. He completed his medical degree at the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich in 1974. In 1986, he completed his postgraduate education in Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, Manual Medicine, and a residency in Neurology at the University of Bern.[1] Following his residency, he undertook a year-long visiting fellowship in the Department of Biomechanics, Section of Orthopedic Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine.[2] They collaborated over the following 20 years mainly on clinical biomechanics of spine.[3][4]

Academic career

Dvořák was appointed Professor of Neurology and Spinal Disorders at the University of Zurich in 1995. His main clinical affiliation was with the Schulthess Clinic in Zurich. In 1987, he was appointed as the Chair of the Department of Neurology Spine Unit. He served as Chair until 2008, after which he became the Senior Consultant of the department until 2021. Since 2018, he has served as a Consultant to the Board of the Schulthess Clinic.[1][5] As of November 2025, Dvořák's research has been cited over 80'000 times and his H-index is 143.[6]

Academic journal roles

In 1993, Dvořák became deputy editor-in-chief of the journal Spine, and in 2005, a senior editor of the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM).[7] He is one of the founders of the European Spine Society, the largest society focusing on spine-related diseases in the world.[8] He is also an editor at Brain and Spine, a journal of EuroSpine.[9]

FIFA and sports medicine

From 1994 to 2016, Dvořák served as the Chief Medical Officer of FIFA. He was involved in the creation of many preventive programs such as FIFA's 11+ program, which reduced the incidence of injuries in footballers by up to a half.[10][11]

Dvořák's work shaped some of football's medical and anti-doping policies. He was involved in the management of Diego Maradona's positive doping case at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, and subsequently developed a system to combat doping and medication abuse in football and sports generally.[12][13] Dvořák also addressed the issue of cheating with age declarations in youth competitions. By utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the wrist, age determination became a routine procedure to ensure an even playing field at the U-17 level.[14][15]

FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Center (F-MARC)

In 1994, Dvořák founded the Medical Assessment and Research Center at FIFA, called F-MARC, which he chaired until 2016. It was an academic institution and virtual global network of clinicians and researchers. F-MARC focused on mitigating health risks for players.[16][17]

  • High Altitude: Allowing sufficient time for acclimatization when playing competitive games.[18][19]
  • Hot Environments: Establishing mandatory cooling breaks during matches when excessive temperature posed a potential harm, first implemented at the 2008 Beijing Olympics final.[20][21]
  • Ramadan and Football: Research provided the first data on the metabolic state of footballers training and playing during Ramadan, enabling appropriate preparation.[22]
  • Sudden Cardiac Death: Following the sudden cardiac death (SCD) of Marc-Vivien Foé during the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in Lyon, France, F-MARC developed and made mandatory a screening process for all footballers participating in FIFA competitions, first conducted before the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. They also developed prevention and first-responder strategies. Working with medical emergency specialist Efraim Kramer, they created the FIFA medical emergency bag, setting a global standard, and promoted the "11 Steps to prevent SCD".[23]
  • Concussion in Sport Group (CISG): In 2001, medical experts from the IIHF (M. Aubry, W. Meuwise), IOC (P. Schamasch), and F-MARC (J. Dvořák) established the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG).[24] CISG investigates the long-term effects of repeated head trauma and concussion in sports, aiming for prevention through rule changes and physical/mental monitoring.[25] The six subsequent consensus statements of CISG provide the leading guidelines for the diagnosis and management of concussion in sports.[26]
  • Football for Health / 11 for Health program: Before the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, they developed the Football for Health Program to combat Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs).[27] This program, later distributed in 52 countries, used 11 simple messages presented by iconic footballers (such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Didier Drogba). The initiative, supported by then-FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter and the late Nelson Mandela, proved scientifically effective in improving schoolchildren's health knowledge.[28] During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the program was adapted and promoted jointly with the World Bank as "The 11 against Ebola".[29]

F-MARC's contributions to health and beyond were described by Karim Khan et al. as having "demonstrated exceptional commitment to health and social change".[30]

Post-FIFA roles

Since 2018, Dvořák has been a Consultant and Co-Founder of the Bangkok Wellness Clinic in Bangkok, Thailand.[31][32] Focusing on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, he co-authored the 2022 health guide book Health Brings Wealth.[33]

Personal life

Dvořák is married to Babette Dvořák-Kisling, with whom he has four children.[1]

Awards

  • In 1990, Dvořák was awarded the Venia legendi from the University of Zurich for his work on the Upper Cervical Spine, specializing in Neurology.[5]
  • In 2025, Dvořák was awarded the International Society for Study of the Lumbar Spine ISSLS Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award.[5]

Selected works

  • Dvorak, J; Grob, D; Baumgartner, H; Gschwend, N; Grauer, W; Larsson, S (October 1989). "Functional Evaluation of the Spinal Cord by Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Instability of Upper Cervical Spine". Spine. 14 (10): 1057–1064. doi:10.1097/00007632-198910000-00006. PMID 2588053.
  • Mannion, Anne F.; Müntener, Markus; Taimela, Simo; Dvorak, Jiri (December 1999). "1999 Volvo Award Winner in Clinical Studies: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Three Active Therapies for Chronic Low Back Pain". Spine. 24 (23): 2435. doi:10.1097/00007632-199912010-00004. PMID 10626305.
  • Sutter, Martin; Eggspuehler, Andreas; Jeszenszky, Dezsoe; Kleinstueck, Frank; Fekete, Tamàs F.; Haschtmann, Daniel; Porchet, François; Dvorak, Jiri (March 2019). "The impact and value of uni- and multimodal intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) on neurological complications during spine surgery: a prospective study of 2728 patients". European Spine Journal. 28 (3): 599–610. doi:10.1007/s00586-018-5861-0. hdl:2437/264846. PMID 30560453.
  • Dvorak, Jiri; Junge, Astrid; Chomiak, Jiri; Graf-Baumann, Toni; Peterson, Lars; Rosch, Dieter; Hodgson, Roy (September 2000). "Risk Factor Analysis for Injuries in Football Players". The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 28 (5_suppl): 69–74. doi:10.1177/28.suppl_5.s-69. PMID 11032110.
  • Bizzini, Mario; Junge, Astrid; Dvorak, Jiri (August 2013). "Implementation of the FIFA 11+ football warm up program: How to approach and convince the Football associations to invest in prevention". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 47 (12): 803–806. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-092124. PMC 3717809. PMID 23813485.
  • Dvorak, Jiri; George, John; Junge, Astrid; Hodler, Juerg (August 2007). "Application of MRI of the wrist for age determination in international U-17 soccer competitions". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 41 (8): 497–500. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2006.033431. PMC 2465442. PMID 17347314.
  • Dvorak, Jiri; Kramer, Efraim B; Schmied, Christian M; Drezner, Jonathan A; Zideman, David; Patricios, Jon; Correia, Luis; Pedrinelli, André; Mandelbaum, Bert (December 2013). "The FIFA medical emergency bag and FIFA 11 steps to prevent sudden cardiac death: setting a global standard and promoting consistent football field emergency care". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 47 (18): 1199–1202. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092767. PMID 23940271.
  • Dvorak, Jiri; Junge, Astrid (May 2015). "Twenty years of the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre: from 'Medicine for Football' to 'Football for Health'". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 49 (9): 561–563. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094805. PMC 4413737. PMID 25878070.
  • Schneider, Kathryn J; Patricios, Jon S (June 2023). "Amsterdam 2022 International Consensus on Concussion in Sport: calling clinicians to action!". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 57 (11): 615–616. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-107127.

Together with Babette Dvořák-Kisling, Dvořák edited a book on the Swiss art collector, patron, and art mediator Richard Kisling (1862-1917), who chaired the Kunsthaus Zürich from 1909 to 1917.[34][35]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Farewell Prof. Dr. med. Jiří Dvořák". schulthess-klinik.ch (in German). Schulthess Klinik. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  2. ^ Dvorak, Jiri; Panjabi, Manohar M. (March 1987). "Functional Anatomy of the Alar Ligaments". Spine. 12 (2): 183–189. doi:10.1097/00007632-198703000-00016. PMID 3589810.
  3. ^ Panjabi, Manohar M.; Cholewicki, Jacek; Nibu, Kimio; Grauer, Jonathan N.; Babat, Lawrence B.; Dvorak, Jiri (June 1998). "Mechanism of whiplash injury". Clinical Biomechanics. 13 (4–5): 239–249. doi:10.1016/S0268-0033(98)00033-3. PMID 11415793.
  4. ^ Panjabi, Manohar; Dvorak, Jiri; Iii, Joseph Crisco (June 1991). "Flexion, Extension, and Lateral Bending of the Upper Cervical Spine in Response to Alar Ligament Transections". Journal of SPINAL DISORDERS. 4 (2): 157–167. doi:10.1097/00002517-199106000-00005. PMID 1806080.
  5. ^ a b c Samartzis, Dino; Gunzburg, Robert (June 2025). "Jiri Dvorak: 2025 ISSLS Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award". Spine. 50 (11): 733–736. doi:10.1097/BRS.0000000000005339.
  6. ^ "Jiri Dvorak". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Announcing ISASS15 Presidential Guest Speakers: Professor Jiří Dvořák, MD and Robin R. Young". isass.org. ISASS – The International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  8. ^ Kandziora, Frank; Teli, Marco; Meier, Jürgen; Noel, Julie-Lyn (2023). "25 years of EUROSPINE". Brain and Spine. 3 101790. doi:10.1016/j.bas.2023.101790. PMC 10458953. PMID 37635915.
  9. ^ "Editorial board - Brain and Spine". sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal - Injury prevention in football and the Fifa 11+". journal.aspetar.com. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  11. ^ Soccer, World (3 November 2016). "Another member of Fifa's old guard steps down". World Soccer. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  12. ^ Khan, Karim (September 2008). "What have overprescription of NSAIDs, overtraining and modelling physical activity for kids got to do with Barack Obama in Berlin?". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 42 (9): 705–706.
  13. ^ Soccer, World (3 November 2016). "Another member of Fifa's old guard steps down". World Soccer. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  14. ^ Dvorak, Jiri; George, John; Junge, Astrid; Hodler, Juerg (August 2007). "Application of MRI of the wrist for age determination in international U-17 soccer competitions". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 41 (8): 497–500. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2006.033431. PMC 2465442. PMID 17347314.
  15. ^ "Fifa to use wrist-scan age tests". BBC Sport. 23 October 2009.
  16. ^ Dvorak, Jiri; Junge, Astrid (May 2015). "Twenty years of the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre: from 'Medicine for Football' to 'Football for Health'". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 49 (9): 561–563. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094805. PMC 4413737. PMID 25878070.
  17. ^ "Chief Medical Officer Prof. Jiri Dvorak to leave FIFA". inside.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  18. ^ Bärtsch, Peter; Saltin, Bengt; Dvorak, Jiri (August 2008). "Consensus statement on playing football at different altitude". Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 18 (s1): 96–99. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2008.00837.x. PMID 18665957.
  19. ^ Bärtsch, P.; Dvorak, J.; Saltin, B. (August 2008). "Football at high altitude". Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 18 (s1): iii–iv. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2008.00826.x. PMID 18665946.
  20. ^ Nassis, George P; Brito, Joao; Dvorak, Jiri; Chalabi, Hakim; Racinais, Sebastien (May 2015). "The association of environmental heat stress with performance: analysis of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 49 (9): 609–613. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2014-094449. PMC 4413686. PMID 25690408.
  21. ^ Kramer, Efraim; Dvorak, Jiri (2021). Football Emergency Medicine Manual 2nd Edition (PDF).
  22. ^ Leiper, John B.; Maughan, Ronald J.; Kirkendall, Donald T.; Bartagi, Zakia; Zerguini, Yacine; Junge, Astrid; Dvorak, Jiri (December 2008). "The F-MARC study on Ramadan and football: Research design, population, and environmental conditions". Journal of Sports Sciences. 26 (sup3): S7–S13. doi:10.1080/02640410802392723. PMID 19085448.
  23. ^ Dvorak, Jiri; Kramer, Efraim B; Schmied, Christian M; Drezner, Jonathan A; Zideman, David; Patricios, Jon; Correia, Luis; Pedrinelli, André; Mandelbaum, Bert (December 2013). "The FIFA medical emergency bag and FIFA 11 steps to prevent sudden cardiac death: setting a global standard and promoting consistent football field emergency care". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 47 (18): 1199–1202. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092767. PMID 23940271.
  24. ^ Maughan, Ronald J.; Burke, Louise M.; Dvorak, Jiri; Larson-Meyer, D. Enette; Peeling, Peter; Phillips, Stuart M.; Rawson, Eric S.; Walsh, Neil P.; Garthe, Ina; Geyer, Hans; Meeusen, Romain; van Loon, Luc; Shirreffs, Susan M.; Spriet, Lawrence L.; Stuart, Mark; Vernec, Alan; Currell, Kevin; Ali, Vidya M.; Budgett, Richard G.M.; Ljungqvist, Arne; Mountjoy, Margo; Pitsiladis, Yannis; Soligard, Torbjørn; Erdener, Uğur; Engebretsen, Lars (March 2018). "IOC Consensus Statement: Dietary Supplements and the High-Performance Athlete". International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 28 (2): 104–125. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0020. PMID 29589768.
  25. ^ "Wikinomics, Steven Blair and the Zurich International Conference on Concussion in Sport". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 42 (4). April 2008.
  26. ^ Patricios, Jon S; Schneider, Kathryn J; Dvorak, Jiri; Ahmed, Osman Hassan; Blauwet, Cheri; Cantu, Robert C; Davis, Gavin A; Echemendia, Ruben J; Makdissi, Michael; McNamee, Michael; Broglio, Steven; Emery, Carolyn A; Feddermann-Demont, Nina; Fuller, Gordon Ward; Giza, Christopher C; Guskiewicz, Kevin M; Hainline, Brian; Iverson, Grant L; Kutcher, Jeffrey S; Leddy, John J; Maddocks, David; Manley, Geoff; McCrea, Michael; Purcell, Laura K; Putukian, Margot; Sato, Haruhiko; Tuominen, Markku P; Turner, Michael; Yeates, Keith Owen; Herring, Stanley A; Meeuwisse, Willem (June 2023). "Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport–Amsterdam, October 2022". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 57 (11): 695–711. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106898. PMID 37316210.
  27. ^ Dvorak, J. (December 2013). "Football for health – A global health initiative of FIFA". Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 16: e85. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2013.10.205.
  28. ^ Blatter, J. S.; Dvorak, J. (August 2014). "Football for Health – Science proves that playing football on a regular basis contributes to the improvement of public health". Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 24 (S1): 2–3. doi:10.1111/sms.12270. PMID 24944127.
  29. ^ "11 Against Ebola: Join the Team!". World Bank Blogs. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  30. ^ Langton, Nancy; Khan, Karim M; Lusina, Sarah J (June 2010). "FIFA's Football for Health : applying Kotter's eight-step programme for transformational change to a mass participation activity". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 44 (8): 537–539. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2010.075143. PMID 20547665.
  31. ^ "BDMS Wellness Clinic Promotes Self-Earned Success to Fitness and Longevity". Bangkok Post. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  32. ^ "Professor Jirí Dvorák - Beyond Activ". Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  33. ^ Dvorak, Jiri; Fazio, Sergio; Virunhagarun, Tanupol; Black, Keith (2022). Health Brings Wealth: Daily Exercise, Good Sleep, Balanced Nutrition and a Peaceful Mindset Are the Keys to a Healthy and Long Life. Bangkok, Thailand: BDMS Wellness Clinic. ASIN B0B217J7NX. ISBN 978-616-93957-0-6.
  34. ^ Volkart-Baumann, Silvia; Dvořák-Kisling, Jiří; Dvořák-Kisling, Babette (2008). Richard Kisling: 1862-1917 Sammler, Mäzen und Kunstvermittler. Bern: Benteli. ISBN 978-3-7165-1464-1.
  35. ^ "Ein Haus für die Avantgarde". kultur-online.net. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.