When a Baltimore athlete is seriously injured, it’s Dr. Leigh Ann Curl’s job to get them back in the game.
Dr. Curl is the first woman ever to be named head team orthopedic surgeon in the NFL. She also performs more than 500 orthopedic surgeries a year at MedStar Harbor Hospital and also works with the Baltimore Orioles.
“I was at Hopkins at medical school and I ended up on a surgery rotation, and by happenstance, was assigned two weeks of orthopedics as part of my surgery block and I loved it,” she said.
Dr. Curl started working with the Ravens part-time in 1997 doing physicals and background work with the team, and assumed a permanent role in 1999. She remains the only female orthopedic surgeon in the NFL.
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Dr. Curl says she grew up a Steelers fan, but has since switched teams.
The proud owner of two Super Bowl rings, Dr. Curl even has a few words of advice for emerging physicians.
“You just need to build a resume and some confidence that, at any point in time, a door may open that you’ll have the opportunity to take.”
**Editor's Note: Dr. Curl is the head orthopedic surgeon, not the head physician for the Ravens.
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