Brian Gallagher has been named the new Director of Sports Medicine for the upcoming school year. With a background in athletic training, Gallagher said he is prepared to further develop the sports medicine department.

Gallagher studied Athletic Training at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and later earned an MA in Kinesiology and Sports Management from the University of Connecticut. After graduating, Gallagher worked at the University of Connecticut and Stanford University. Certified in Athletic Training at the collegiate level for fifteen years, Gallagher said his wide array of jobs deepened his childhood passion for athletics.

He said he discovered his passion for sports medicine as a result of his brother’s extensive injury.

“I always had my fair share of injuries, but when my brother got injured in college, I was forced to learn [about] his condition,” said Gallagher. “I understood what being a trainer really was. Through the process of evaluating his injuries and his rehabilitation, my eyes were opened to a field of sports I never knew existed. From that point on, I realized what being an athletic teacher took, and I just immediately fell in love with the idea of becoming one.”

Gallagher said he highly anticipates working alongside his colleagues and the progress of the sports medicine department.

“I’m really looking forward to establishing an identity and building the Sports Medicine Department with my colleagues,” said Gallagher. “We all share a common vision of where we want the Sports Medicine Department to go, and I’m ready and excited to surround myself with the staff and administration, as well as the entire Harvard-Westlake Community.”