Olympic athletes and health: Excellence, ethics and performance in the modern games

Join us in USC’s Heritage Hall (Bashor Lounge) for a timely conversation exploring the evolving relationship between elite athletic performance, athlete health, and global well-being in the lead-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As victories are increasingly decided by fractions of a second, athletes face extraordinary physical, psychological, and ethical pressures. This symposium brings together Olympic leaders and scientific experts to examine how excellence can be pursued without compromising long-term health, fairness, or the spirit of sport. Olympic gold medalist Katerina Stefanidi, Greece’s most decorated female athlete, will serve as the connective voice across the panel by reflecting on her lived experience of competing at the highest level while navigating injury, recovery, mental resilience, and the responsibility of representing the Olympic ideal. Her perspective will connect the scientific, ethical, and human dimensions of performance shared by the panel. She will be joined by: Dr. Alexis Brown, PharmD, embedded sports pharmacist with USC Athletics, who will discuss the critical role pharmacists play in protecting athlete health — from navigating anti-doping regulations and therapeutic use exemptions to evaluating supplements and preventing inadvertent doping. Her perspective highlights the balance between short-term performance pressures and long-term athlete well-being.Dr. Lorena Martin, assistant professor of clinical data sciences and operations at the USC Marshall School of Business, will explore how performance analytics, recovery science, and integrated medical decision-making are reshaping modern athletics. Her work demonstrates how data can enhance readiness, reduce injury risk, and support athlete longevity.Dr. Vassilios Papadopoulos, dean of the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and an internationally recognized scientific leader, will provide insight into emerging biological…