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Meet Our Sports Medicine Providers

Matthew Matava, MD, Chief of Service
Dr. Matava serves as the head team physician for the St. Louis Blues Hockey Team and Washington University Athletics. Dr. Matava is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and the Chief of the Sports Medicine service. He earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine in 1987 and served a residency in orthopedic surgery at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta, GA. In 1994, he completed a fellowship in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery at the Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center. Dr. Matava has been listed in Best Doctors in America and specializes in knee ligament reconstruction, including revision and multi-ligament reconstruction; meniscal allograft implantation; adolescent sports medicine; and runners' injuries.

Terra Blatnik, MD
Dr. Blatnik is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. She specializes in both pediatric orthopedics and sports medicine, and has clinical interests in the nonoperative treatment of all musculoskeletal sports-related conditions in the pediatric and adolescent patient, including overuse injuries, sports-related concussions, female athlete triad, shin splints, pain in the upper and lower extremity and fractures. Dr. Blatnik received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She then completed a Pediatric Residency and a Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship from the University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Prior to arriving at Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Blatnik served as a Pediatric Physician for Cleveland Clinic Children's in Cleveland, OH.  

Kayla Daniel, MD
Dr. Daniel is an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. She specializes in the nonoperative care of all sports-related musculoskeletal injuries in pediatric and adolescent patients, including sports-related concussions. Dr. Daniel received her medical degree from Rush University College of Medicine in Chicago, IL. She then went on to complete both a residency in Pediatrics and a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine from the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Robert Brophy, MD
Dr. Brophy is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. After earning his medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine in 2001, he completed a residency in orthopedic surgery and a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY. His clinical interests focus on the knee and shoulder, including ACL reconstruction, PCL reconstruction, meniscus surgery including repairs and transplantation, and cartilage repair surgery such as OAT and osteochondral allograft as well as shoulder stabilization, labral repair and rotator cuff repair. He is the team physician for the St. Louis Surge and the Francis Howell high school football team, and serves on the Musculoskeletal Research Committee of the National Football League (NFL) and the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. A former collegiate and professional soccer player, he has a special interest in the treatment and prevention of injuries in soccer athletes.

Mark Halstead, MD
Dr. Halstead is board-certified in both sports medicine and pediatrics and serves as an Associate Professor in Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Washington University and St. Louis Children's Young Athlete Center. His areas of clinical interest include musculoskeletal and medical problems related to sports in pediatric, adolescent and adult athletes, as well as management of concussions and treatment of overuse and acute injuries in runners; knee ligament injuries; shoulder and elbow problems resulting from throwing injuries or misuse; stress fractures in the athlete; and asthma care for athletes. He earned his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, WI in 1998 and served a residency in pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin Children’s Hospital. He completed his fellowship training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Dr Halstead serves as a team physician for the Washington University athletic teams, and is a Medical Consultant for the St. Louis Blues hockey team.

Derrick Knapik, MD
Dr. Knapik specializes in treating all sports-related injuries of the knee and shoulder. He has special interests in orthobiologics, clinical and basic science research and patient-reported outcome metrics. Dr. Knapik has served as a team physician and taken care of athletes at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. Dr. Knapik earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University School of Medicine in Columbus, OH. He completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, and then a fellowship in orthopaedic surgery sports medicine from Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University in Chicago, IL. During his orthopaedic training, Dr. Knapik served as a team physician for numerous high school, college and professional sports teams and events. 

Jeffrey Nepple, MD, MS
Dr. Nepple is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and the Director of the Washington University and St. Louis Children's Young Athlete Center. He specializes in both pediatric orthopedics and sports medicine, and has clinical interests in adolescent and young adult hip disorders, including femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), labral tears and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) with a specific focus on minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques for the treatment of hip disorders. Dr. Nepple also has clinical interests in pediatric and adolescent knee disorders, including osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, meniscal tears and patellar instability/dislocations. He received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine. He did a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, then went on to complete a fellowship in Sports Medicine at the Steadman Clinic/Steadman-Philippon Research Institute as well as a fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedics at Washington University School of Medicine.

Matthew Smith, MD
Dr. Smith is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, and serves as an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University and completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at University Hospitals of Cleveland- Case Western Reserve University. He completed fellowship training in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Smith’s practice centers on sports injuries to the shoulder, elbow, knee and hip. He has a special interest in shoulder and elbow injuries including shoulder instability surgery, shoulder trauma, rotator cuff surgery, and elbow ligament and cartilage injuries in the throwing athlete. His research interests include clinical outcomes in shoulder and elbow surgery, the scientific basis for rotator cuff disease and repair, and hip surgery in the athletic population. Dr. Smith sees patients at the Chesterfield Outpatient Orthopedic Center. Dr. Smith is a team physician for the St. Louis Blues hockey team.