about tops
Over 1,000 student athletes from eighth grade through community college level participate annually in the Team of Physicians for Students (TOPS) sports screenings which are held at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix.
The TOPS program promotes the well-being of student athletes by providing free sports physicals screenings with cardiac testing to students participating in interscholastic athletics or associated activities. These screenings, which also fulfill school-mandated student athlete requirements for a physical examination, take less than two hours to complete.
Since the program's inception, TOPS has provided sports screening physicals to approximately 45,000 Phoenix-area student athletes in over 80 schools.
History
In 1998, Paul Steingard D.O. realized that the need for free physicals for high school athletes had become too great to ignore. With help from the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association, Team of Physicians for Students (TOPS) was created to provide high school athletes with free physicals.
Later, Arizona Heart Institute cardiologist William Rappoport lead a group of cardiologists and medical technicians and helped to establish the cardiac component with offers free electrocardiograms (EKG) and echocardiograms (ECHO) as well as a consultation from a cardiologist.
Since 1998, TOPS has given free screenings to over 45,000 students at 61 high schools throughout the Arizona.
