With the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the David A Benjamin Achievement Award taking place later this month in New York City, the ITA would like to continue the recognition of previous recipients with 2016 award recipient, Dr. Brian Hainline.
The ITA David A Benjamin Achievement Award pays tribute each year to past participants in the world of varsity tennis who have achieved excellence in their chosen careers. The spirit of the award honors both professional success and contributions to society, made either as a direct result of a career, or through humanitarian efforts. In 2015, Margie and Stan Smith endowed the ITA Achievement Award in honor of Benjamin.
Previous to his extensive experience and knowledge in the medical field, Hainline was a dominant force on the Notre Dame Men’s Tennis team from 1975-1978. Under Hall of Fame coach Tom Fallon, Brian Hainline played both No. 1 singles and doubles.
Following his graduation from Notre Dame, Hainline continued on to earn his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed his residency in neurology at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.
Appointed in 2013, Hainline recently announced his retirement as NCAA Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. During his tenure, Hainline founded and oversaw the NCAA Sport Science Institute, which aims to provide college athletes with the best environment for safety, excellence, and wellness. He guided the Association in the development of key consensus-based guidance that served the membership in its efforts to support the mental and physical health, safety, and performance of student-athletes. Additionally, Hainline was crucial in securing organizational support and funding for the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education Consortium, the largest concussion and repetitive head impact study in history. To date, CARE has enrolled student-athletes from 30 participating member schools representing 26 NCAA sports.
Prior to the NCAA, Hainline served as the US Open Tennis Championship Chief Medical Officer and the USTA Chief Medical Officer. Hainline was a clinical professor of neurology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine and Indiana University School of Medicine. Along with his professional and educational leadership, Hainline has authored and co-authored nine books, 120 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, abstracts and textbook chapters, and has co-chaired two International Olympic Committee consensus meetings.
Hanline has long-time been committed to volunteering to the game of tennis, serving as a USTA board member, a founding member of the USTA Sport Science Committee, chair of the USTA Pro Council, and a member and chair of the ITF Sport Science and Medicine Commission. He is also a founding member of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program Review Board for the ATP, ITF, and WTA Tour.
Apart from being a David A Benjamin Achievement Award recipient and ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame member, Hainline was presented the Tennis Educational Merit Award in 2001, an award given to those who have made notable contributions in the tennis education field at the national level and have demonstrated leadership and creative skills. He received the Irving Glick Award of Excellence from the WTA Tour in 2004 for his exemplary contributions as a tournament physician. Hainline was inducted into the USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011 and the ITF Award for Service to the Game in 2013.
Hainline currently serves as chairman of the board and president of the USTA, is the vice president of the International Tennis Federation, and is a member of the Grand Slam Board.
