About SHIELD
Joseph Myers, PhD, ATC, CPSS, FNATA
Dr. Joseph Myers is a distinguished leader in the field of Sports Medicine, Human Performance, and Sport Science, currently serving as the Senior Director of Baseball Performance Science for the Tampa Bay Rays. His career is defined by a unique blend of elite professional experience and rigorous academic leadership, including 15 years as a professor and researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Pittsburgh, and Louisiana State University. A National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Fellow and NATA BOC Certified Athletic Trainer since 1996, Dr. Myers also holds the NSCA Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) credential.
His extensive research expertise focuses on the sensorimotor system, shoulder biomechanics, and injury prevention, with a bibliography featuring over 150 refereed publications and presentations and 12 book chapters. Dr. Myers’ experience spans the entire athletic spectrum; he has developed long-term athletic development recommendations for USA Baseball and conducted extensive studies on youth and adolescent injury mechanisms, while simultaneously managing high-performance protocols for professional athletes. Whether working with collegiate swimmers, recreational golfers, or Major League pitchers, his work remains dedicated to bridging the gap between scientific evidence and athlete performance, resilience, and durability.
Research Background in Youth and Adolescent Sport
Baseball
USA Baseball - American Development Model: A Long-Term Athlete Development Plan for the sport of Baseball
Joseph B. Myers, PhD, ATC, Lead Author and ADM Working Group Chair. USA Baseball. PDFPexa, B.S., Delwig, H., Myers, J.B., Hackney, A.C., Berkoff, D.J., & Ryan, E.D. Throwing load does not affect musculoskeletal measures around competitive pitching in adolescent baseball pitchers. Journal of Athletic Training. 60(12):863-869, 2025. PubMed
Hibberd, E.E., Oyama, S., & Myers, J.B. Rate of upper extremity injury in high school baseball pitchers who played catcher as a secondary position. Journal of Athletic Training. 53(5):510-513, 2018. PubMed
Oyama, S., & Myers, J.B. The relationship between the push off ground reaction force and ball speed in high school baseball pitchers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 32(5):1182-1189, 2018. PubMed
Oyama, S., Hibberd, E.E., & Myers, J.B. Preseason screening of shoulder range of motion and humeral retrotorsion does not predict injury in high school baseball players. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. 26(7):1182-1189, 2017. PubMed
Matta, P., Sawicki, G.S., & Myers, J.B. Factors influencing ball-player impact probability in youth baseball. Sports Health. 7(2):154-160, 2015. PubMed
Hibberd, E.E., Shutt, C.E., Oyama, S., Blackburn, J.T., & Myers, J.B. Physical contributors to glenohumeral internal rotation deficit in high school baseball players. Journal of Sport and Health Science. 4(3):299-306, 2015. PubMed: no matching record found; Consensus
Oyama, S., Yu, B., Padua, D.A., Blackburn, J.T., & Myers, J.B. Improper trunk rotation sequence is associated with increased maximal shoulder external rotation angle and shoulder joint force in high school baseball pitchers. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 42(9):2089-2094, 2014. PubMed
Hibberd, E.E., Oyama, S., & Myers, J.B. Increase in humeral retrotorsion accounts for age-related increase in glenohumeral internal rotation deficit in youth and adolescent baseball players. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 42(4):851-858, 2014. PubMed
Oyama, S., Yu, B., Padua, D.A., Blackburn, J.T., & Myers, J.B. Effect of excessive contralateral trunk tilt on pitching biomechanics and performance in high school baseball pitchers. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 41(10):2430-2438, 2013. PubMed
Oyama, S., Hibberd, E.E., & Myers, J.B. Changes in humeral torsion and shoulder rotation range of motion in high school baseball players over a 1-year period. Clinical Biomechanics. 28(3):268-272, 2013. PubMed
Myers, J.B., Oyama, S., & Hibberd, E.E. Scapular dysfunction in high school baseball players sustaining throwing-related upper extremity injury: a prospective study. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. 22(9):1154-1159, 2013. PubMed
Soccer
Lephart, S.M., Abt, J.P., Ferris, C.M., Sell, T.C., Nagai, T., Myers, J.B., & Irrgang, J.J. Neuromuscular and biomechanical characteristic changes in high school athletes: a plyometric versus basic resistance program. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 39(12):932-938, 2005. PubMed
Mihalik, J.P., Myers, J.B., Sell, T.C., & Anish, E.A. Maxillofacial fractures and dental trauma in a high school soccer goalkeeper: a case report. Journal of Athletic Training. 40(2):116-119, 2005. PubMed
Swimming
Hibberd, E.E., Laudner, K.G., Berkoff, D.J., Kucera, K.L., Yu, B., & Myers, J.B. Comparison of upper extremity physical characteristics between adolescent competitive swimmers and nonoverhead athletes. Journal of Athletic Training. 51(1):65-69, 2016. PubMed
Hibberd, E.E., Laudner, K.G., Berkoff, D.J., Kucera, K.L., Yu, B., & Myers, J.B. Effect of swim training on the physical characteristics of competitive adolescent swimmers. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 44(11):2813-2819, 2016. PubMed
Virag, B.J., Hibberd, E.E., Oyama, S., Padua, D.A., & Myers, J.B. Prevalence of freestyle biomechanical errors in elite competitive swimmers. Sports Health. 6(3):218-224, 2014. PubMed
Hibberd, E.E., & Myers, J.B. Practice habits and attitudes and behaviors concerning shoulder pain in high school competitive club swimmers. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 23(6):450-455, 2013. PubMed
Multi-Sport / High School Athletics
Roos, K.G., Kerr, Z.Y., Golightly, Y.M., Kucera, K.L., Myers, J.B., Marshall, S.W., Rosamond, W.D., & Comstock, R.D. Epidemiology of overuse injuries in collegiate and high school athletics in the United States. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 43(7):1790-1797, 2015. PubMed
Radelet, M.R., Lephart, S.M., Rubenstein, E.N., & Myers, J.B. Survey of the injury rate for children in community sports. Pediatrics. 110(3):e28, 2002. PubMed