About

Joshua H Altman, M.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine in 2015 and completed his internship in emergency medicine at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, PA, in the same year. He then completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Florida, followed by a primary care sports medicine fellowship at UF in 2020. Dr. Altman is a member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Florida College of Emergency Physicians. His professional interests include emergency medicine and sports medicine, with a particular focus on steroid injections for tendons, bursa, and joints, as well as ultrasound applications. Throughout his training, he has been actively involved in medical coverage at high schools and volunteered with organizations such as the Five Points of Life Gainesville Marathon and the Allegheny Health Network Disaster Committee. Dr. Altman has also contributed to medical education through teaching courses at the College of Medicine and has published research on topics including soft-embalmed cadavers for teaching hip reduction, pulmonary contusions in collegiate athletes, COVID-19 prevalence in college students, and the relationship between arm span to height ratio and cardiovascular parameters.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Physical therapy
• Family medicine
• General surgery
• Psychiatry
• Emergency medicine
• Internal medicine
• Medical emergency
• Surgery
• Environmental health

Selected publications

• Sports Medicine Training in Airway & Trauma (STAT) Curriculum for Sideline Event Providers

  Western Journal of Emergency Medicine · 2026-03-27

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of a Soft-Embalmed Cadaveric Model as an Education Innovation to Enhance Emergency Medicine Resident Competency in Distal Radius Fracture Reduction

  Western Journal of Emergency Medicine · 2026-03-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Practice Makes Perfect: Using Soft Embalmed Cadavers as a Teaching Model for Hip Reduction

  Western Journal of Emergency Medicine · 2025-06-16

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Practice Makes Perfect

  JBJS Open Access · 2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  Background: Mastery of hip reduction techniques is a critical skill for emergency medicine physicians and orthopaedic surgeons. Resident physicians often face challenges in acquiring necessary hands-on experience with this procedure, with limited or variable exposure in the clinical learning environment. Soft-embalmed cadavers have unique properties that maintain joint range of motion and may provide an innovative model for training hip reduction techniques in a simulated environment. This project sought to assess the feasibility and physical resemblance of soft-embalmed cadavers as a novel hip dislocation-reduction model. Methods: The model was created using 2 soft-embalmed cadavers. An orthopaedic surgeon conducted a dissection of the femoroacetabular joint to facilitate repeated dislocations and reductions without compromising the model's integrity. This model was tested by a multidisciplinary group of subject matter experts (SMEs) including 6 physicians specializing in emergency medicine, sports medicine, and orthopaedic surgery who performed hip reductions on the cadaveric model. The experts then completed a survey to assess physical resemblance and utility of the cadaveric model for teaching hip reductions. Results: All SMEs noted near-complete realism regarding the model's anatomy and range of motion. For replicating a hip dislocation, 83% of SMEs stated the model was realistic. While 66% of SMEs stated the cadaver gave a realistic representation of a hip reduction, only 33% reported the cadaver was able to simulate forces of a real patient. Overall, 66% of SMEs expressed a strong inclination to use this model for teaching learners. Conclusion: In sum, soft-embalmed cadavers are a feasible model for hip reduction training, limited in their ability to simulate forces required for reduction. In the absence of other available simulators, they may provide learning opportunities for training hip reduction and have potential as a training model for other orthopaedic procedures.

  PublisherDOI

• Is Mental Health Status Impacted by Daytime Sleepiness in Junior Collegiate Student-Athletes? A Retrospective Study of Preparticipation Physical Exams

  International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training · 2025-01-01

  article

  Context : Lack of sleep in collegiate student-athletes may lead to decreased athletic and academic performance and longer injury recovery time. Recent research has found a link between decreased mental health status and poor sleep habits in collegiate student-athletes. Purpose : The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between mental health scores measured via the General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scale and daytime sleep scores measured via the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in junior college student-athletes. Results : A total of 204 participants (115 females, 89 males) with a mean age of 19.2 ± 0.8 were included in final analysis. Average GAD-7 scores were 1.05 ± 2.7, and average ESS scores were 6.04 ± 3.5. Females scored significantly higher ( p < .01) on the GAD-7 questionnaire than males, but no significant difference was found between sexes on the ESS questionnaire ( p = .67). A weak positive correlation was found between GAD-7 and ESS scores ( r = .23, p < .001). Conclusions : Female junior collegiate student-athletes had higher anxiety scores on the GAD-7 than their male counterparts. Daytime sleepiness measured did not differ based on sex. A weak positive relationship existed between junior collegiate student-athletes anxiety and daytime sleepiness scores.

  PublisherDOI

• Pulmonary Contusions in a Collegiate Football Player With Same-Game Return-to-Play

  Cureus · 2025-02-27

  articleOpen access

  Pulmonary contusions are relatively common lung parenchymal injuries associated with high-energy thoracic trauma but have rarely been reported in sports participation. The most common symptoms include dyspnea and hemoptysis, but severe cases may develop hypoxemia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Diagnosis is confirmed with thoracic imaging and treatment is supportive care, with most pulmonary contusions resolving within a week. Limited information exists regarding return-to-play guidelines in athletes with pulmonary contusions. We present a case of a collegiate football player who sustained right-sided chest wall trauma during competition and was diagnosed with small bilateral pulmonary contusions in a unique coup-contrecoup distribution, identified via chest computed tomography (CT). The athlete had rapid symptom resolution and was able to return to play during the same competition. No previous reports have described immediate diagnosis and return to play within the same game.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Distal femur stress fracture: A unique case presentation in a youth rower

  Current Orthopaedic Practice · 2023

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Physical therapy
  • Emergency medicine

  Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL Financial Disclosures: The author reports no conflicts of interest. Correspondence to Joshua Altman, MD, CAQSM, University of Florida College of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Gainesville 32610, FL Tel: +352-265-5911; fax: +352-265-5606; e-mail: [email protected].

  PublisherDOI

• Relationship between arm span to height ratio, aortic root diameter, and systolic blood pressure in collegiate athletes

  American Heart Journal Plus Cardiology Research and Practice · 2022-12-13 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Study objective: Sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of non-traumatic death in collegiate athletes. Marfan syndrome poses a risk for sudden cardiac death secondary to aortic root dilation leading to aortic dissection or rupture. Arm span to height ratio (ASHR) > 1.05 has been proposed as a screening tool for Marfan syndrome in pre-participation examinations (PPE) for collegiate athletes but limited data exists on the association between ASHR and aortic root diameter (ARD). This study examines the relationship between ASHR and ARD and assesses for predictors of ARD. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I University. Participants: 793 athletes across thirteen sports between 2012 and 2022 evaluated with PPE and screening echocardiogram. Interventions: Not applicable. Main outcome measures: (1) Relationships between ASHR, SBP, BSA, and ARD amongst all athletes as well as stratified by ASHR >1.05 or ≤1.05 using univariate analysis. (2) Predictors of ARD using multivariate analysis using linear regression. Results: 143 athletes (18 %) had ASHRs > 1.05. Athletes with ASHR > 1.05 had higher ARD (2.99 cm) than athletes with ASHR ≤ 1.05 (2.85 cm). Weak correlations were noted between ASHR, ARD, and SBP. Multivariate analysis showed that BSA, male sex, and participation in swimming were predictors of ARD. ASHR was not predictive of ARD in regression analysis. Conclusions: These findings showed a tendency towards higher ARD in athletes with ASHR >1.05 but this observation was not statistically significant in multivariate analysis.

  PublisherDOI

• COVID-19 prevalence and presenting symptoms in a college student population: A retrospective chart review

  Journal of American College Health · 2021 · 4 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Family medicine
  • Physical therapy

  Initial symptoms unreliably clinically distinguish COVID-19 from other viral illnesses amongst college students. Providers should continue to have a low threshold for testing, especially as universities have seen large surges in cases related to students returning to campus.

  PublisherDOI

• Current Paradigms in the Prehospital Care of Exertional Heat Illness

  2020-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• James R. Clugston

  University of Florida Health

  8 shared

• Katherine M. Edenfield

  University of Florida Health

  8 shared

• Evan Stern

  University of Central Florida

  7 shared

• Bryan Prine

  Florida Orthopaedic Institute

  5 shared

• Kristy Smith

  5 shared

• M Stern

  Whittington Health NHS Trust

  5 shared

• Michelle Dimza

  International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation

  4 shared

• Asim Merchant

  Florida College

  4 shared

Awards & honors

• Fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine (2019-2020)