Sara N Raiser, MD

Sara Raiser, MD, FAAPMR, CAQSM, LMT, is a primary care sports medicine academic physiatrist and running medicine physician. 

She has a keen interest in running medicine and has trained with running medicine experts across the country. Because she enjoys providing holistic and comprehensive care to athletes, much of her time is spent working closely with a multidisciplinary team to care for athletes with complex conditions such as bone stress injuries by addressing biomechanics, nutrition, and training plans.

She also performs run gait evaluations, assists with return to run/sport plans, and addresses issues specific to the female athlete. She currently serves as a team physician for James Madison University Division I Athletics.

Her future programming will work to shift the mindset of runners’ healthcare to primary preventative care and early intervention with the goals of limiting downtime from illness and injury and improving runner efficiency and performance. 

Dr. Raiser emphasizes the importance of education regarding injury prevention and athlete self-care for all ages and levels of runners from youth to master. She works to provide this education within her clinic as well as through local community outreach programs. She serves to empower female athletes of all ages to cultivate a lifelong respect for their bodies. 

She also has an interest in improving the musculoskeletal education of medical students, residents, and fellows given the vast influence musculoskeletal medicine has on a patient’s quality of life and function throughout their lifetime. She is involved in medical education research and medical student, fellow, and faculty teaching at institutional and national levels. She looks forward to the positive changes to come for all athletes, but especially to the care of the runner and the female athlete.

Dr. Raiser has served as a team physician for Atlanta Track Club’s Elite Development Team; George Tech (Div I) and Emory College (Div III) Cross Country and Track & Field teams; Stanford University Varsity Athletics (Div I); and South Forsyth, Cherokee Bluff, and Flowery Branch High Schools. She provides mass event medical coverage for road races, cross country races, and track and field events.

Awards

• PM&R Excellence in Scholarship Award, 2025

• AAPM&R Innovate & Influencer Honoree, 2025

• AAPM&R Early Career Award, 2025

• Medical College Council Student Group of the Year - Holistic Medicine Interest Group, 2012

• Orthopaedics Department Student of the Year Award, 2014

• Student Counseling and Development Student Well-Being Award, 2014

• PM&R Resident Research Award, 2017

• PM&R Resident Teaching Award, 2018

• Platinum Provider, Top 10% Provider Recognition List, 2021