Joseph A. Congeni, M.D. is the emeritus Medical Director of the Sports Medicine Center at Akron Children's Hospital as well as Professor of Pediatrics at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Sports Medicine at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He developed the Primary Care Pediatrics Sports Medicine Fellowship at Akron Children's Hospital, the first of its kind at a pediatric hospital in the U.S. in (1990). He is a (1980) graduate of the University of Notre Dame; and received his medical degree from NEOMED in (1984). Dr. Congeni is currently a team physician for Archbishop Hoban High School since (1988).

He has won many awards including: the OHSAA Respect the Game Award (2004-2005), the Ohio Athletic Trainer's Association’s Team Physician of the Year Award (2008), and Ohio Outstanding Team Physician by the Ohio State Medical Association (2008), Best Doctors in Northeast Ohio (2009-2024), the Dr. Carl Krill Award for humanism and excellence in the field of medicine from the Knights of Columbus (2013), Sports & Exercise Medicine Godfather, Cleveland Clinic (aka Warthog Society) (2017), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Thomas Shaffer National Award for significant contributions to the field of sports medicine (2018) and was inducted to the Diocese of Cleveland CYO Hall of Fame in (2019). Dr. Congeni was awarded an endowed chair in Sports Medicine by the Scala family through the hospital foundation in 2023. In 2024, he was awarded the distinguished alumni award from the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED).

He is also a lead author on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Baseball/Softball Policy Statement issued March 2012. Dr. Congeni’s media events vary from appearing on NBC’s TODAY Show in 2009 to his appearance on a PBS documentary entitled “The Smartest Team” in 2012 and a Sports Illustrated segment in 2014. He also has been appearing on a weekly radio sports medicine segment since 1995. In addition, he has done about 10-15 media appearances and multiple speaking engagements, locally, regionally, and nationally per year. In January of 2024, his publication entitled “Reduced Concussion Symptom Burden in Early Adolescent Athletes Using a Head – Neck Cooling Device,” was published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. It was a multicenter study with five centers directed out of the Research Institute at Akron Children’s Hospital and he was the principle investigator. Dr. Congeni has involvement in 34 publications through Google Scholar and an H-index of 17. Joe and his wife Karen have six children and ten grandchildren and counting.