Chelsea Backer, D.O. is a Board-Certified Sports Medicine physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of all non-operative sports injuries. Dr. Backer’s areas of expertise include therapeutic ultrasound for joint and tendon injections, nerve hydro dissection, percutaneous needle tenotomy and barbotage, platelet-rich plasma therapy, shockwave/extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT), concussion management, non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, and osteoporosis management.
Dr. Backer is a member of the American Academy of Family Medicine, the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the American Osteopathic Association.
Dr. Backer graduated with her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She went on to complete her residency at MedStar Franklin Square Family Health Center, where she served as Chief Resident and received multiple awards, including the W Reichel MD and Lee Rome Awards for Family medicine. After her residency, Dr. Backer worked as a Sports Medicine Fellow at Christiana Care Health System. During her fellowship, Dr. Backer was also a team physician at the University of Delaware and various high schools in the Baltimore area. She oversees the Athletic Training program at Access Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics, and is the Director of the Concussion Management.
Dr. Backer served as a research technician and lab manager for several years at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. She has authored and co-authored a vast assortment of published medical articles throughout her career.
Dr. Backer enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling.
Undergraduate Education
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Residency
- Chief Resident Physician, MedStar Franklin Square Family Health Center, Baltimore, MD
Fellowship
- Fellowship in Sports Medicine, Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, DE
Specialties
- Therapeutic ultrasound for joint and tendon injections
- Nerve hydrodissection
- Percutaneous needle tenotomy and barbotage
- Platelet-rich plasma therapy
- Shockwave/extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT)
- Concussion management
- Non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal conditions
- Osteoporosis management
Accomplishments
- William Reichel, MD Award 2020
- Lee Rome Award for Family Medicine 2020
- OA Bureau of Emerging Leaders OMED Scholarship 2019
- 3X MedStar Franklin Square Family Health Center Resident of the Month
Published Content
Backer CB, Sedgley MD. Iliotibial Band Syndrome. Common Pediatric Knee Injuries, Chapter 26, Springer. 2021
Backer CB, Gutzman JH, Pearson CG, Cheeseman IM. CSAP localizes to polyglutamylated microtubules and promotes proper cilia function and Zebrafish development. Mol Biol Cell. 2012. Jun 1; 23(11):2122-2130
Schmidt JC, Kiyomitsu T, Hori T, Backer CB, Fukagawa T, Cheeseman IM. Aurora B kinase controls the targeting of the Astrin-SKAP complex to bioriented kinetochores. J Cell Biol. 2010 Oct 18;191(2):269-80. Epub 2010 Oct 11
Glazer AM, Wilkinson AW, Backer CB, Lapan SW, Gutzman JH, Cheeseman IM, Reddien PW. The Zn finger protein Iguana impacts Hedgehog signaling by promoting ciliogenesis. Dev Biol. 2010 Jan 1;337(1):148-56. Epub 2009 Oct 21.
Amano M, Suzuki A,Hori T, Backer CB, Okawa K, Cheeseman IM, and Fukagawa T. The CENP-S complex is essential for the stable assembly of the outer kinetochore. J. Cell. Biol. 2009 Jul 27; 186(2):173-82.
Welburn JP, Grishchuk EL, Backer CB, Wilson-Kubalek EM, Yates JR 3rd, Cheeseman IM. The human kinetochore Ska1 complex facilitates microtubule depolymerization-coupled motility. Developmental Cell. 2009 Mar;16(3):374-85.
Hori T, Amano M, Suzuki A, Backer CB, Welburn JP, Dong Y, McEwen BF, Shang WH, Suzuki E, Okawa K, Cheeseman IM, Fukagawa T. CCAN makes multiple contacts with centromeric DNA to provide distinct pathways to the outer kinetochore. Cell. 2008 Dec 12;135(6):1039-52.
Clancy RM, Backer CB, Yin X, Kapur RP, Molad Y, Buyon JP. Cytokine polymorphisms and histologic expression in autopsy studies: contribution of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 to the pathogenesis of autoimmune-associated congenital heart block. J Immunol. 2003 Sep 15;171(6):3253-61.
Clancy RM, Backer CB, Yin X, Chang MW, Cohen SR, Lee LA, Buyon JP. Genetic association of cutaneous neonatal lupus with HLA class II and tumor necrosis factor alpha: implications for pathogenesis. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Aug;50(8):2598-603.