Stephen E. Olvey '65
Dr. Stephen E. Olvey '65, specializes in head trauma injury, something which serves him well when dealing with race car drivers. He currently serves as co-director with driver Emerson Fittipaldi of the International Motorsports and Vehicular Injury Research Center. Olvey is also vice chairman for clinical affairs, department of neurological surgery at the University of Miami's medical school in Florida. He teaches in that school as associate professor.
Olvey and auto racing have been together for almost 35 years. While he began his career in private practice in Indianapolis, Ind., after graduating from Indiana University's medical school, he also joined the racing world, serving as assistant medical director for the Indy 500 in 1973. Three years later he became medical director for the U.S. Auto Club and from 1978-1988 served as medical director for IndyCar/Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART).
In 1988, Olvey went on to become director of medical affairs for CART and served in htat same capacity for the Homestead/Miami Speedway. He also served as the chief medical officer for the Grand Prix Masters World Series since that time. Olvey has authored/co-authored 20 journal articles and abstracts and has made frequent guest appearances before national and international audiences speaking on motorsport-related injuries. In 1991, Olvey moved to Homestead, Fla., where he began his current position.
He has devoted his professional career to the care of head-injured patients and has successfully combined his expertise with his passion for racing. Early in his career, Olvey helped develop a variety of tests designed to enhance drivers' performance; tests that measure concentration, anticipatory reaction time and information processing speed. Additionally, he developed techniques for measuring physical readiness for high-speed prolonged driving, including flexibility, strength, endurance, body composition, oxygen consumption and nutritional needs.
He received CART's Horton Safety Award, the Molson Achievement Award in Motorsports, Canada and is an honorary member of the American Association of Athletic Trainers. In 1997, the city of Homestead, Fla. created Stephen E. Olvey, M.D. Day and in 1988 Olvey received the Mario Andretti High Performance Award in Medicine for Motorsports Medicine and Safety, from the Detroit Medical Center at Wayne State University (Mich.).
At Hanover, he majored in biology and joined the Phi Delta Gamma fraternity. Olvey was active in Student Senate, Science Club, The Triangle and Alpha Phi Omega. Fellow Hanoverians may remember his Triumph TR3 race on campus.