Exercise / Fitness / Sports Training & Coaching Expert Witnesses: 5

David Harlowe is the Founder and President of The Sport Management Group, Inc. (SMG), a nationally recognized Risk Management Expert with 28 years of dedicated service in the Athletic, Fitness, and Recreation Industries. He is an accomplished professional known for conducting safety audits, risk assessments, and developing strategies for numerous organizations, including the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

David has personally performed over 3,500 safety audits on athletic and fitness facilities and has performed over 14,000 risk assessments nationwide. With a vast range of expertise and a commitment to safety, he has made a significant impact in the field of risk management. 

Litigation Support - David has been retained as an expert witness in over 40 cases nationwide. His services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defense and is well-acquainted with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines.

Areas of Expertise:

Career Highlights:

• Manages over 500 independent field inspectors around the country
• Authored various safety manuals and training programs designed for athletic directors, health club owners and managers
• Created and currently maintains a website, https://facilityriskservices.com, a 24-hour resource for facility owners and staff members
• Developed risk management websites specifically for the athletic, fitness and recreation industries
• Conducts risk management lectures at local universities and colleges
• Developed an E-Learning Program specific to the athletic and fitness industries
• Authored “Fitness Center Safety” chapter in Risk Management in Sports, Second Edition, edited by Herb Appenzeller.

Douglas Baumgarten, M.S., offers consulting and expert witness services related to Fitness, Health Clubs, Exercise Equipment, Personal Training and Sports. Mr. Baumgarten is a graduate of Harvard University and California University of Penna. (M.S. Exercise Science). He is a certified Health/Fitness Director (Amer. Coll. of Sports Medicine), Performance Enhancement Specialist, Medical Exercise Specialist, Bike Fitter, cycling coach, and baseball/softball official.  He is a former Adjunct Professor of Health and Fitness Management at Marymount University.

Mr. Baumgarten has over 40 years in the fitness industry, as personal trainer, manager, consultant, equipment dealer, President of a large fitness company, and owner of SportFit Consulting. He has contributed to Fitness Management magazine, Boardroom magazine, Club Management magazine, and other publications.  

Litigation Support -  Mr. Baumgarten has over 18 years of experience as a legal expert, on cases from equipment accidents to health club employee conduct. He works with both plaintiffs and defendants, and has testified in federal, state, civil and criminal courts.  Douglas Baumgarten has the experience and expertise to assist in cases involving:

View Douglas Baumgarten's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Michelle Wolpov is an Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy Expert with over 35 years of experience in her field.  Dr. Wolpov is a licensed Physical Therapist, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY 1987), a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy (DPT) from EIM Institute of Health Professions (2011), and a master’s degree in business (MBA). She has treated patients in her own outpatient orthopedic and sports physical therapy practice founded in 2002 and located in Manalapan, NJ.

Litigation Support - Dr. Wolpov has worked as an Expert Witness in the field of Physical Therapy for both plaintiff and defense attorneys in over 26 states, and has handled over 200 cases since 2005. Offerings include: litigation consulting, standards of care, research and investigative activities, affidavits of merit, opinion reports, expert witness testimony and depositions, and court appearances.

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Wolpov has worked in various types of clinical settings including hospitals, home care, assisted living, and sub-acute care, with the majority of time spent in outpatient facilities. More specifically, she has worked with patients of all ages, having orthopedic and sports injuries, to those suffering from neurological conditions, or who have had a work or motor vehicle related injury. 

Dr. Wolpov has written many policies and procedures on the safe handling of post-op patients, and has reviewed best practices for rehabilitation of patients following orthopedic surgery. In addition, she has been closely affiliated with the Hospital for Special Surgery as part of their Rehab Network.

Laura Miele, PhD, CST-2, is a Sport, Fitness, and Education Expert with over 30 years of experience in various aspects of sport, fitness, and physical activity including the education, training, and supervision of athletes. Dr. Miele is a Nationally Certified Accredited Interscholastic Coach through the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) and has 14 years of physical education experience, (Pre-kindergarten-12) within multiple states across the country.  

Background Experience - Dr. Miele played Division I basketball at Arizona State; was Tight End for the Arizona Caliente, of the Women’s Professional Football League; and was also a New York Golden Gloves semi-finalist in 2004. She began coaching athletes in 1986 and has been involved as a personal exercise and fitness trainer since 1994.  She has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe as an athlete and coach and has been involved in consulting, coaching and teaching a wide range of sports including but not limited to; Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Softball, Baseball, Football, Archery, Bowling, Figure Skating, Hockey, Boxing, Wrestling, Field Sports, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Track and Field, and Tennis. 

Dr. Miele is a level 2 Certified Service Technician for the International Association of Trampoline Parks. She serves on the Sports Equipment, Playing Surfaces, and Facilities Committee and currently serves and assists on the task force that is in the process of creating the standards for Amusement Challenge Areas. She has given numerous presentations on the topics of sport injury prevention as well as supervision and safety in Amusement Challenge Courses / Trampoline Parks Risk Management.

Litigation Support - Dr. Miele is an expert in fitness, sport and recreation with specific expertise in sports psychology, coaching, recreation, personal training, fitness facilities management/operations, and injury prevention. She is an accomplished athlete as well as an experienced trainer, coach and teacher. She provides expert witness services to attorneys for both plaintiff and defendant. Her services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Dr. Miele has relevant experience in the proper teaching standards required by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) for the:

• Proper Supervision Before, During, and After School
• Skill Progression and Instruction
• Proper Use of Safety Equipment
• Practices related to the Role and Responsibilities of Teachers and Administrators  

Areas of Expertise:

• Fitness Facility Operations including Personal Training, Supervision, Risk Management, and Injury Prevention
• Physical Education, Sport and Recreation-Risk Management
• School / Teacher Supervision-Playground-Recess
• Proper Coaching Training Practices and Procedures in Sports
• Gymnastics, Trampoline Parks / Amusement Challenge Courses
• Emergency Preparation and Response in Schools, Fitness and Sport Facilities

Harriet Jacobster, AuD, is an ASHA Certified Doctor of Audiology with almost 40 years of experience, as well as a Certified Health Coach, Certified Master Trainer and Functional Aging Specialist. She is knowledgeable in diagnostics and cognitive disorders focusing on Tinnitus, Hearing Loss, Balance, and Military Noise Exposure.

Litigation Support - Dr. Jacobster serves as an Expert WItness for cases involving Hearing Damage and Loss. Her services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include medical, occupational, and audiology test review, thorough reporting, DMEs, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. Dr. Jacobster is also an expert witness and disability consultant for various veterans and legal organizations Cases have included 3M Earplugs as well as private cases involving motor vehicle accidents.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Dr. Jacobster has decades of experience providing comprehensive hearing tests, tinnitus assessment and treatment, hearing aid services, hearing protection services, and Military Noise Exposure.

To show her dedication to promoting professional standards, Dr. Jacobster served on the  Membership and Professional Compliance Committees of the American Academy of Audiology. She's also served on the faculties of several colleges both in the United States and abroad, and on staff of several hospitals. 

An accomplished musician, Dr. Jacobster has served on various Boards of DIrectors including the Adult Musicians with Hearing Loss. She was a nominee to the Board of Governors of the American Board of Audiology and was co-chair of the Fundraising Committee for the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss.  She works closely with the American Tinnitus Association as a counselor to raise awareness and bring hope to people with tinnitus and their families and was chosen as the Guest Healthcare Professional for the Summer, 2015 edition of Tinnitus Today, the publication of the ATA.