Redskins' Dr. Robin West Becomes 1st Female Head Physician in NFL

Dr. Robin West reportedly became the first female head physician in National Football League history Wednesday when the Washington Redskins hired her as their new director of sports medicine.

Adam Schefter of ESPN confirmed the landmark nature of the staff addition. The Redskins announced the hire on their official site and provided comments from West, who also serves as the lead team physician of MLB's Washington Nationals:

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I'm excited to be to joining the Redskins' medical team and helping to provide the highest quality medical care, where we focus to improve performance, decrease injuries and provide immediate access to an elite group of medical specialists. I look forward to helping athletes on the field and being involved in community outreach and initiatives with the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation.

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At a time when concussions are a hot-button topic in the NFL, Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk noted West stated football is as "safe as it's ever been" thanks to the use of unaffiliated neurological consultants and independent injury spotters during games.

"We have a lot of eyes on the field looking and all the research," West said. "The NFL puts tens of millions into concussion research as well as the technology behind preventing head injuries."

The Redskins' official announcement noted her resume includes being a board-certified orthopedics and sports medicine surgeon and the medical director of Inova Sports Medicine. She also spent time as an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh while working as assistant physician with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

West's hire is the latest sign of progress in gender hiring in the NFL.

Last April, the league hired Sarah Thomas to become the first full-time female official. She worked for nearly two decades at the high school and college levels. She was also the first female to officiate a major collegiate bowl game during her time with Conference USA.

In July 2015, the Arizona Cardinals added Jen Welter to their staff for training camp and the preseason as a coaching intern to work with the inside linebackers. She was the first woman to hold any type of coaching role in the league.

The Buffalo Bills then promoted Kathryn Smith in January, making her the NFL's first female full-time coach. She took over the role of special teams quality control coach after previously serving as an administrative assistant to head coach Rex Ryan.

Redskins president Bruce Allen stated in the official release they were happy to add West to their staff thanks to her "unique experience dealing with professional and amateur athletes."