Sports Medicine
Personal Connection
- Are you interested in biology, fitness, and medicine?
- Are you highly active and love to move, run, dance, or play sports?
- Do you love getting hands-on with problems and solving them kinesthetically?
Other Connections
STEM Connection
More and better performance data through wearable trackers:
Powerful new prosthetics:
Sports Medicine AR:
Rehabilitation technology:
Journeys to Becoming a Sports Medicine Specialist
Dr. Thomas Trojian is the lead physician for Drexel Athletics and the Chief of the Division of Sports Medicine at Drexel University College of medicine. He has worked with several world-class teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dr. Trojian started off his journey in sports medicine by being an athlete himself. He played football at University of Pennsylvania, switched to rugby after experiencing an injury, and even went on to play rugby at the national and international levels. Being so invested in athletics made the decision to pursue sports medicine an easy choice.
When asked what his favorite part of being a sports team doctor, Thomas said, “Working with the athletes. Also, I like the need to stay very current with treatment options in order to return people back to athletics safely and quickly.”
Dr. Trojian is a great example of the hard work it takes to become a sports medicine physician.“A doctor needs to finish med school, then a residency program. In my case, I did a residency program in family medicine. It thoroughly prepared me to become a team physician. Then you need to do a sports medicine fellowship. If a person chooses to go into orthopedic sports, then you need to complete medical school, an orthopedic residency, and a one-year orthopedic sports fellowship,” he said.
Read about how one student made his dream of going to the Olympics a reality:
Emeka Aludogbu had always wanted to someday reach the Olympics, but because of injuries he was unable to become a professional athlete. His passion for sports remained and he entered university to become a chiropractor and help athletes recover from injuries.
While in school, Emeka kept his eyes set on going to the Olympics – except this time not as an athlete but instead as a member of the Nigerian sports medicine team. He applied for program after program to get a chance of joining the sports medicine team, but he kept getting rejected. He says that while he was disappointed, he was “determined to keep going.” He spoke with everyone he knew about his goals and ended up reconnecting with an old friend who had connections to the Nigerian Olympic team. Soon he had an interview and impressed the team so much he was not only invited to the 2016 Rio Olympics but now has a permanent position with the Nigerian Olympic team as the head chiropractic physician.
Emeka recommends that other students fighting for big dreams “never forget your focus. Always stay focused on your vision, and you will eventually arrive at your goal.”