Healthcare Heroes: Keli Leong '09CC
4/22/2020 7:00:00 AM | General
Keli Leong, A Former Softball Player, is on the front lines of the Coronavirus as a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine at UCLA Health.
COLUMBIA ATHLETICS' HEALTHCARE HEROES SERIES
In honor of our former Columbia student-athletes who are on the front lines fighting the coronavirus around the world, Columbia Athletics has created the web series: Healthcare Heroes. Columbia Athletics currently has over 500 former student-athletes who are employed in the medical profession. This series highlights the contribution, impact, sacrifice, and hard work that Columbia Athletics Alumni are making to keep America healthy.
If you are a former Columbia student athlete and are on the frontlines of this pandemic please reach out to Cara Holdsclaw at ch3540@columbia.edu
KELI LEONG '09CC
Title: Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Current Company/Organization: UCLA Health
Sport at Columbia: Softball
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Focus, communication, timeliness, teamwork, and competitive drive are just some of the many student-athlete attributes that enabled me to become a successful medical professional.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
I want to thank everyone who is doing their part by adhering to the guidelines set forth by the CDC and public health officials. Please continue to take care of yourself while sustaining responsible awareness of the effects your actions have on others.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
UCLA Health deemed my department essential at the start of the pandemic and we have continued to safely provide our services to the patients. I am treating a lot of musculoskeletal issues as patients adjust to the ergonomics of their at-home workstations.
Due to COVID-19, I have also seen an increase in chief complaints of stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Some of my patients are providers and staff at our hospitals and I'm honored to provide them the care they deserve in this fight against COVID-19.
ERIC TANG '10CC
Title: Emergency Medicine Attending Physician/Clinical Assistant Professor
Current Company/Organization: Kings County Hospital Center, New York, N.Y.
Sport at Columbia: Swimming & Diving (2007-10)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
It taught me stay calm and focused in stressful situations and to trust my training and teammates in the face of uncertainty.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Practice good social distancing habits. Find time to text, call or Facetime your loved ones.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I work at a public hospital in Brooklyn in one of the busiest emergency departments In New York City and the country. I'm involved in the medical screening, treatment and resuscitation of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
LAUREN LAMURA '10CC
Title: Cardiology/Critical Care Physician's Assistant (PA-C)
Current Company/Organization: NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
Sport at Columbia: Rowing (2007-10)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My student-athlete experience at Columbia taught me many lessons in discipline, dedication and hard work. However, the most important thing I learned was how to be an effective teammate. Critical care medicine really is a team sport where the ultimate goal is providing the best care to our patients at what might be the darkest hour of their lives.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
I think the best advice I can give is to educate yourself with scientific facts and use that education to inform all of the challenging decisions you will have to make during this time.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
My specific role is providing front line care to the sickest COVID-19 patients in the ICU.
THOMAS DI VITANTONIO '14CC
Title: Internal Medicine Resident Physician
Current Company/Organization: New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
Sport at Columbia: Wrestling
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Being a resident physician brings with it unique challenges, much in the same that being a student-athlete did while I was at Columbia University. In fact, many of these challenges are similar and the skills required to overcome them are translatable. These include time management, staying calm under pressure, difficult hours, and self-sacrifice. Most importantly, the need to always persevere is critical.
In sports, it is for your team and for yourself that you are striving; as a physician, it is for the lives and wellbeing of your patients and their families. Additionally, being in healthcare is all about being part of a team, now more than ever given the ongoing SARS-COV-2 pandemic.
While I am a doctor, my job would not be possible without the collaboration and teamwork that I have with our nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nutritionists, social workers, and all the other professionals who make a hospital function. Just like in athletics, being part of a team requires communication, understanding, and humbling yourself so that you can learn from those with other points of view. On the whole, I firmly believe that being an athlete and a wrestler played a large role in making me the physician I am today.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
This is a hard time for everyone, especially those of us in heavily hit areas such as New York and New Jersey. We are all in this together, and therefore we all have a role to play.
The CDC has issued guidance for our communities, and I believe that we should follow these recommendations. These include social distancing, good hygiene with hand washing, and remaining apart from large groups, among others. While I realize these are certainly not always the easiest to follow, I firmly believe that we owe it to each other as fellow citizens to take these necessary steps.
Help us healthcare workers help you by staying home and continuing with social distancing!
As an aside, I recognize the emotional and physical toll this can take on individuals. It is important, now more than ever, that we look out for one another. Reach out to that friend you haven't talked to in a while. Take up yoga or another form of home exercise. Learn to cook that new recipe. Read a new book or join that Zoom group meeting.
We must take care of our physical and mental health during this challenging time, and you should not be afraid to reach out for assistance if you are struggling. Support your friends and family, and always remember that New York has many resources available for these issues, as do your primary care physicians.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
As an internal medicine resident physician, I am one of the frontline providers involving in caring for patients infected with SARS-COV-2. Particularly, I am working in an Intensive Care Unit, where I care for critically ill patients alongside a multidisciplinary team.
While these are uncertain times, it is a privilege to work with such an incredible team. Moreover, caring for patients when they are at their most desperate is profoundly rewarding and one that I do not take lightly. It is an honor to be part of the Weill Cornell Department of Medicine, where we have tremendous leadership and kind, compassionate, and selfless residents whom I am fortunate to call my colleagues.
KELSEY MUSSELMAN '13CC
Title: Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident-PGY3
Current Company/Organization: New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell
Sport at Columbia: Volleyball (2009-13)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
As a setter on the Columbia volleyball team, my role involved running the team's offense. This included the responsibility of executing each play with precision while under pressure. It also required teamwork, perseverance, and leadership to bring the team together and bring our goal of winning to fruition.
In my job as an obstetrics and gynecology resident, I often face difficult decisions and complex cases; to be able to persevere, and yet remain calm even in sometimes stressful and time-sensitive situations, is essential.
Medicine is the ultimate "team sport" - everyone, including nurses, advanced practice providers, surgical technicians, physicians, students, and other support staff, play valuable roles in ensuring safe, personal care for patients. To do this well mandates communication among team members and caring for one another, which are essential requirements for any good volleyball team as well.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
So much of what we are facing with this pandemic is unknown and unprecedented. However, in this time of uncertainly, it is important to be kind to one another and to be aware of our collective humanity. Reach out to your friends and family, as well as to others who might be struggling the most during this time.
Support your favorite small businesses. Donate food or money to your local food bank or to an organization that provides services to those without reliable income, food, or shelter. Lastly, make sure to take care of yourself and stay positive!
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
While much of regularly scheduled gynecology is on hold during this pandemic, we still care for patients with gynecological emergencies. Obstetrics goes on with or without COVID-19, as patients and their family still require care during such momentous events such as pregnancy and childbirth.
Additionally, being pregnant does not make you immune to COVID-19, and my fellow residents and I are frontline providers in the care of these women. I am truly fortunate to be able to care for our patients during this critical time in their lives.
ERIN CONWAY '11CC
Title: Obstetrician-Gynecologist
Current Company/Organization: Riverview Women's Health
Sport at Columbia: Field Hockey (2008-11)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Teamwork is critical in medicine, especially when dealing with an infectious disease in a fast-paced situation. It is important to look out for each other in order to keep yourself and your teammates safe.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Protect yourself and others by staying home as much as possible. If you have to go out, cover your mouth and nose and wash your hands frequently. Deliver necessities to vulnerable friends and family members to help them avoid making trips to the store.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
In our office, we are providing prenatal care to pregnant women with COVID-19 and using telemedicine whenever possible. We are delaying all non-urgent visits and surgeries to conserve resources. In our hospital, we are delivering babies of mothers with COVID-19 and trying to stay positive!
CHRISTOPHER AHMAD '90CC
Title: Chief, Sports Medicine, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
Current Company/Organization: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Columbia University
Sport at Columbia: Soccer (1986-89)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My soccer experience at Columbia greatly impacted my medical career. All athletes seek the highest level of performance which demands a complex interplay between mind and body. This includes strength and stamina complemented by years of skill training, heightened focus, split second decision-making, and a calm confidence.
Athletes are judged on their qualities as a supportive and inspiring teammate and we value the gritty player who learns from failure and leaves it all on the field. The characteristics of athletes are entirely the desired characteristic of surgeons.
Like all athletes, I never wanted my soccer career to end. Realizing my career would at some point come to a close, especially after I injured my knee as a senior, I decided I would serve soccer players and all athletes of every level of play as a physician. My soccer experience at Columbia formulated my decision to become a surgeon and gave me the foundation to succeed as a surgeon.
I am honored and thrilled to in my 20th year working at Columbia and participate in the care of Columbia athletes. I am also proud that the field I once played on has been converted to a field hospital to manage COVID-19 patients.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
While our treatment for COVID-19 is limited, adhering to current recommendations on social distancing, hand hygiene, and avoiding rubbing your face and eyes will decrease not only your personal risk but the risk to others. If symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, body aches develop, immediately self-quarantine and take advantage of telehealth options to speak with a healthcare provider. Also important, seek out silver linings during this time such as strengthening relationships with friends and family and look for opportunities to help others.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
As on orthopedic surgeon, it is not part of my practice to care for patients with respiratory illness. However, given the surge of patients in our emergency room at New York-Presbyterian Columbia Campus, I volunteered to assist emergency room physicians.
During a night shift, I worked with an ICU triage team managing some of the sickest patients in the hospital. On a daily basis, I do telehealth visits with patients during the day and participate in several conference calls and zoom meetings to answer COVID-19 related questions and ensure best practices for numerous sports teams and sports organizations.
KATE CRONK '96CC
Title: Neurosurgeon
Current Company/Organization: Southern New Hampshire Medical Center
Sport at Columbia: Track & Field/Cross Country
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Learning the important skills of being a student athlete: teamwork, adaptability, perseverance, focus and dedicating yourself to what you want to do at 100 percent.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
This is not a sprint and it is going to be a long run so hang in there!
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am on the surge team to the ER and the ICU. It is daunting to see so many scared, sick patients and humbling to work next to my peers during these difficult times but also makes me appreciate people I do not necessarily interact with at the hospital on a daily basis.
SANDRA JOHNSON '93CC
Title: Emergency Medical Physician
Current Company/Organization: St. Mary's Hospital; Waterbury, Conn.
Sport at Columbia: Women's Soccer
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
The ability to work together as a team is absolutely essential in an emergency department. The hard work, the shared determination, and the creation of deep personal bonds all help to overcome the daily obstacles we face. This pandemic has also required a perseverance that is indefatigable. I did not realize it at the time, but the four years I was fortunate enough to play on the Columbia women's soccer team laid a groundwork for me that persists today. It instilled an intangible strength and fortitude that evolved during those years, but still helps keep me grounded and optimistic even during the most difficult times. Columbia Women's Soccer was (and still is) a cherished presence in my life.
I often refer back to my soccer team and remember feeling the same way during those four years as I do at work. That experience stretched me, challenged me, and built me up. Yet, it also caused me to question myself and my abilities. It taught me to face my fears and perceived weaknesses. I addressed them and tried to improve upon them. I also learned that it is equally important to celebrate victories, both large and small. This represents a daily experience in the world of medicine.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
If necessary, live in "compartments". It helps to manage the stress and the unknowns of our ever-changing landscape. I try to keep work separate from my personal life. I do speak with my husband about work stressors (he is also an ED physician). Yet, I try not to show the stress and fatigue to my children. As physicians, we took an oath and we are staying true to it.
Do not expect to be perfect. Expect to feel overwhelmed at times and do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it. We are strong. We are Columbians and we have resilience. We have the power to navigate through this chaos and still make a positive impact on the lives of others. We will get through this. There is strength in numbers and community, and we must remember to work together. These are mantras I say to myself on a regular basis and it has helped me maintain a positive attitude.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I work as an emergency medicine physician in Waterbury, Connecticut. It is a city with a lower average overall income and has some of the higher number of COVID-19 cases outside of the larger metro areas in the state. There have been numerous patients who have died either in the emergency department, or after we have treated them and admitted them to the hospital.
Each patient has a personal story and experience and each patient has a family, or a friend. We have seen each patient can feel alone in the ED with emotions that revolved around scared and isolated. It is a mentally and physically traumatic time for these patients and I try to keep that in mind while treating them. Taking time to talk to them, reassure them that they are not alone can help tremendously.
It helps both the patient and the caregiver. The world of medicine involves the human touch, and while this pandemic has isolated us and distanced us. We can still rest a hand on a patient and tell them, "I'm here."
MARK TROLICE '84CC
Title: Medical Director
Current Company/Organization: Fertility CARE: The IVF Center
Sport at Columbia: Football
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My educational, athletic, and social experiences at Columbia provided with me with the resources and skills to meet challenges, persevere and develop a cooperative network to accomplish complex tasks. I owe a lifelong debt of gratitude to my four years at Columbia.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Knowledge is power. We are in unprecedented times so this can be confusing, both professionally and personally. While we must remain vigilant through physical distancing to mitigate the risk of coronavirus transmission, we can find comfort in reaching out to close contacts, maintaining health through exercise, as well as practicing mindfulness and gratitude.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
As director of an infertility practice, we have adjusted our care to mostly telemedicine. I participate regularly in news interviews, webinars and podcasts to educate the public on reducing the risk of coronavirus transmission and explaining the potential risks of COVID-19 to a pregnant woman and newborn baby.
DARCY MILLER '08CC
Title: Anesthesiologist
Current Company/Organization: Buffalo Niagara Anesthesia
Sport at Columbia: Heavyweight Rowing
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My role as a coach and leader in the boat definitely helped me be a better anesthesiologist. A coxswain is the voice and leader in the back of the boat and anesthesiologists are at the head of the bed helping coordinate everyone's efforts to care for a patient.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Find something that gives you joy outside of everything going on in the world. You cannot focus on this all of the time. Be aware and be careful but be able to laugh and take your mind elsewhere or it will wear you down.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am an anesthesiologist in Buffalo, New York with Buffalo Niagara Anesthesia working at Buffalo General Hospital, Gates Vascular Institute, and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. I am often assigned to COVID intubation and line teams where we coordinate with the COVID and non-COVID floors and ICUs to intubate patients who need breathing tubes placed and place central and arterial lines for administering medications, monitoring blood pressure, and drawing blood gas measurements. I also take care of COVID and non-COVID patients for operating room surgeries, labor and delivery, and other non-operating room anesthesia sites.
DAVID LEE '97CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Diagnostic Radiologist, Assistant Chief
Current Company/Organization: Kaiser Permanente Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area
Sport at Columbia: Fencing (1993-97)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Through my Columbia experience as a student-athlete, I learned the importance of determination, preparation, and life long learning. All of those skills have been useful throughout my medical career.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Stay safe and follow public safety guidelines. Wash your hands thoroughly and often and encourage your friends and family to do so as well to stay healthy.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I interpret diagnostic imaging exams such as x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds to help provide care for COVID-19 patients who are in the ER, admitted to the hospital, and in the ICU. My Radiology Department provides imaging services 24/7 for several clinics and hospitals in our healthcare system via teleradiology.
NINA SUDA '09CC
Title: Physician
Current Company/Organization: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY-Presbyterian, ColumbiaDoctors
Sport at Columbia: Women's Tennis (2005-09)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
The drive, dedication, sacrifice, and joy of being a student-athlete at Columbia set the foundation for a career in medicine. I learned how to support teammates when the matches got close, and multitask when the studying went late. No matter the challenges I have and will encounter, I know I will always have a happy escape in tennis and a former teammate on the other end of a phone line when I need it.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Now is not the time for dinner parties. If you're looking to help, reach out to vulnerable populations in your community and assist them with obtaining groceries. Have a conversation with them through their window. Tutor the children from parents who are front line via online platforms. Please don't forget to acknowledge those front line workers outside of medicine. Stay home, stay safe but stay connected.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
From triaging outpatient calls to managing individuals with severe, rapidly progressing disease in the hospital, I am experiencing the full spectrum of this pandemic. I have the ability to provide direct comfort to the hospitalized patients who are afraid and alone and unable to have their loved ones at their bedside during this scary time. It's a challenging time, but I remain hopeful and inspired by my role, the teams I work with, and the community I serve.
DR. JOHN C V BASILE '84CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine
Current Company/Organization: TeamHealth
Sport at Columbia: Lightweight Rowing (1981-84)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Teamwork and the camaraderie of a shared experience. Four years of college athletics is a good introductory course in the serious time management and juggling of multiple commitments necessary during medical training and beyond. The experience helped me navigate through a decade of post graduate training in surgery and anesthesiology and form bonds with my colleagues similar to those with my teammates.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Follow the CDC guidelines. It's real. The quiet streets and closed shops somewhat mask the battle going on in many hospitals. Several of my colleagues have gotten sick, and those in the "hot spots" like NYC are getting slammed with patients. We all need to do our part, be patient and put the inconveniences in perspective
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am involved in direct patient care. My usual scope of practice includes airway management, OR management and perioperative care of cardiac and transplant patients. As part of the COVID preparations I'm part of the airway team so I handle difficult intubations and will do ventilator and critical care management of our COVID patients. If needed I will also work with our perfusionists in managing any patients on ECMO. I work at a large university hospital which is fortunately well prepared and has established dedicated COVID units, ICUs and ORs.
EMILY STANTON '01SEAS (GEORGITIS)
Title: Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician/ICU Physician
Current Company/Organization: Colorado Permanente Medical Group in Lafayette, Colo.
Sport at Columbia: Lacrosse (1998-01) and Field Hockey (1998)
Athletic Notes: Two-sport athlete at Columbia, Earned Academic All-Ivy League honors in lacrosse in 2000
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Critical care is a team sport, just like Lacrosse and Field Hockey. Every person on our team including the cleaning staff, the nurses, the nursing assistants, the radiology techs, the phlebotomists, and the respiratory therapists play an important role. As an athlete, you learn that there are times to lead on and off the field and times to follow. It's imperative that every person on the team has room to do their individual job while keeping sight of the jobs being performed around them. There's often not time to discuss or plan, each individual has to trust their teammates to do their part. This is exactly what I deal with every day as an ICU physician. Taking care of the critically-ill patients requires that every person who enters the room of the patient is living up to the agreement that they are going to do the best job they can and we all have to trust each other. I have seen amazing things happen for patients when our team is working at the top of our game. Even before this pandemic, it was my favorite part of my job.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Support each other. Stay calm. Look at the facts and science to inform your opinions. Be patient. It is going to take a long time before we really understand this disease, the treatment options, and the appropriate testing. In medicine, there are many examples of treatments we thought were right that ended up being wrong. We will figure this one out too. Just give us some time. (oh - and stay home until it's safe to come back out...PLEASE!)
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am an ICU physician, so I am managing patients who are critically ill and are on ventilators due to COVID-19 as well as other serious illnesses.
LINDSEY BORDONE '03 SEAS
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Dermatology
Current Company/Organization: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY-Presbyterian, ColumbiaDoctors
Sport at Columbia: Swimming & Diving
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
I work as a dermatologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and see an average of 270 patients per week. This requires mental and physical stamina and time management skills. As a biomedical engineering student and a swimmer at Columbia I became accustomed to balancing academic and physical rigors which prepared me well for life after college and ultimately a career in medicine
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Use this time to strengthen relationships with family and friends. This is a time to be there for someone else and to reach out when you need support as well.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Currently I am doing a lot of telehealth with dermatology patients to prevent them from seeking care in the emergency department. I am also doing inpatient consults for admitted patients with skin conditions and will soon be helping out in the emergency department by doing shifts when additional coverage is needed.
DR. ARTHUR MARTELLA, M.D. '85CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Current Company/Organization: Virtua Health System in Cherry Hill, N.J.
Sport at Columbia: Men's Tennis (1982-85)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My athletic experience taught me about the importance of the team. You need to support the team, protect the team and give everything you have toward the success of the team.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
This is a war that we will win. Our weapons are our PPE and social distancing. We need everyone to help fight this.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
My team assists in the care of COVID + patients in the intensive care unit. Patients who are failing treatment may require our team to place them on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation).
DR. CALLA BROWN '03CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Academic General Pediatrics Fellow
Current Company/Organization: University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics, Minneapolis, Minn.
Sport at Columbia: Volleyball
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
I am an internist and pediatrician, and I practice med/peds primary care in a federally qualified health care center while completing a pediatric research fellowship. Our patients have extremely complex medical and social needs. Our healthcare delivery depends on high levels of teamwork and communication. Volleyball is the ultimate team sport; you can only touch the ball once in a row, and the team needs to communicate intensely to achieve common goals. This is something that I use every day in clinical practice.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
I don't have any advice; there is too much uncertainty right now. However, my observation is that this is something that affects vulnerable communities in so many different powerful ways, and much of the advice that is given to protect oneself is based on a lot of privilege. Sheltering in place is easier to do if you have a steady job, good childcare, a nice house, and easy access to food. Take away any of these pieces and things become more and more difficult. Additionally, this is a truly global issue, and any sort of resolution will take global solutions and massive levels of cooperation not seen before. These are painful times but I hope that when this is over we will have kept our humanity and worked to build something better.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Our FQHC is open and seeing patients in person and via telemedicine. A portion of my clinical time involves respiratory triage, and otherwise I practice med/peds primary care, seeing patients for well care, sick visits, and chronic disease management.
DR. JANELLE GREENE '12CC
Title: Orthopedic Surgery Resident-PGY4
Current Company/Organization: Yale New Haven Hospital Department of Orthopedics, New Haven, Conn.
Sport at Columbia: Field Hockey (2008-11)
Athletic Notes: Three-year letterwinner as a defender, played in all 16 games as a sophomore, two-year NFHCA Academic squad honoree, originally from Ann Arbor, Mich.
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Mental toughness and physical endurance - knowing when to push through with the strength and confidence to do so versus when to take a step back and reassess, recognizing one's own limits and respecting the adversity. Teamwork - the importance of working within a team, especially when the going gets rough, and support each other through challenges and obstacles. Be kind to yourself and to others. Dedication - enjoying the process ("means") instead of only looking forward to the goal ("ends"). We spend a lot more time in the "means" of our lives, so be passionate about the development stage and find joy in the process.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Self-care - always take a little time for yourself, whether it be a good book, a TV show, a favorite meal, a workout, or a phone call with a loved one. Finding happiness in the little things during this process can go a long way. Use it as an opportunity to catch up on the to-do list, talk to someone you haven't connected with recently, try a new hobby (there's a lot of free content online now), or simply be present and practice some mindfulness/meditation. There will be better days and worse days, so be patient with yourself.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Managing orthopedic traumatic injuries - fractures, dislocations, and extensive soft tissue injuries.
DR. RUSSELL WARREN '62CC
Title: Surgeon in Chief Emeritus Hospital for Special Surgery
Current Company/Organization: Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC; Also serves as the New York Giants team doctor, New York, N.Y.
Sport at Columbia: Football (1959-61), Baseball (1960-62)
Athletic Notes: Voted team Most Valuable Player as a running back/punter on Columbia's 1961 Ivy League champion football team, Inducted into Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, First Team All-Ivy League selection in 1961, In career, rushed for 895 yards on 225 carries with nine touchdowns and led the Ivy League in punting in 1961 with a 41.1 yards per punt average.
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
While attending Columbia I learned the value of hard work and commitment. You as an individual can make a difference but real success requires a team. My studies particularly the Contemporary Civilization courses helped me greatly in thinking about problems and arriving at a solution. The humanities broadened my thoughts and provided lifelong enjoyment. These courses improved my ability to educate others and improved my communication skills. The combination of sports and school has influenced my career in sports injuries, leadership at the Hospital for Special Surgery and working with the New Giants while mentoring many orthopedic fellows. I am very appreciative of my experiences at Columbia and how they have influenced my life.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Be confident, this will pass. Follow the guidelines from the CDC. Our scientists will improve our testing and develop a vaccine. We will all learn from this and learn how to prevent or control future issues.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Since I am older HSS, they have asked senior surgeons to stay at home. Our educational programs have continued on Skype and have aided our residents and fellows to continue their education. Patient contact has continued through our office and telemedicine is starting to play a larger role. Our next issue will concern reopening for normal orthopedic care.
In honor of our former Columbia student-athletes who are on the front lines fighting the coronavirus around the world, Columbia Athletics has created the web series: Healthcare Heroes. Columbia Athletics currently has over 500 former student-athletes who are employed in the medical profession. This series highlights the contribution, impact, sacrifice, and hard work that Columbia Athletics Alumni are making to keep America healthy.
If you are a former Columbia student athlete and are on the frontlines of this pandemic please reach out to Cara Holdsclaw at ch3540@columbia.edu
KELI LEONG '09CC
Title: Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Current Company/Organization: UCLA Health
Sport at Columbia: Softball
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Focus, communication, timeliness, teamwork, and competitive drive are just some of the many student-athlete attributes that enabled me to become a successful medical professional.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
I want to thank everyone who is doing their part by adhering to the guidelines set forth by the CDC and public health officials. Please continue to take care of yourself while sustaining responsible awareness of the effects your actions have on others.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
UCLA Health deemed my department essential at the start of the pandemic and we have continued to safely provide our services to the patients. I am treating a lot of musculoskeletal issues as patients adjust to the ergonomics of their at-home workstations.
Due to COVID-19, I have also seen an increase in chief complaints of stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Some of my patients are providers and staff at our hospitals and I'm honored to provide them the care they deserve in this fight against COVID-19.
ERIC TANG '10CC
Title: Emergency Medicine Attending Physician/Clinical Assistant Professor
Current Company/Organization: Kings County Hospital Center, New York, N.Y.
Sport at Columbia: Swimming & Diving (2007-10)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
It taught me stay calm and focused in stressful situations and to trust my training and teammates in the face of uncertainty.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Practice good social distancing habits. Find time to text, call or Facetime your loved ones.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I work at a public hospital in Brooklyn in one of the busiest emergency departments In New York City and the country. I'm involved in the medical screening, treatment and resuscitation of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
LAUREN LAMURA '10CC
Title: Cardiology/Critical Care Physician's Assistant (PA-C)
Current Company/Organization: NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
Sport at Columbia: Rowing (2007-10)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My student-athlete experience at Columbia taught me many lessons in discipline, dedication and hard work. However, the most important thing I learned was how to be an effective teammate. Critical care medicine really is a team sport where the ultimate goal is providing the best care to our patients at what might be the darkest hour of their lives.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
I think the best advice I can give is to educate yourself with scientific facts and use that education to inform all of the challenging decisions you will have to make during this time.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
My specific role is providing front line care to the sickest COVID-19 patients in the ICU.
THOMAS DI VITANTONIO '14CC
Title: Internal Medicine Resident Physician
Current Company/Organization: New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center
Sport at Columbia: Wrestling
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Being a resident physician brings with it unique challenges, much in the same that being a student-athlete did while I was at Columbia University. In fact, many of these challenges are similar and the skills required to overcome them are translatable. These include time management, staying calm under pressure, difficult hours, and self-sacrifice. Most importantly, the need to always persevere is critical.
In sports, it is for your team and for yourself that you are striving; as a physician, it is for the lives and wellbeing of your patients and their families. Additionally, being in healthcare is all about being part of a team, now more than ever given the ongoing SARS-COV-2 pandemic.
While I am a doctor, my job would not be possible without the collaboration and teamwork that I have with our nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nutritionists, social workers, and all the other professionals who make a hospital function. Just like in athletics, being part of a team requires communication, understanding, and humbling yourself so that you can learn from those with other points of view. On the whole, I firmly believe that being an athlete and a wrestler played a large role in making me the physician I am today.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
This is a hard time for everyone, especially those of us in heavily hit areas such as New York and New Jersey. We are all in this together, and therefore we all have a role to play.
The CDC has issued guidance for our communities, and I believe that we should follow these recommendations. These include social distancing, good hygiene with hand washing, and remaining apart from large groups, among others. While I realize these are certainly not always the easiest to follow, I firmly believe that we owe it to each other as fellow citizens to take these necessary steps.
Help us healthcare workers help you by staying home and continuing with social distancing!
As an aside, I recognize the emotional and physical toll this can take on individuals. It is important, now more than ever, that we look out for one another. Reach out to that friend you haven't talked to in a while. Take up yoga or another form of home exercise. Learn to cook that new recipe. Read a new book or join that Zoom group meeting.
We must take care of our physical and mental health during this challenging time, and you should not be afraid to reach out for assistance if you are struggling. Support your friends and family, and always remember that New York has many resources available for these issues, as do your primary care physicians.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
As an internal medicine resident physician, I am one of the frontline providers involving in caring for patients infected with SARS-COV-2. Particularly, I am working in an Intensive Care Unit, where I care for critically ill patients alongside a multidisciplinary team.
While these are uncertain times, it is a privilege to work with such an incredible team. Moreover, caring for patients when they are at their most desperate is profoundly rewarding and one that I do not take lightly. It is an honor to be part of the Weill Cornell Department of Medicine, where we have tremendous leadership and kind, compassionate, and selfless residents whom I am fortunate to call my colleagues.
KELSEY MUSSELMAN '13CC
Title: Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident-PGY3
Current Company/Organization: New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell
Sport at Columbia: Volleyball (2009-13)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
As a setter on the Columbia volleyball team, my role involved running the team's offense. This included the responsibility of executing each play with precision while under pressure. It also required teamwork, perseverance, and leadership to bring the team together and bring our goal of winning to fruition.
In my job as an obstetrics and gynecology resident, I often face difficult decisions and complex cases; to be able to persevere, and yet remain calm even in sometimes stressful and time-sensitive situations, is essential.
Medicine is the ultimate "team sport" - everyone, including nurses, advanced practice providers, surgical technicians, physicians, students, and other support staff, play valuable roles in ensuring safe, personal care for patients. To do this well mandates communication among team members and caring for one another, which are essential requirements for any good volleyball team as well.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
So much of what we are facing with this pandemic is unknown and unprecedented. However, in this time of uncertainly, it is important to be kind to one another and to be aware of our collective humanity. Reach out to your friends and family, as well as to others who might be struggling the most during this time.
Support your favorite small businesses. Donate food or money to your local food bank or to an organization that provides services to those without reliable income, food, or shelter. Lastly, make sure to take care of yourself and stay positive!
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
While much of regularly scheduled gynecology is on hold during this pandemic, we still care for patients with gynecological emergencies. Obstetrics goes on with or without COVID-19, as patients and their family still require care during such momentous events such as pregnancy and childbirth.
Additionally, being pregnant does not make you immune to COVID-19, and my fellow residents and I are frontline providers in the care of these women. I am truly fortunate to be able to care for our patients during this critical time in their lives.
ERIN CONWAY '11CC
Title: Obstetrician-Gynecologist
Current Company/Organization: Riverview Women's Health
Sport at Columbia: Field Hockey (2008-11)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Teamwork is critical in medicine, especially when dealing with an infectious disease in a fast-paced situation. It is important to look out for each other in order to keep yourself and your teammates safe.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Protect yourself and others by staying home as much as possible. If you have to go out, cover your mouth and nose and wash your hands frequently. Deliver necessities to vulnerable friends and family members to help them avoid making trips to the store.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
In our office, we are providing prenatal care to pregnant women with COVID-19 and using telemedicine whenever possible. We are delaying all non-urgent visits and surgeries to conserve resources. In our hospital, we are delivering babies of mothers with COVID-19 and trying to stay positive!
CHRISTOPHER AHMAD '90CC
Title: Chief, Sports Medicine, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
Current Company/Organization: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Columbia University
Sport at Columbia: Soccer (1986-89)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My soccer experience at Columbia greatly impacted my medical career. All athletes seek the highest level of performance which demands a complex interplay between mind and body. This includes strength and stamina complemented by years of skill training, heightened focus, split second decision-making, and a calm confidence.
Athletes are judged on their qualities as a supportive and inspiring teammate and we value the gritty player who learns from failure and leaves it all on the field. The characteristics of athletes are entirely the desired characteristic of surgeons.
Like all athletes, I never wanted my soccer career to end. Realizing my career would at some point come to a close, especially after I injured my knee as a senior, I decided I would serve soccer players and all athletes of every level of play as a physician. My soccer experience at Columbia formulated my decision to become a surgeon and gave me the foundation to succeed as a surgeon.
I am honored and thrilled to in my 20th year working at Columbia and participate in the care of Columbia athletes. I am also proud that the field I once played on has been converted to a field hospital to manage COVID-19 patients.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
While our treatment for COVID-19 is limited, adhering to current recommendations on social distancing, hand hygiene, and avoiding rubbing your face and eyes will decrease not only your personal risk but the risk to others. If symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, body aches develop, immediately self-quarantine and take advantage of telehealth options to speak with a healthcare provider. Also important, seek out silver linings during this time such as strengthening relationships with friends and family and look for opportunities to help others.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
As on orthopedic surgeon, it is not part of my practice to care for patients with respiratory illness. However, given the surge of patients in our emergency room at New York-Presbyterian Columbia Campus, I volunteered to assist emergency room physicians.
During a night shift, I worked with an ICU triage team managing some of the sickest patients in the hospital. On a daily basis, I do telehealth visits with patients during the day and participate in several conference calls and zoom meetings to answer COVID-19 related questions and ensure best practices for numerous sports teams and sports organizations.
KATE CRONK '96CC
Title: Neurosurgeon
Current Company/Organization: Southern New Hampshire Medical Center
Sport at Columbia: Track & Field/Cross Country
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Learning the important skills of being a student athlete: teamwork, adaptability, perseverance, focus and dedicating yourself to what you want to do at 100 percent.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
This is not a sprint and it is going to be a long run so hang in there!
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am on the surge team to the ER and the ICU. It is daunting to see so many scared, sick patients and humbling to work next to my peers during these difficult times but also makes me appreciate people I do not necessarily interact with at the hospital on a daily basis.
SANDRA JOHNSON '93CC
Title: Emergency Medical Physician
Current Company/Organization: St. Mary's Hospital; Waterbury, Conn.
Sport at Columbia: Women's Soccer
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
The ability to work together as a team is absolutely essential in an emergency department. The hard work, the shared determination, and the creation of deep personal bonds all help to overcome the daily obstacles we face. This pandemic has also required a perseverance that is indefatigable. I did not realize it at the time, but the four years I was fortunate enough to play on the Columbia women's soccer team laid a groundwork for me that persists today. It instilled an intangible strength and fortitude that evolved during those years, but still helps keep me grounded and optimistic even during the most difficult times. Columbia Women's Soccer was (and still is) a cherished presence in my life.
I often refer back to my soccer team and remember feeling the same way during those four years as I do at work. That experience stretched me, challenged me, and built me up. Yet, it also caused me to question myself and my abilities. It taught me to face my fears and perceived weaknesses. I addressed them and tried to improve upon them. I also learned that it is equally important to celebrate victories, both large and small. This represents a daily experience in the world of medicine.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
If necessary, live in "compartments". It helps to manage the stress and the unknowns of our ever-changing landscape. I try to keep work separate from my personal life. I do speak with my husband about work stressors (he is also an ED physician). Yet, I try not to show the stress and fatigue to my children. As physicians, we took an oath and we are staying true to it.
Do not expect to be perfect. Expect to feel overwhelmed at times and do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it. We are strong. We are Columbians and we have resilience. We have the power to navigate through this chaos and still make a positive impact on the lives of others. We will get through this. There is strength in numbers and community, and we must remember to work together. These are mantras I say to myself on a regular basis and it has helped me maintain a positive attitude.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I work as an emergency medicine physician in Waterbury, Connecticut. It is a city with a lower average overall income and has some of the higher number of COVID-19 cases outside of the larger metro areas in the state. There have been numerous patients who have died either in the emergency department, or after we have treated them and admitted them to the hospital.
Each patient has a personal story and experience and each patient has a family, or a friend. We have seen each patient can feel alone in the ED with emotions that revolved around scared and isolated. It is a mentally and physically traumatic time for these patients and I try to keep that in mind while treating them. Taking time to talk to them, reassure them that they are not alone can help tremendously.
It helps both the patient and the caregiver. The world of medicine involves the human touch, and while this pandemic has isolated us and distanced us. We can still rest a hand on a patient and tell them, "I'm here."
MARK TROLICE '84CC
Title: Medical Director
Current Company/Organization: Fertility CARE: The IVF Center
Sport at Columbia: Football
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My educational, athletic, and social experiences at Columbia provided with me with the resources and skills to meet challenges, persevere and develop a cooperative network to accomplish complex tasks. I owe a lifelong debt of gratitude to my four years at Columbia.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Knowledge is power. We are in unprecedented times so this can be confusing, both professionally and personally. While we must remain vigilant through physical distancing to mitigate the risk of coronavirus transmission, we can find comfort in reaching out to close contacts, maintaining health through exercise, as well as practicing mindfulness and gratitude.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
As director of an infertility practice, we have adjusted our care to mostly telemedicine. I participate regularly in news interviews, webinars and podcasts to educate the public on reducing the risk of coronavirus transmission and explaining the potential risks of COVID-19 to a pregnant woman and newborn baby.
DARCY MILLER '08CC
Title: Anesthesiologist
Current Company/Organization: Buffalo Niagara Anesthesia
Sport at Columbia: Heavyweight Rowing
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My role as a coach and leader in the boat definitely helped me be a better anesthesiologist. A coxswain is the voice and leader in the back of the boat and anesthesiologists are at the head of the bed helping coordinate everyone's efforts to care for a patient.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Find something that gives you joy outside of everything going on in the world. You cannot focus on this all of the time. Be aware and be careful but be able to laugh and take your mind elsewhere or it will wear you down.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am an anesthesiologist in Buffalo, New York with Buffalo Niagara Anesthesia working at Buffalo General Hospital, Gates Vascular Institute, and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. I am often assigned to COVID intubation and line teams where we coordinate with the COVID and non-COVID floors and ICUs to intubate patients who need breathing tubes placed and place central and arterial lines for administering medications, monitoring blood pressure, and drawing blood gas measurements. I also take care of COVID and non-COVID patients for operating room surgeries, labor and delivery, and other non-operating room anesthesia sites.
DAVID LEE '97CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Diagnostic Radiologist, Assistant Chief
Current Company/Organization: Kaiser Permanente Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area
Sport at Columbia: Fencing (1993-97)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Through my Columbia experience as a student-athlete, I learned the importance of determination, preparation, and life long learning. All of those skills have been useful throughout my medical career.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Stay safe and follow public safety guidelines. Wash your hands thoroughly and often and encourage your friends and family to do so as well to stay healthy.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I interpret diagnostic imaging exams such as x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds to help provide care for COVID-19 patients who are in the ER, admitted to the hospital, and in the ICU. My Radiology Department provides imaging services 24/7 for several clinics and hospitals in our healthcare system via teleradiology.
NINA SUDA '09CC
Title: Physician
Current Company/Organization: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY-Presbyterian, ColumbiaDoctors
Sport at Columbia: Women's Tennis (2005-09)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
The drive, dedication, sacrifice, and joy of being a student-athlete at Columbia set the foundation for a career in medicine. I learned how to support teammates when the matches got close, and multitask when the studying went late. No matter the challenges I have and will encounter, I know I will always have a happy escape in tennis and a former teammate on the other end of a phone line when I need it.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Now is not the time for dinner parties. If you're looking to help, reach out to vulnerable populations in your community and assist them with obtaining groceries. Have a conversation with them through their window. Tutor the children from parents who are front line via online platforms. Please don't forget to acknowledge those front line workers outside of medicine. Stay home, stay safe but stay connected.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
From triaging outpatient calls to managing individuals with severe, rapidly progressing disease in the hospital, I am experiencing the full spectrum of this pandemic. I have the ability to provide direct comfort to the hospitalized patients who are afraid and alone and unable to have their loved ones at their bedside during this scary time. It's a challenging time, but I remain hopeful and inspired by my role, the teams I work with, and the community I serve.
DR. JOHN C V BASILE '84CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine
Current Company/Organization: TeamHealth
Sport at Columbia: Lightweight Rowing (1981-84)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Teamwork and the camaraderie of a shared experience. Four years of college athletics is a good introductory course in the serious time management and juggling of multiple commitments necessary during medical training and beyond. The experience helped me navigate through a decade of post graduate training in surgery and anesthesiology and form bonds with my colleagues similar to those with my teammates.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Follow the CDC guidelines. It's real. The quiet streets and closed shops somewhat mask the battle going on in many hospitals. Several of my colleagues have gotten sick, and those in the "hot spots" like NYC are getting slammed with patients. We all need to do our part, be patient and put the inconveniences in perspective
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am involved in direct patient care. My usual scope of practice includes airway management, OR management and perioperative care of cardiac and transplant patients. As part of the COVID preparations I'm part of the airway team so I handle difficult intubations and will do ventilator and critical care management of our COVID patients. If needed I will also work with our perfusionists in managing any patients on ECMO. I work at a large university hospital which is fortunately well prepared and has established dedicated COVID units, ICUs and ORs.
EMILY STANTON '01SEAS (GEORGITIS)
Title: Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician/ICU Physician
Current Company/Organization: Colorado Permanente Medical Group in Lafayette, Colo.
Sport at Columbia: Lacrosse (1998-01) and Field Hockey (1998)
Athletic Notes: Two-sport athlete at Columbia, Earned Academic All-Ivy League honors in lacrosse in 2000
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Critical care is a team sport, just like Lacrosse and Field Hockey. Every person on our team including the cleaning staff, the nurses, the nursing assistants, the radiology techs, the phlebotomists, and the respiratory therapists play an important role. As an athlete, you learn that there are times to lead on and off the field and times to follow. It's imperative that every person on the team has room to do their individual job while keeping sight of the jobs being performed around them. There's often not time to discuss or plan, each individual has to trust their teammates to do their part. This is exactly what I deal with every day as an ICU physician. Taking care of the critically-ill patients requires that every person who enters the room of the patient is living up to the agreement that they are going to do the best job they can and we all have to trust each other. I have seen amazing things happen for patients when our team is working at the top of our game. Even before this pandemic, it was my favorite part of my job.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Support each other. Stay calm. Look at the facts and science to inform your opinions. Be patient. It is going to take a long time before we really understand this disease, the treatment options, and the appropriate testing. In medicine, there are many examples of treatments we thought were right that ended up being wrong. We will figure this one out too. Just give us some time. (oh - and stay home until it's safe to come back out...PLEASE!)
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am an ICU physician, so I am managing patients who are critically ill and are on ventilators due to COVID-19 as well as other serious illnesses.
LINDSEY BORDONE '03 SEAS
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Dermatology
Current Company/Organization: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY-Presbyterian, ColumbiaDoctors
Sport at Columbia: Swimming & Diving
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
I work as a dermatologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and see an average of 270 patients per week. This requires mental and physical stamina and time management skills. As a biomedical engineering student and a swimmer at Columbia I became accustomed to balancing academic and physical rigors which prepared me well for life after college and ultimately a career in medicine
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Use this time to strengthen relationships with family and friends. This is a time to be there for someone else and to reach out when you need support as well.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Currently I am doing a lot of telehealth with dermatology patients to prevent them from seeking care in the emergency department. I am also doing inpatient consults for admitted patients with skin conditions and will soon be helping out in the emergency department by doing shifts when additional coverage is needed.
DR. ARTHUR MARTELLA, M.D. '85CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Current Company/Organization: Virtua Health System in Cherry Hill, N.J.
Sport at Columbia: Men's Tennis (1982-85)
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
My athletic experience taught me about the importance of the team. You need to support the team, protect the team and give everything you have toward the success of the team.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
This is a war that we will win. Our weapons are our PPE and social distancing. We need everyone to help fight this.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
My team assists in the care of COVID + patients in the intensive care unit. Patients who are failing treatment may require our team to place them on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation).
DR. CALLA BROWN '03CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine, Academic General Pediatrics Fellow
Current Company/Organization: University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics, Minneapolis, Minn.
Sport at Columbia: Volleyball
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
I am an internist and pediatrician, and I practice med/peds primary care in a federally qualified health care center while completing a pediatric research fellowship. Our patients have extremely complex medical and social needs. Our healthcare delivery depends on high levels of teamwork and communication. Volleyball is the ultimate team sport; you can only touch the ball once in a row, and the team needs to communicate intensely to achieve common goals. This is something that I use every day in clinical practice.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
I don't have any advice; there is too much uncertainty right now. However, my observation is that this is something that affects vulnerable communities in so many different powerful ways, and much of the advice that is given to protect oneself is based on a lot of privilege. Sheltering in place is easier to do if you have a steady job, good childcare, a nice house, and easy access to food. Take away any of these pieces and things become more and more difficult. Additionally, this is a truly global issue, and any sort of resolution will take global solutions and massive levels of cooperation not seen before. These are painful times but I hope that when this is over we will have kept our humanity and worked to build something better.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Our FQHC is open and seeing patients in person and via telemedicine. A portion of my clinical time involves respiratory triage, and otherwise I practice med/peds primary care, seeing patients for well care, sick visits, and chronic disease management.
DR. JANELLE GREENE '12CC
Title: Orthopedic Surgery Resident-PGY4
Current Company/Organization: Yale New Haven Hospital Department of Orthopedics, New Haven, Conn.
Sport at Columbia: Field Hockey (2008-11)
Athletic Notes: Three-year letterwinner as a defender, played in all 16 games as a sophomore, two-year NFHCA Academic squad honoree, originally from Ann Arbor, Mich.
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Mental toughness and physical endurance - knowing when to push through with the strength and confidence to do so versus when to take a step back and reassess, recognizing one's own limits and respecting the adversity. Teamwork - the importance of working within a team, especially when the going gets rough, and support each other through challenges and obstacles. Be kind to yourself and to others. Dedication - enjoying the process ("means") instead of only looking forward to the goal ("ends"). We spend a lot more time in the "means" of our lives, so be passionate about the development stage and find joy in the process.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Self-care - always take a little time for yourself, whether it be a good book, a TV show, a favorite meal, a workout, or a phone call with a loved one. Finding happiness in the little things during this process can go a long way. Use it as an opportunity to catch up on the to-do list, talk to someone you haven't connected with recently, try a new hobby (there's a lot of free content online now), or simply be present and practice some mindfulness/meditation. There will be better days and worse days, so be patient with yourself.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Managing orthopedic traumatic injuries - fractures, dislocations, and extensive soft tissue injuries.
DR. RUSSELL WARREN '62CC
Title: Surgeon in Chief Emeritus Hospital for Special Surgery
Current Company/Organization: Hospital for Special Surgery, NYC; Also serves as the New York Giants team doctor, New York, N.Y.
Sport at Columbia: Football (1959-61), Baseball (1960-62)
Athletic Notes: Voted team Most Valuable Player as a running back/punter on Columbia's 1961 Ivy League champion football team, Inducted into Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, First Team All-Ivy League selection in 1961, In career, rushed for 895 yards on 225 carries with nine touchdowns and led the Ivy League in punting in 1961 with a 41.1 yards per punt average.
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
While attending Columbia I learned the value of hard work and commitment. You as an individual can make a difference but real success requires a team. My studies particularly the Contemporary Civilization courses helped me greatly in thinking about problems and arriving at a solution. The humanities broadened my thoughts and provided lifelong enjoyment. These courses improved my ability to educate others and improved my communication skills. The combination of sports and school has influenced my career in sports injuries, leadership at the Hospital for Special Surgery and working with the New Giants while mentoring many orthopedic fellows. I am very appreciative of my experiences at Columbia and how they have influenced my life.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
Be confident, this will pass. Follow the guidelines from the CDC. Our scientists will improve our testing and develop a vaccine. We will all learn from this and learn how to prevent or control future issues.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
Since I am older HSS, they have asked senior surgeons to stay at home. Our educational programs have continued on Skype and have aided our residents and fellows to continue their education. Patient contact has continued through our office and telemedicine is starting to play a larger role. Our next issue will concern reopening for normal orthopedic care.
DR. ANN MARSH-SENIC '94CC
Title: Doctor of Medicine
Current Company/Organization: Independent Emergency Physicians, Southfield, Mich.
Sport at Columbia: Fencing (1990-94)
Athletic Notes: Three-time Olympian (1992, 1996, 2000), three-time First Team All-American, two-time U.S. national champion, 10-time World Cup finalist, two-time First Team All-Ivy League honoree in foil
How has your student-athlete experience at Columbia prepared you for your role in the medical profession?
Fencing assists athletes to learn to think quickly under pressure which has found great relevance in my Emergency Medicine career. Of course, fencing is also a team sport and the team at Columbia was incredibly supportive and cohesive which has lent itself to further my team building and leadership experience.
What is a word of advice for people during this pandemic?
We will get through this difficult time and we will win. We need to work together.
What part of your job is helping the fight against COVID-19?
I am on the front line in the fight against Covid by working in the emergency department as an emergency medicine physician.
Lions Rewind: Sept. 26 - Oct. 24, 2025
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