Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 28, 2013 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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Under the Dome Five Questions With … Head Football Team Physician Jen Malcolm, D.O. Dr. Jen Malcolm is in her first year as a Notre Dame staff physician and the football team's head physician. A graduate of Bucknell University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Malcolm is a Fellows' Matter Committee Chair with the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine. Blue & Gold Illustrated: What are your main responsibilities as the head physician for the football team? Malcolm: "I am the primary care physician and the sports medicine physician for all of our football athletes. What that entails is taking care of illness, injuries and anything else from a medical perspective. "I also go to their practices to help with on-field coverage and any sideline injuries that may occur. I see them in the training room afterwards and travel with them on away games to assist in any medical needs they'll have." Blue & Gold Illustrated: You are in your first year on Notre Dame's staff. What has been the best thing about your job so far? Malcolm: "Oh gosh, there are so many things. Absolutely, the people are phenomenal. They have been fantastic to work with. "The football team has welcomed me in with open arms and has made me feel a part of the team and a part of the family." ▼ Blue & Gold Illustrated: Why do Division I football teams need their own physician on staff? Malcolm: "There's a lot of different high-risk situations. Certainly we have a number of our own traumatic injuries here and as well as life-threatening types of illnesses, things like heat illness, concussions, major fractures and dislocations that require on-field medical attention. "For a Division I team that is putting it all out there on the field and putting themselves at risk for these injuries, I think it's very important to have that support staff there." malcolm Blue & Gold Illustrated: What got you into sports medicine, and more specifically involved in football? Malcolm: "There's three different milestones. The first started in fourth grade when I decided I wanted to be a doctor. I had a phenomenal teacher who introduced me to anatomy. "In high school, I ran cross country and track and had to have a full workup by a primary care sports medicine physician. It was through the testing I needed to go through that I learned more about the field and fell in love with it. "It was like a perfect marriage for somebody who was a student-athlete herself. And how I ended up here was through my sports medicine fellowship." Blue & Gold Illustrated: If a player gets seriously injured, what are your steps to get the player back to full health? Malcolm: "A lot of that will depend on what the actual injury is. With some type of injuries, we've been able to develop great rehab programs. For others, it's taking that particular athlete and stabilizing them and making sure they don't have any emergent situations that would require a higher care facility. "Then it's a matter of keeping control and rehabilitation, and that's where the entire healthcare team comes in handy." — Staci Gasser Click here to listen to Blue & Gold Illustrated's complete interview with Malcolm.

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