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Two CDU Students Selected for NFL Pipeline Initiative Program
CDU medical students Kadarius Burgess and Felipe Ocampo are two of 14 students chosen nationwide to participate in the inaugural season of the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative . Burgess and Ocampo will complete clinical rotations with the Los Angeles Rams .
“ I am grateful and excited to be participating in the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Elective ,” said Burgess . “ This is an amazing opportunity which perfectly aligns with my career goals in orthopedic surgery . I am excited to learn from world-class athletes and the experts who work together to care for them on and off the field . I think this experience will help inspire more youth of color who are under-represented in careers like medicine and further , sports medicine , to pursue such careers by seeing people who look like them achieve these goals .”
The initiative is a collaborative effort of the National Football League ( NFL ), the NFL Physicians Society ( NFLPS ), the Professional Football Athletic Trainer Society ( PFATS ), and the three other Historically Black medical schools — Howard University College of Medicine , Morehouse School of Medicine , and Meharry Medical College . It aims to increase and diversify the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine and , over time , help to diversify NFL club ’ s medical staff .
“ My biggest hope through this experience is to inspire youth , especially those from under-represented backgrounds to pursue professions like medicine where they can do incredible things such as sports medicine with the NFL ,” shared Ocampo . “ Growing up , I never thought I could become a doctor . I didn ’ t know any doctors , let alone how to become one . I would have never thought I would be in the position I am today , getting this opportunity to spend some time working alongside the LA Rams medical team .”
The students ’ one-month clinical rotations will begin as the 2022 NFL season kicks off in September . During their rotations , students will observe and participate in the care of NFL players . Students will work directly with and under the supervision of the orthopedic team physicians , primary care team physicians and athletic trainers to gain basic medical knowledge and exposure to patient care in sports medicine . Additionally , students will become familiar with return-to-play guidelines and on-field treatment considerations for NFL players .