PHILADELPHIA - Future doctor, Bryson Houston, spoke with FOX 29's Steve Keeley about being a part of Penn Medicine's partnership with an NFL physicians program and his hope to inspire the next generation of sports medicine doctors.
In his fourth and final year as a University of Pennsylvania medical student, Bryson Houston spent the last month working with the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It was really fun to be behind the scenes in the training room to kind of see how the players rehab, to see how they overcome injuries, and it's just been really, really cool to see. You also meet the staff as well; they've been nothing but nice in their welcoming since I've been there," Houston said.
Houston was on the sideline Sunday, seeing how the players try to prevent injuries, with all-important pre-game stretching and drills. He hopes someday to be part of "the team behind the team," as the Eagles medical staff call themselves.
"I was able to go out there, watch their pregame warmups, stand on the sidelines, which was an insane experience to see the Minc around you. It was pretty cool," he said.
Realizing back in high school he wasn't going to grow big enough to be a National League Football player, Bryson decided to take a different route to the pros—those who both run on the field to rush to players when they go down injured, but also be with them to rehab injuries after the games.
"The size and everything didn't really work out, and I was sad, and I remember my grandfather telling me, 'Listen, if it doesn't work out that way, your brain still works,' and so I just kept studying and kept trying to figure out my way into this space still and using my brain to do it," Houston said.
"I'm in my last year of medical school wanting to pursue orthopedic surgery. Towards the end of that five-year journey, I do want to go into sports medicine and be a sports medicine doctor, so having this experience is like having a little glimpse of what my future could possibly be," he added.
And possibly another major future Eagles free agent signing as the team's top doctor someday, while also treating everyday weekend warrior athletes too.
"Being able, yes, to take care of high-performing athletes but also being able to take care of your neighbor shows how much depth this specialty has and how many people you can touch while doing it, and I think that's exactly what I want to do," Houston said.