Kevin Sprouse, DO, VCOM-Virginia Class of 2007, VCOM's inaugural class, returned to his alma mater to discuss his career with students and faculty. Having trained as an emergency medicine physician, he made his way into sports medicine and rehab. Dr. Sprouse was hosted by Chris Reilly, PhD, discipline chair for cellular biology and physiology at VCOM-Virginia, who was Dr. Sprouse’s advisor.
Dr. Sprouse's career has included roles such as serving as the physician for the Hawaii Ironman triathlon and being the team doctor for the Education First professional cycling team in events such as the Tour de France. Not only has he opened his own practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, to help high-level athletes, but he travels around the globe with premiere sports teams. Dr. Sprouse's research in nutrition and fitness has been published many times.
During his visit, Dr. Sprouse talked about finding his passion for sports medicine after feeling burnt-out during his emergency medicine residency and reaching out to a team doctor from the Tour de France. “It’s nothing like I originally set out to do; I didn’t even know this was a job,” said Dr. Sprouse.
When asked about his advice to current medical students, Dr. Sprouse had some pointed advice. “Not knowing what you’re doing now is okay, there’s room to dig into topics. I always talk about VCOM, about starting here; there was so much excitement. I’m appreciative of what I learned and the experiences I had here. Don’t always study so hard, take care of yourself first.”