As the NFL season winds down, so does Rachel Gardenhire’s immersive experience with the Cleveland Browns. The Case Western Reserve University alumnae and School of Medicine student spent the last few months with the team as part of the 2024 NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, which aims to inspire medical students from various backgrounds to consider careers in sports medicine.
Gardenhire studied sports medicine at Miami University of Ohio and worked as a researcher at the School of Medicine Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods before earning a master's in nutrition at CWRU and starting medical school. The Northeast Ohio native credits Case Western Reserve's anatomy curriculum for equipping her with a solid foundation to evaluate injuries. She says the Cleveland Browns coaching staff and players were supportive of her learning.
“It was cool to learn the players’ personalities off the field, but more so to see how in-tune the athletes are with their bodies when something is off and their motivation to seek care and participate in shared decision-making about their medical care,” said Gardenhire.
She is looking forward to completing the rest of her third- and fourth-year clinical rotations and eventually pursuing Orthopaedic Surgery for residency.
Read more about Gardenhire’s experience on the Cleveland Browns website.