As the summer heats up, it's time to welcome our new sports and exercise medicine fellows and say goodbye to our graduating trainees as they move forward in their careers. In partnership with Cahaba Medical Care, the Department of Family and Community Medicine's Sports and Exercise Medicine Fellowship program is a unique two-year fellowship that offers individuals an opportunity to gain hands-on, comprehensive sports and exercise medicine experience while also obtaining a master's degree in exercise and nutrition. Each fellow plays an essential role in caring for athletes of all ages, including organized sports at the professional, collegiate, and high school levels.
Learn more about the new class and graduating fellows below.
Hello:
On July 1, the program will welcome two new fellows, Matthew Miesch, M.D., and Christian Muller, D.O., to the team.
"I'm excited to have such a great pair of fellows coming in to help us take this fellowship to the next level," said Ian McKeag, M.D., sports and exercise medicine fellowship director. "They both come from great programs and have fantastic attitudes. It's going to take some hard work and grit, but I believe these two can help us get there."
Matthew Miesch, M.D.
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Residency: Family Medicine, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT
Why I chose UAB: You cannot beat training in the southeast for football sideline coverage! The Division 1 athletic coverage was a huge draw for me. I also love how the program emphasizes research as a key part of the fellowship training.
Looking ahead: I'm most looking forward to honing and sharpening my ultrasound skills (injections, diagnostic, etc.). I am also very much excited to begin working with Dr. McKeag!
Christian Muller, D.O.
Hometown: Pine Bush, New York
Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Middletown, New York
Residency: Family Medicine, Rowan School of Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey
Why I chose UAB: I find the sports and exercise medicine program to have incredible leadership, ample opportunities to help me grow as a doctor, and all I need to reach my goal of being a sports medicine physician.
Looking ahead: I'm most looking forward to the sideline coverage that is in my near future — high school, club, college, and professional. UAB has a great mix of it all, including the 2022 World Games!
Goodbye:
Pictured left to right: Mallory Lewis, D.O., Ian McKeag, M.D., Patrick Ouzts, M.D.Congratulations to graduating fellows Mallory Lewis, D.O., and Patrick Ouzts, M.D., as they enter the next chapter in their professions. As fellows during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis and Ouzts were able to adapt and provide continuous quality care to their patients despite the selective pressure.
"I have loved having the opportunity to expose [Lewis and Ouzts] to the various experiences we have here at UAB," said McKeag. "My favorite of these were the initial Birmingham Legion FC games when they had just begun fellowship, and the coverage at the Birmingham Bulls hockey games, which was a unique atmosphere compared to the rest of the coverage we provide."
Both Lewis and Ouzts have accepted positions across the country, practicing a mix of sports and family medicine care.
"Mallory and Patrick hold the potential to make a huge impact in their respective communities as their careers grow," said McKeag. "They both have their own style, gifts, and swagger."
Mallory Lewis, D.O.
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Residency: Family Medicine, University of Oklahoma
Favorite fellowship memory: The opportunity to work with Division 1 athletes
Favorite sport to cover: Football and soccer
Next steps: Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola, Florida. I will be in a private practice clinic doing a combination of family medicine and sports medicine.
Patrick Ouzts, M.D.
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Residency: Family Medicine, Rutgers University, New Jersey
Favorite sport to cover: I love all sports, but especially covering soccer and football.
Next steps: I will be relocating to Tucson, Arizona to work for Northwest Medical in an outpatient practice doing both sports and family medicine.