Sports medicine is awarded fellowship

The athletic training department was recently awarded the Sports Medicine Orthopedic Fellowship from the Lone Star Sports Medicine Clinic and its proprietor, Dr. Scott Rand. "We were awarded a free doctor, Dr. Alysia Furgatch, through fellowship for one year," said Director of Athletic Training and Sports Medicine, Dr. John Mayes.

For the last few years Mayes and his close colleague, Dr. Louis Harmon, instrumental founder of the Texas Sports Medicine Center in Tomball, were trying to find a way to improve health care and the medical delivery for the university's athletes.
Four years ago, Harmon and Mayes collaborated to form a program in which doctoral residents from Tomball and Conroe Regional Hospitals were sent to Prairie View for a month at a time for training, and possible assistance to the undergraduate students in the sports medicine specialty program. After Harmon funded the Owens-Franklin facility with $250,000 to help with construction, Rand was contacted about possibly giving a fellowship to Prairie View A&M. "Dr. Harmon and Dr. Rand are affiliates, so after meeting with Marsha Wilson, Head of the Health and Human Performance Department, plans were set to bring the program to us," said Mayes. "Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a long running relationship." Now, with both programs at Prairie View, students are able to combine hands on learning with more doctors, as well as extra assistance with their research from Rand. Furgatch, a licensed physician, is able to train with the sports medicine department, as well as help Dr. Glen Barry with the health care clinic.

"It's a win situation," Mayes said, "it couldn't be better for us at Prairie View. We now have an extra doctor to help with the 18 sports, cheerleaders, band and intramurals." "Mrs. Thelma Pierre is a jewel. With her and Dr. Wilson we can't do anything but improve. Dr. Wilson was 100% supportive with the opportunity. She started popping ideas out with physiology and research, and how it would help the students," Mayes said.

Many ideas have come up to improve the program including a mentoring program for the undergraduates.

"If you want to stay true to our mission, you have to think outside the box and be more innovative on how we enhance the lives of our students," Mayes said.