Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

April 16, 2004

Doctor to athletes and vocalists

Chief of staff at the Thielen Student Health Center Marc Shulman also is the physician to Cyclone student-athletes. Photo by Bob Elbert.

by Karen Bolluyt
He played "bad football" and "bad basketball" but he got the chance to shine on the ski slopes and became a ski instructor during high school. That helped steer him toward sports medicine. Now he is the campus physician for Iowa State's student athletes.

Marc Shulman also is chief of staff for the Thielen Student Health Center and medical director for the College of Education's certification program for athletic trainers. About half of his patients are student-athletes.

Shulman names stress, obesity and sexually transmitted diseases as three prominent health concerns for ISU students. Student health staff members also are on the alert for tuberculosis, measles, SARS and other infections that may originate with international travel.

"Illness is one of the big reasons students leave higher education. We don't want that to happen," Shulman said.

Student health fees cover the costs of evaluations and office management and subsidize things like lab tests and pharmacy costs. "The fees are higher than we'd like. We minimize costs as much as we can but not at the expense of good health care," Shulman said.

Many first-year students have not dealt with health care costs and insurance or even with making doctors' appointments. According to Shulman, that's a big challenge for staff. But allowing students to walk in for care whenever they want is not part of the solution.

Students complained about spending too much time in the waiting room until four years ago when the clinic switched to appointment-based clinic visits. Walk-ins were limited to emergencies. Scheduling appointments allows most students to see the same physician throughout college.

Athletes are assigned to Shulman. They get comprehensive physicals and counseling on nutrition, good conditioning practices and over-conditioning.

"By the time they get here, athletes have a good sense of their bodies. And they are highly motivated to stay healthy. That is one of the great things about this job," Shulman said.

Student health staff members generally can count on relatively regular office hours. That is not the case for Shulman, who attends all football games, men's and women's home basketball games, home wrestling matches and home gymnastics meets. His responsibility is to student-athletes as well as officials. He's there for pre-competition check-ups, treatment as needed and evaluations after the competitions.

He also is a back-stage volunteer for some performances at the Iowa State Center, partly because his familiarity with staff members and the facility is helpful in an emergency. So getting enough family time means taking his children, a 4-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter, to some events. That worked out well for them when Champions on Ice came to town and his family went backstage to get autographs and meet the skaters.

Shulman said his favorite sport is "any sport an ISU student is playing." He said he does not worry about ISU student-athletes during competitions. "I understand the preparation and talent of our athletes, which is reassuring," he said.

Still, injuries occur. And no one wants to lose playing time. So, he and the trainers help athletes heal as quickly as possible.

"The therapies we use are available to most people. But athletes are highly motivated to use them and they get a lot of support. That speeds up healing," he said.

Marc Shulman's White Chili
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (18-oz.) can tomatillas, drained and coarsely chopped, or 1 pound fresh
1 (14.5-oz.) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
1 (13.75-oz.) can no-salt-added chicken broth
1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chili peppers, undrained
1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (15.5-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1.5 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Coat a large saucepan with vegetable cooking spray; add olive oil and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add diced chicken and saut 3 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add shallots and garlic to pan, and saut until tender. Stir in tomatillas and next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Add chicken and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in lime juice and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls and top with cheese.

Among the heart-breaking injuries Shulman has treated was one to an athlete in Massachusetts who seemed destined for a professional career until he caught his foot in the turf during pre-season drills his first year in college.

"That accident damaged nerves and ended his career," Shulman said.

Increasingly, singers at Iowa State are becoming Shulman's patients. They need good breath and muscle control and any illness that affects the voice can force cancellation of a performance. "Health and conditioning are critical to them; and advice for them is similar to advice for athletes," he said.

A year ago, he decided to do a better job of practicing what he preached. He lost 80 pounds by eating smart (he recommends the old standards, variety and moderation) and walking a lot. "I can keep up with my kids now," he said.

He exerts some kitchen control over his diet. He credits his parents, both of whom were "good cooks," for his interest in culinary arts. The only cooking contest he entered, a chili cook-off sponsored by The Tribune, Ames, was a slam-dunk. He took first place.

And he does not need to travel far to ski. He and his family hit the slopes just a few miles away, in Boone.

"My 4-year-old can ski the blue runs, and he no longer falls asleep in the chair lifts," Shulman said.

Who knows where the blue runs will lead. For Shulman, they led to a career.