DMU student organizations frequently bring experts and opinion leaders to campus, sometimes “virtually.”
On October 2, 12 – 1 p.m., the Sports Medicine Club and the Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine Club will co-sponsor a video presentation by Kirsten Peterson, Ph.D., a sport psychologist with the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs. Peterson served on the U.S. Olympic Committee sport psychology staff for the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 Olympic teams.
This event is free and open to the public. It will be in Des Moines University Academic Center, Lecture Hall 2, 3440 Grand Ave. Peterson will talk about the psychological aspects of sports-related injuries and how she works with athletes, coaches and teams, says Adam Simonsen, D.O. student in the class of 2012, co-president of the Sports Medicine Club. The presentation will be transmitted via Skype to allow attendees and Peterson to see each other and share questions and comments.
Sports Medicine Club Vice President Jenny Wong, D.O. student in the class of 2012, helped organize the presentation. Peterson was her sports psychologist when Wong was a resident athlete in wrestling at the Olympic Training Center. She accompanied Wong’s team to world-level competitions.
“She helped me tremendously with my mental game,” Wong says. “When athletes get injured, they may not be able to do everything physically, but there is a lot they can do mentally to positively affect their future performances. I thought that our club members, as possible future sports medicine health care professionals, could benefit from learning about this aspect.”
