Road to the Olympics: Three Female Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Journeys

Gloria Beim, UNITED STATES Sharon L. Hame, MD, UNITED STATES Ruth Delaney, FRCS , IRELAND

ISAKOS eNewsletters   Current Perspective 2025   Not yet rated

The Paris Olympics saw the participation of more female athletes than in any previous Olympic Games. It was the first Olympic games to achieve gender parity on the field of play, with 152 women’s events, 157 men’s events, and 20 mixed-gender events. Along with coaches, athletic trainers, dieticians, and strength and conditioning personnel, these elite athletes are supported by team physicians, Olympic physicians, and local and personal physicians who take care of their primary care and orthopaedic needs. Physician gender parity has been elusive; however, in Paris, we witnessed an increase in the number of female orthopaedic surgeons and physicians providing care. Looking at Team USA alone, 19% of the physicians were female in the 2012 games, compared with 32% for the 2024 games. In the following interview, orthopaedic surgeons Dr. Gloria Beim, Dr. Sharon Hame, and Dr. Ruth Delaney explain how they became physicians for Olympic athletes and how this role has influenced their medical practices and their lives.

How were you able to be involved with Olympic athletes?

Dr. Beim: I was a doctor for USA cycling back in 1996. The Team wanted me to travel to the summer Olympics in 2000, but it was not possible at that time without going through the USOC volunteer program. I therefore spent 2 weeks at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, after which I was asked to cover the World University Games with the Ski Team and was then asked to cover my first Olympic Games in 2004 in Athens. I was very fortunate to continue work with the USOPC and have since covered 4 Olympic and 4 Paralympic Games, serving as “Head Team physician” at the summer Olympics in Paris 2024. It was awesome to see and work with so many amazing, empowering, and brave women athletes, and I know that many of them appreciated seeing a woman physician in a leadership role. Back during my first Olympic Games, there were very few female docs, especially orthopedists! I was often mistaken for a nurse or even the head of Sports Medicine's secretary! I honestly didn't care; I was just so honored and excited to be there.

Dr. Hame: Ever since working in concessions at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, I have dreamed of working with Olympic athletes at the Olympic Games. Over the years, I've been a team physician for UCLA athletics and have taken care of multiple teams, including UCLA women’s basketball. More recently, I became the Head Team Physician for the Los Angeles Sparks. My experience as a team physician, both for a collegiate basketball team and a WNBA team, helped to qualify me to serve as a team physician for the Olympic games. Given my over 20-year experience with basketball, it was only natural that, when UCLA became the official health care providers of USA Basketball, I would be considered a candidate for a team physician for the USA National Team. To prepare for the Olympic Games, I traveled with the U.S. Women’s National Team both through their USA tour and their Olympic-qualifying event in Belgium. These events prepared me to work with both the men’s and women’s national teams and the men’s and women’s 3 × 3 basketball teams at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Dr. Delaney: As a shoulder-fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon (as opposed to a sports-fellowship-trained surgeon), taking care of teams and traveling with athletes to events has not really been a major part of my practice. I have, however, had the privilege of being involved in the care of elite athletes and Olympians when they have specifically needed treatment for a shoulder injury. This has typically come about when their team doctor has referred them to me. In the U.S., unlike in Ireland, team doctors are usually not orthopaedic surgeons but nonoperative sports medicine physicians. One of the key aspects of their role is to develop a good working relationship with a network of orthopaedic surgeons covering all of the subspecialties that may be required by their athletes. Conversely, if an orthopaedic surgeon wants to take care of these elite athletes, then he or she has to make himself or herself available to the team physician and the athlete so that they have easy and efficient access to specialist care. Early in my practice, I was asked by Dr. Jim O’Donovan, the then-team physician for Munster Rugby (one of the 4 professional rugby teams in our country) to be their go-to shoulder consultant. This led to seeing, and often operating on, many of their players. Jim went on to become one of the Olympic team physicians, and, because we had a good working relationship and he had seen good outcomes with the professional rugby players under my care, he continued to send athletes to me whenever he needed a specialist opinion on a shoulder injury. I therefore took care of a number of Olympians, the most high profile of whom was the gymnast and 2024 Olympic gold medalist on the pommel horse, Rhys McClenaghan. Rhys has spoken publicly about his shoulder injury and the journey through surgery and rehabilitation back to competing, and succeeding, at the very highest level.

How has working with Olympic and elite athletes influenced your practice?

Dr. Beim: I have learned so much throughout my experiences with these amazing athletes over the years, which has changed how I practice. A great example is how I learned and incorporated the use of diagnostic ultrasound. I knew very little about musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound, and, in 2011, I worked with a USOPC health care provider who had amazing ultrasound skills. He taught me the basics and I have been using MSK ultrasound in my practice ever since. In addition, I had the incredible opportunity to be the Chief medical officer at my first of 4 Paralympic Games in Rio 2016. It was an awesome experience and an incredible challenge to work on a totally different level of sports medicine. I enjoyed getting to know dozens of these amazing humans, and it truly changed my life. I became very involved with the Wheelchair basketball team and they asked me to be their Head team physician. I have developed so many wonderful relationships with many of the players over the years, and they have played an important role in my developing a more comprehensive medical practice.

Dr. Hame: Working with high-level athletes, including Olympic athletes, has had a positive influence on my practice of sports medicine. Given the extraordinary expectations of an Olympic athlete, not only in their performance but also in their training, I have learned new and advanced injury-prevention and treatment protocols. Over time, the new protocols and treatment algorithms trickle down to my general patient population, allowing me to provide the best care possible for my patients. In addition, working with highly experienced international team physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and primary care sports medicine physicians has created a collaborative environment to help solve the most difficult sports medicine issues. Ultimately, working with high-level athletes, and especially being a team physician for an Olympic team, has elevated my standing and reputation within my institution, with patients, with peers, and with the community both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Delaney: Elite athletes will often have time pressures due to competition and qualification deadlines that force us to rethink the postoperative rehabilitation timelines that we normally stick to. Many of the postop protocols come from dogma rather than scientific data, and operating on high-level athletes has forced me to reevaluate those protocols so that I individualize them more. The athletes have helped me to understand where we can push some of the boundaries in postop rehabilitation. This naturally involves collaboration with our physiotherapists and has led to my involvement in research on return-to-play criteria after shoulder surgery with our senior physiotherapist, Edel Fanning. Communication between sports physicians, physiotherapists, athletic trainers, coaches, managers, and a whole wider team is an integral part of the care of elite athletes. Building relationships with these colleagues has been a rewarding part of taking care of Olympic athletes and has also resulted in a natural growth of my practice in that direction as these people start to refer more patients to me from all levels of sport.

How has caring for Olympic and elite athletes affected your life?

Dr. Beim: It has been nothing short of amazing and inspiring. I feel so far from any sort of burnout or practice dissatisfaction, likely due to the positive experiences I have had. I love medicine, and particularly Ortho Sports medicine, with such passion to begin with, and caring for Olympic and Paralympic athletes increases my passion exponentially. I feel so lucky and honored for the ability to work with the greatest athletes in the entire world, it is truly humbling.

Dr. Hame: As a collegiate and WNBA team physician, Olympic team physician was a position that had alluded me until recently. It was deeply satisfying to accomplish the goals that I had set out for myself at the beginning of my career. I have been able to work and spend time with the most talented sports medicine teams in the world. Taking care of elite athletes requires communication and availability. Over time, I have learned to balance family and career and to be available at the most important moments. I have also been able to travel around the world, supporting athletes who are living out their dreams. I'm extremely proud to be involved with Olympic athletes and their care. Surrounding myself with talented athletes, keeps me young and helps prevent work burnout. There is nothing like seeing your athletes conquer adversity and stand on the podium to receive their medal.

Dr. Delaney: I have found that engaging with diverse aspects of being a shoulder surgeon, rather than just seeing regular patients and operating week in week out, has allowed me to stay motivated about my profession. While there can be additional demands in taking care of elite athletes, such as out-of-hours conversations and fitting in consultations and surgical procedures for them on an already full schedule, I think it adds a dimension to practice that can bring more positives than negatives. It is inspiring to see a patient whom I have operated on get back to the elite level of sport that they have dedicated their lives to. I believe that the excitement and joy in seeing these athletes perform helps to decrease any feelings of burnout that can creep in for a surgeon over time. I can honestly say that it has been a highlight of my life, both personal and professional, to have the privilege to be in the Bercy Arena in Paris in August 2024 when a patient I had operated on had a gold medal placed around his neck and our national flag was raised.

Summary

The influence of the Olympic Games nationally and internationally is unmatched, and the Paris Olympics were no exception. Olympic team physicians can serve as highly visible role models for young women interested in a career in sports medicine. Dr. Beim, Dr. Hame, and Dr. Delaney have highlighted the unique ways in which physicians can become part of the Olympic games. They have also expressed common themes of communication, new skill acquisition, work satisfaction, and burnout prevention as a result of their work. Understanding the ways to become an Olympic team physician or to work with Olympic athletes is important for physicians who are interested in pursuing this elite sports coverage. We recommend exploring your countries requirements and gaining early experience in team coverage and elite athlete care. This can lead to greater responsibility in the future and your own Olympic experience.

Please note: ISAKOS Newsletter Current Perspectives are not peer-reviewed articles. For peer-reviewed articles, please visit the Journal of ISAKOS at jisakos.com.