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Marvin Valencia: Enabling the World’s Great Athletes

May 23, 2023

Marvin Valencia, D.O., loves everything about sports: the passion and preparation required, their camaraderie and competitiveness. Though he was an avid athlete as a child, playing professional sports wasn’t in his future. But that was no end to his love of the game. 

Read on to learn more about Dell Medical School’s Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship program — plus Valencia’s experiences preparing for a career as a sports medicine physician and for the 2028 Summer Olympics. 

Describe your path to medicine. Where do you hope it takes you?

I attended the University of California, Irvine, as a Chicano and Latino studies major. I wholeheartedly enjoyed building upon my personal experience as a Latino and my understanding of those populations.

After pursuing a post-baccalaureate in northern California, I attended Lincoln Memorial University-Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Coming to the Appalachian region of Tennessee allowed me to work in a rural setting with a different kind of underserved community from what I had previously experienced. While in medical school, I did two years of rotations in Fort Smith, Arkansas, then made my way back to my hometown of Los Angeles for residency before pursuing this fellowship. 

My goal is to become a sports medicine physician for Olympians. Throughout my residency and fellowship, I’ve established connections with Olympic physicians and made sure to keep in touch with them. The Olympics are coming to Los Angeles in 2028, and I have my sights set on being a part of that. When the time comes, look for a bearded guy on the sidelines. Hopefully, I will have fulfilled those dreams. 

You had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand to help treat the U.S. women’s rugby team at the Women’s Rugby World Cup. What perspective did practicing medicine abroad and working with a professional team provide to your education?

Rugby players are gladiators with a ball. It’s a brutal sport, but a magnificent way of learning — I could typically expect at least one injury per game. It was incredible to watch these athletes play with so much heart at such an elite level. 

When people watch sports on TV, they think about the athlete simply showing up and performing to a specific expectation. What they do not see is the time and effort it takes for the athlete to perfect their craft and reach that elite level. I was fortunate enough to witness that effort with the women’s rugby team: from eating correctly, going over film, and weightlifting to rehabbing, sleeping, and wellness. 

This experience showed me that it takes more than just “showing up.” Whether it’s for rugby, education or your life, you will get the best out of anything if you push yourself and give it everything you’ve got. 

Why should medical students and residents consider a fellowship down the line?

This fellowship has helped me home in on a subspecialty that I enjoy doing and that encapsulates my interests outside of medicine. As a sports medicine fellow, I’m becoming an expert in this field and — hopefully — someone people will look up to. This fellowship will allow me to do something I love for the rest of my career. I won’t have to face the possibility of burnout from a typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. routine, and I’m thrilled at the prospect of what comes through my door each day. 

The New York Times asks readers to tell their “Tiny Love Stories” in just 100 words. What’s the tiny story of your work? 

Sports. You came into my life before I knew what hand I would use to hold a ball. You were always more than just something to do. You were my caretaker, my teacher and my source of aspiration. You taught me how to compete, how to make friends, the “Mamba Mentality” [Kobe Bryant’s approach to life and basketball], and how to be a better person. As I continue, it is my turn to return the favor and give others what you have given to me. 


This news feature is part of Dell Med’s Voices, a series of profiles that highlight the people of Dell Med as they work to improve health with a unique focus on our community.