An Olympic Experience

Many people dream of one day experiencing the Olympic Games firsthand. For most, that dream remains just that, a dream. But for Paul Baumert ‘78, that dream became a reality in 2022 when he accompanied the competing United States athletes to Beijing, China, as the Deputy Chief U.S. Team Physician at the Beijing Games.

Growing up, Baumert wanted to pursue a career in medicine for as long as he can remember. This was a goal of his even before he knew the steps he’d need to take to get there. He believes his interest and abilities in the sciences were definitely fostered by his Mid-Prairie teachers at all grade levels. As a “Kalona kid”, Baumert grew up around Dr. Sattler and Dr. Beckman. They were always available for him to ask questions along the way. He’s grateful for the strong foundation and guidance he received from his roots that helped him pursue his medical studies.

After graduating from Mid-Prairie, Baumert attended college and medical school at the University of Iowa. He completed a family medicine residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, and later completed a sports medicine fellowship at the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia, in 1992. Following his fellowship, he took a position in the orthopedic department at Kaiser Permanente in Kansas City, taking care of patients with non-surgical orthopedic concerns. In his after-clinic hours and on weekends, he covered the training room and athletic events for Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, and Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. After a brief period of private practice, Baumert moved back to Iowa City in 2000 to take a team physician position for Hawkeye football. He was also responsible for coordinating the primary care coverage for all University of Iowa sports and athletes. Since moving to the Des Moines area in 2011, his work has included taking care of the homeless and underserved at Broadlawns Medical Center, as well as primary care work at the McFarland Clinic and the Veterans Administration. Along with his full-time clinic work, Baumert has also dedicated his time to medical volunteer work throughout his career. He has been a volunteer team physician at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs since 1997. He was made aware of the U.S. Olympic Training Center volunteer physician program during his sports medicine fellowship. As soon as he finished his fellowship and passed his sports medicine boards, he applied for the volunteer program. The program is structured as a two-week assignment to one of their three training centers – Colorado Springs, Lake Placid (New York) or Chula Vista (California). During the two-week rotation, the volunteer physician functions as the primary medical contact person on-site for any medical issues that arise during that two-week period. Following the rotation, the USOTC staff evaluate the physician and decide whether or not to keep the physician on their list to be invited back. He initially applied to the program in 1992, and he received his first two-week rotation offer in 1997.

A typical workday for Baumert in the USOTC volunteer physician program starts by reporting to the Sports Medicine Clinic when it opens in the morning. Usually there are some scheduled medical appointments for athletes who request to see the doctor about non-urgent concerns. As various sports begin their practice schedules for the day, athletes are sent to the clinic for further evaluation as medical issues arise. Occasionally, an urgent medical issue arises at one of the other buildings on campus, and he is summoned to that location to evaluate the athlete. There are also scrimmages and competitions that are scheduled during the rotation, when a physician presence on-site is often requested. At the beginning of the two-week rotation, the physician is given a pager and is expected to remain available to be contacted at any time, whenever needed.

A volunteer program like this has given Baumert his fair share of exciting and rewarding experiences. In his opinion, the most exciting part of this program is simply the opportunity to work and learn from some of the best sports medicine providers in the country – athletic trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists, dieticians, psychologists and others – all in one location. For him, the most rewarding part of the program has been the opportunity for him to play an integral role in the medical team delivering care to some of the best athletes in the world. The athletes he has treated over the past 25 years span from seasoned gold medalists to those in the early stages of their journey.

These exciting and rewarding experiences also bring about their own challenges to work through. To Baumert, the most challenging aspect of the program is the need to learn quickly about a specific athlete’s medical history and their individual health care needs. During the rotation, the physician is expected to respond promptly and efficiently to meet the needs and expectations of any athlete that presents for care.

The USOTC leadership extends invitations to travel internationally with the U.S. team to volunteer physicians who have successfully completed multiple two-week rotations over time. Baumert wasn’t certain if he would be given a future opportunity to travel internationally with a U.S. team, but he continued to be invited back for two-week rotations at the USOTC. In 2019, he was contacted by the USOTC with the exciting news of an invitation. He accepted placement on the physician list for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. However, the COVID pandemic pushed the Tokyo Games back to 2021, which ended up changing the USOTC staffing assignments for Tokyo. He then re- ceived and accepted an offer for the assignment to travel to the Beijing Games in 2022 as the Deputy Chief U.S. Team Physician.

At the Beijing Games, there were three different competition zones – Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou – based on the sport.

Baumert and his Chinese interpreter after the U.S. sled hockey team’s gold medal victory.

Baumert was centrally based at the Beijing Village and had daily Zoom meetings with all physicians and staff members at the other two villages to discuss medical issues. His primary team event coverage while in Beijing was the sled hockey team and the wheelchair curling team. While working at the Beijing Games, Baumert was able to attend the closing ceremony. In his words, “It was incredible!” The ceremony combined color, lights, music, beau-

The Chinese laundry staff kindly helped Baumert finish his load of clothes. ty, culture, choreography, athleticism and fireworks in a way he had never experienced before. Another favorite memory of his while in Beijing is riding the “bullet” train from Beijing to Zhangjiakou. The “bullet” travels at a top speed of 347 kilometers per hour, or about 215 miles per hour. While riding the train, he was able to catch a glimpse of the Great Wall from the train window. He also remembers the tremendous hospitality of the Chinese physicians, nurses and other staff at the Beijing Village. The sled hockey gold medal game is another exciting memory that stands out while reminiscing about his experience.

Throughout his USOTC volunteer physician experience, Baumert said that he has truly enjoyed every athlete he has worked with. He views it as a privilege to be able to serve our U.S. athletes, and possibly contribute in his own very small way to their success at the Olympic Games. Currently, he remains hopeful that he’ll be contacted for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

He studied French for four years at Mid-Prairie (for which, he thanks the late Mr. Hancock), and says he still has some basic conversational ability to speak it. That skill may be a deciding factor in his chance of receiving his most exciting French assignment ever!

When asked for his advice to new Mid-Prairie alumni hoping to pursue a career in the medical field or an opportunity similar to this, he advises to trust that the opportunities provided at Mid-Prairie are a solid foundation for the future. Talk to people working in your desired field to gain a better understanding of what will be required to pursue your goals going forward. Finally, consider taking advantage of every opportunity related to your field that comes your way – no matter how remote the possibility may seem. He believes in the wise advice, “When one door closes, go out the window!”