Healthy Athlete Medfest

On Saturday, Oct. 5, the NEOMED Alliance for Disability Inclusivity and Advocacy (NADIA) hosted an event with Special Olympics Ohio Portage County. 

Noha Dardir, M.D., a family medicine physician at MetroHealth in Cleveland, graciously volunteered her time to perform free sport physicals during the Healthy Athletes Medfest for Special Olympics athletes with the assistance of M1 and M2 volunteers. Throughout the morning, athletes arrived, and either before or after they received their physicals, they attended sessions with Rebecca Fischbein, Ph.D., and College of Medicine students to learn about nutrition and adaptive cookware.

One of the M1 volunteers, Weston Brooks wrote: “Having the opportunity to work with NADIA and provide sports physicals for Special Olympics athletes was not only educational but also incredibly motivating. I enjoyed witnessing the confidence of Dr. Dardir and M2 volunteers during the physical examinations. The example they set reiterated the importance of having strong physical examination skills as a physician. Engaging with the athletes and seeing their excitement for the sports they are playing made our services feel so meaningful and I look forward to helping next year!”

On behalf of NADIA and the volunteers, we want to thank the Special Olympics for providing a space, equipment and recruiting athletes for this event, as well as a huge thank you to Dr. Dardir for providing her time and expertise to allow the athletes clearance to play the sports that they love.

—submitted by Alison Pryor, M2