Ashley Davenport

April 29, 2012

Ashley Davenport is currently in her first year of medical school at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, with current interests in Cardiology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Family Medicine, and Sports Medicine. Her goal is eventually to become a compassionate, knowledgeable physician who can help individuals achieve their health and wellness goals.

As a Sports Medicine Training Assistant in the CSB Training Room for 2 years, she received great hands on experience in treating and working with athletes and was able to directly apply what she was learning in her Sports Medicine courses. She credits working as a Sports Medicine Assistant and the great professors at CSB/SJU as steps to discovering her passion for working with athletes.

"My experiences as a Sports Medicine student helped me gain confidence, knowledge, and valuable skills that have helped me succeed thus far in medical school. The Sports Medicine courses provided me with a solid background in numerous areas, such as anatomy and physiology. The courses were challenging yet extremely beneficial because I gained a solid understanding of the material and also developed critical and analytical thinking skills that I use every day in medical school."

Ashley did not know immediately that she wanted to pursue a Sports Medicine minor, but after completing some of the lower level courses and interacting with the professors and other students with similar interests she decided to complete the minor. "I guess what really drew me to the program were the great professors and the fact that the program allowed me to learn more about many areas that were of interest to me. The entire Sports Medicine Department was phenomenal. They truly cared about the students and wanted them to not just learn but truly understand and be able to apply the material outside the classroom. I am truly grateful I was able to interact with and learn from both the Sports Medicine professors as well as the other students in the program with me because both were instrumental in helping me discover my passions and developing valuable skills that have helped me succeed as a medical student."