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t m c » p u l s e | n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 6 28 28 To this day, Winston can be found on the sidelines at practices and home games, watching over the ath- letes, ready to treat any injury or ailment. Knee injuries and shoulder dislocations are the most common injuries he sees. Thanks to advancements in modern medicine, they are no longer career-ending injuries, but they still take a toll on the body. Men's football claims the largest average annual estimated number of injuries in college sports, according to a 2015 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The dangerous high-impact nature of the sport and the possibility for subsequent injuries mean physicians must focus on treating the entire athlete, rather than just taking care of the specific injury when it happens. "Sports medicine is about two things: Getting an athlete back into a sport safely, and recognizing what they're going to be like for the rest of their life so you can counsel them on whether it's going to be dangerous to keep doing it or not," Winston said. Most of the student athletes he treats are not going to make a living playing professional sports, he added, so there's a moral and medical imperative to consider the long-term mental and physical effects of their injuries. "They're going to go out and live a normal life, so we have to look at the long-range plan," Winston said. "Instead of asking how they're going to be next season, more importantly, how are they gong to be in 20 years? Are they going to be crippled or not?" Perhaps not surprisingly, Winston has inspired some athletes to pursue careers in medicine. David Berken, M.D. a former Rice offensive lineman, is one of the many athletes Winston has treated. Berken sustained multiple injuries through- out his four-year college football career, but thanks to Winston, he continued to play the sport he loves while discovering a newfound passion for medicine. "He was taking somebody that wasn't able to continue playing and make them better to the point where they were able to get back out and perform at their original capabilities and potential," said Berken, now an orthopedic surgeon in Shreveport, Louisiana. "I thought that was the coolest thing he was able to do … for an athlete or anyone in general." Because of his injuries, Berken spent a lot of time rehabilitating with Winston, working part time at Winston's office and talking with him after practices. Berken became inspired by witnessing first-hand the kindness and the care Winston brought to his patients, whom he treated and viewed like family. "That type of experience isn't something you always get in health care, but that was always the thing you heard about Dr. Winston," Berken said. "That's something Dr. Winston does extremely well, something I've taken to try and use in what I do in my patient care." Balancing act Winston has spent long hours and late nights building his own practice and taking care of his Rice athletes. His arduous work paid off, but it wasn't without some sacrifices along the way, like missing his son's golf tournaments and games as a kid. "The hardest thing is balancing everything," Winston said. "Keeping everything—your job, your interest in the sport, time for your family and your spir- itual life—balanced. It's a tough … act for anyone." These days, Winston is constantly surrounded by family: his wife of nearly 50 years, four grown children, 10 grandchildren, Rice athletes and patients. While things could have turned out very differently for Winston had he accepted the offer to go pro, there's no version of this story in which he'd trade his white coat for an NFL jersey. "I wouldn't change a thing, not a thing," Winston said. "I'm having a great time." When you play football in college, you're pretty much playing for your school—at least it was back then. Once you get to the profes- sional level, it's different. It's a business, and I wasn't interested in going into it. I just wanted to get on with what I wanted to do, which was to be a physician. — LELAND WINSTON, M.D. Orthopedic Surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital and Football Team Physician at Rice University Winston receives the Rice University football game ball in September in honor of 50 years of service to Rice Athletics. Winston greets his daughter, Carol Olivero, and granddaugh- ter, Katie, in the stands.