ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College varsity athletics program has truly enjoyed a rich and storied history as it approaches its 90^th anniversary next academic year. There is an often-used phrase that states that "it takes a village" to achieve the greatest successes in life. While the origins of that popular saying do not directly infer athletic departments per se, the parallels and connection to collegiate athletics most definitely applies. From coaches and players to administration, support staff, athletic training, facilities and operations, faculty advisors, and countless other departments, everyone has provided a key piece to the puzzle of Ithaca's success as one of the premiere institutions at the Division III level. One of the driving forces behind that evolution has been the work of Ithaca College's Team Physician, Dr. Andrew Getzin. Recently, we sat down to learn more and go behind the scenes with one of the department's most interesting individuals.
 
Discovering a Passion
Dr. Getzin's story begins similarly to the experience that many college-aged students face when they head off to school. An excellent student-athlete during his high school career at Highland Park High School in New Jersey, he received an opportunity to play varsity football at Amherst College. Athletics were always a major point of focus growing up, but a career path was not fully defined when he enrolled at Amherst.
 
Although both of his parents were Ph.D. Chemists, Dr. Getzin chose a different path away from the natural sciences initially, deciding to pursue a history major while at Amherst.

He is a case-in-point example that your undergraduate major does not necessarily define the ultimate path your career may take. One thing that always hung with Dr. Getzin throughout his time at Amherst and his post-graduate years was his passion for athletics, which ultimately guided his first steps in transitioning to the role he holds today.
 
"Being a football player for four years at Amherst and continuing to play rugby following college for several year, sports and sports medicine became something I was really interested in pursuing."
 
With many prerequisites already taken care of, Dr. Getzin returned to the Garden State for the next step in his professional journey. He attended medical school at the University of Newark, now known as Rutgers-Newark, before traveling up to Providence, R.I., for a residency in Family Medicine at Brown University School of Medicine. It was during this time earning his Board Certification in Family Medicine that he also began to hone in on Sports Medicine as a possible career field, as he also served as a Team Physician at Division I Providence College. Another thing that was quite impactful during his time in Rhode Island is that he would meet his future wife, Dr. Karen LaFace, who was also doing a residency in Family Medicine at Brown. That blossoming relationship had an interesting connection to Dr. Getzin's next move, which would fully cement his career aspiration to work with athletes.
 
Upon completion of his residency at Memorial Hospital, Dr. Getzin made the move that ultimately would shape his life when he pursued a fellowship in Sports Medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Getzin's time in Columbus was truly transformative for him. Not only did he get his first opportunity to work with student-athletes in a full-time capacity, but he also was working at his wife's alma mater. A Big 10 and NCAA Division I Champion during her collegiate career with the Buckeyes' women's diving team, LaFace's ties to the athletic program at Ohio State ran deep. Getzin's experience in Columbus working with high-level Division I student-athletes really helped him identify his true passion of Sports Medicine and set the stage for the next career move that brought him to South Hill.
 
Finding a Home
In the summer of 1999, Ithaca College posted a job opening seeking to hire a new Team Physician. The posting coincided with Getzin's completion of his fellowship at Ohio State. Although neither Getzin nor LaFace had ever been to the area previously, Getzin did have some indirect ties to Ithaca. His grandfather, a first-generation Russian-Jewish immigrant, attended Cornell University, while one of his high school teammates on the football team during his time at Highland Park attended Ithaca College as an Athletic Training graduate-student. Through these relationships, the couple had heard nice things about the Finger Lakes Region. Getzin applied for the position and was ultimately selected for the job. The couple packed their bags for South Hill.
 
The move initially was not seen as something that would be a long-term stop for the couple; however, they immediately were drawn to the vibrant energy of the area. The culture of the town and especially the Ithaca College campus is something that Dr. Getzin cites as what really brought him into the fabric of the community. What was initially considered as a one-year stop transformed into so much more.
 
"Upon completion of my position at Ohio State, I was still a little unsure about what my next move would be, but I saw an opportunity here at Ithaca College for Team Physician taking care of our student-athletes," Getzin explained. "I think we thought we were just going to be here for a year, but we really fell in love with Ithaca and the Bomber Family."
 
Transitioning from the urban sprawl of Division I Ohio State to the more intimate setting at Ithaca really gave him some enlightening insights.
 

"The first thing that really stuck out to me about caring for the student-athletes here was the energy and passion they had for IC," Getzin said. "They really understood the balance of being a high-level athlete and pursuing a sport they were passionate about, while also bringing that same dedication to their coursework. The attitude of the student-athletes was certainly different than what my experience was previously and it really drew me closer to the Bomber community."
 
Getzin also cited the culture of the IC Athletic Department as a key point in his professional progression.
 
"Ever since I began at Ithaca, it has been that culture of success that has stood out to me," Getzin continued. "In any organization it begins from the top down and I think we have been blessed with some strong leaders that have really fostered that culture. You see it in the quality of our staff and our coaches. High quality coaches recruit high character kids and those kids take on the persona of their coach when they arrive here. You can tell by the longevity of many of our coaches that Ithaca is a great place to be. That tradition has always existed here and I think it has only been strengthened under Susan [Bassett]."
 
The feeling is mutual among those in the IC Athletic Department who have been long-time colleagues of Dr. Getzin during his time at IC. Ithaca's long-time Head Athletic Trainer, Mike Matheny, echoes similar sentiments about the bond that his department has with Dr. Getzin.
 
"The relationship between Dr. Getzin and the Athletic Training Department here at IC goes beyond that work colleague dynamic," Matheny explained. "He not only is a great provider of care to our student-athletes, but is also considered a close friend to many of us in the department. The great thing about him is the bond of trust that he places in our expertise and in that light he really sees us as an extension of himself among the various teams and venues."
 
Matheny also cited Dr. Getzin's background as a Division III student-athlete as a primary attribute in his ability to further connect with the department and IC student-athletes.
 
"I think his background from his time as a student-athlete at Amherst and his competitive drive as a tri-athlete after his college career helps him relate to the student-athletes that he works with at Ithaca," Matheny continued. "He understands that competitive drive and the desire for our athletes to be on the field competing and brings that aspect to his work."
 
Susan Bassett '79, Associate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports, also expressed similar sentiments on Getzin's incredible work and ties to Ithaca College.
 
"Student-athlete welfare and well-being is our top priority," Bassett began. "Ithaca College has been incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Getzin as our team physician. He is a leader in Sports Medicine and has provided two decades of phenomenal care for our students. Beyond his medical professionalism, he understands the life of a Division III student-athlete and as an elite athlete himself, his passion for excellence is fundamental to all of his work on behalf of Ithaca College and our athletics department." 
 
With that sense of community and purpose, Getzin and LaFace planted deep roots in Ithaca which have grown considerably over the past two decades.
 
Broadening a Career
When Dr. Getzin first arrived on campus in 1999, his sole responsibility was at the college and working with its student population. While an enriching experience for him, he had a desire to make an impact beyond just the campus community. He parlayed his position at Ithaca and his impressive credentials into a coinciding position as the Director of Sports Medicine at Cayuga Medical Center. Today, Getzin operates a separate practice at the Cayuga Wellness Center, a state-of-the-art facility located alongside the Cayuga Lake Inlet.
 
"I've been lucky in that I have been able to maintain my position here at Ithaca, while also being able to do concurrent work as the Director of Sports

Medicine at Cayuga Medical Center," Getzin detailed. "When I first came to Ithaca, my primary employment was solely with the college, but that role has evolved over the years, which has allowed me to expand my skill-set beyond what I could generally do in a college specific setting."
 
Nearly three decades in the field have certainly left Dr. Getzin with a multitude of experience in various maladies that afflict the everyday athlete, from mononucleosis to a variety of musculoskeletal ailments. However, did you know that Getzin is also one world's foremost experts in shortness of breath with regards to athletic performance? It is this area of expertise in which Getzin has honed his true passion in his work at a multi-specialty clinic within the Wellness Center.
 
"Often times when you go to a doctor and complain about shortness of breath with exercise the knee-jerk reaction is that you're diagnosed with exercise induced asthma," Getzin precluded. "In many cases this is not the case, as the problem does not lie in the lungs (asthma), but in the narrowing in the function of trachea and larynx within a human's throat and chest. This specialty has become a real focus of my work at the Wellness Center and has taken me to various medical functions around the world."
 
Getzin's clinic is one of two in the United States that is currently doing fascinating work in a procedure used to identify and research this increasingly prevalent ailment. Through the use of "continuous laryngoscopy with exercise", which in laymen's terms involves inserting a micro-camera into the throat during physical activity, the clinic has been a referral for athletes spanning the nation. The work has put Getzin at the forefront of this emerging field in medical research. In fact, he designed and directed the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine's inaugural Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Conference in 2018. Experts from around the globe converged on Ithaca, N.Y., to take-in keynote presentations on a variety of topics related to the ground-breaking work Getzin is delivering at the center.
 
Mike Matheny also commented on how the connections to his work at the center have benefited the care he is able to give the student-athletes at IC.
 

"With his work across such a broad range of athletes he is able to take those experiences into account when dealing with our athletes," Matheny said. "It's usually not the first time he has seen something or had to manage that particular injury or condition and that is extremely beneficial. Additionally, his willingness to reach out to his network of colleagues both nationally, and in the case of his work with shortness of breath internationally, is another added layer of comprehensive care that he has been able to deliver to the athletes here at IC."
 
Ithaca College has had a big impact in this ground-breaking work in the shortness of breath, as many of Getzin's colleagues at the center over the years have come through the College's esteemed Athletic Training and Physical Therapy programs. The connection back to South Hill brings his two main areas of employment full circle. Getzin hosted a national conference in injection and ultrasound implementation in diagnosis inside the Anatomy Lab and is the director of the coursework for that class within IC's Health Sciences and Human Performance (HSHP) School.
 
"The students who have come through the educational programs at IC have been amazing for the work that we are doing at the Wellness Center," Dr. Getzin said. "The programs have always carried an excellent reputation and the students that emerge from the programs not only have the knowledge, but also the passion that is so beneficial for the work we are doing."
 
A True Athlete at Heart
Between splitting his professional time between Ithaca College and the clinic at Cayuga Wellness Center, one would think that there would be plenty on the plate for Dr. Getzin. However, we are just scratching the surface for the Athletic Department's 'Most Interesting Man'. Dr. Getzin is an accomplished

athlete in his own right as a national-level tri-athlete, which has taken him to various competitions around the world as both a competitor and as the current Team Physician of USA Triathlon.
 
While we have documented his early days as an athlete earlier, Getzin developed into one of the nation's top triathlon competitors during his time in Ithaca. The Fingers Lakes Region of New York is generally regarded as one of the top havens in the Northeast United States for triathletes due to the picturesque setting and vast multitude of trails that surround the pristine lake network. Getzin's wife also was primary instigator in turning his passion for fitness into a competitive aspiration.
 
"I remember when I first met my wife, Karen, I could barely swim from one end of a pool to the other," Getzin said. "She was on the USA National Diving Team and competed at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, so she challenged me to learn to swim better. From there, I found a lot of enjoyment in the physical training and began to get interested in competing in these kind of events."
 
Getzin was gifted in all three disciplines and began to emerge as one of the top competitors in his age group. He would go on to compete in Triathlon and Ironman events throughout the country, eventually ascending to being one of 15 qualifiers for the prestigious Hawaiian National Ironman World Championship. Formally founded for the first time in 1978, the event held annually in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, is the most iconic triathlon event in the entire world.
 
Although he still maintains a healthy fitness regimen and competes in events on occasion, Getzin still plays a significant role in the triathlon scene as the Team Physician for USA Triathlon for the past four years. With his years of experience as a national-level competitor, coupled with some oversight work he did with the association in dictating safety precautions at events, Getzin made for a

natural fit for the position. His role at USA Triathlon covers a variety of different responsibilities.
 
"I help with medical staffing at national events, record keeping, serving on the panel for the Anti-Doping Task Force, and oversee a monthly column that covers a variety of topics," Getzin explained. "While I did serve some roles for the U.S. Olympic Committee and volunteered some time at the training facility in Colorado Springs, the majority of my work now is with the competitive age-group sphere of USA Triathlon."
 
His work through USA Triathlon perhaps best encapsulates the full picture of Getzin's aspirations both as an athlete and a medical professional.