Amanda Wilde (Host): Welcome to Woodlawn Health Doc Talk. Today, we'll get to know Dr. Jeffery Sheedy, as we explore his journey in orthopedics and his passion for personalized patient care. I'm Amanda Wilde, your host. Dr. Sheedy. Thank you so much for being here.

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: Thank you for having me.

Host: Is there a point at which you knew medicine was going to be your career path?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: It was a longer journey than just a moment in time. I can remember watching M*A*S*H with my mother over and over and thinking those guys look like they're doing great work and having a lot of fun. But my path was long. I kind of always knew that's what I wanted to do. But there's a lot of hoops to jump through, and you're not always sure that's the final path for you. So, I would say there was no certain point in time. But even back in high school, I thought that would be a nice profession

Host: Oh. So, it sounds like you kind of always had that in the back of your mind.

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: For sure.

Host: But I'm glad you didn't go the M*A*S*H route because they always called that meatball surgery. Why did you choose sports and orthopedic medicine?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: Just being an athlete, being around sports medicine and athletic training and sports injuries just kind of led me down that path. And the farther I got into it, the more interesting it became. And the impact that you could make on people's lives, sometimes relatively quickly. I'm not sure the reward for preventative care and in family medicine and other things is immediate as fixing someone's body who couldn't walk the day before. And the next day, they're walking again. So, that's what led me there.

Host: Do you think being an athlete has informed your sense of care now as a doctor, as an orthopedic surgeon?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: Absolutely. I think I understand many patient's drive their commitment that they will have towards their recovery when they're athletes, because I felt that myself. So, I think I'm a little more open to getting them back faster and meeting their needs, because I understand their desires are deep and strong.

Host: So, you were an athlete in college. Can you tell me more about the days you were playing basketball?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: I would say I got lucky in that I was at the University of Alaska Anchorage back in the '80s. And it was really a unique situation. There wasn't as much sports offered on TV, and had the premier tournament for basketball being the great Alaskan Shootout. And all our games could be on ESPN. And there wasn't a lot of choice back in those days, where you wanted to play.

So, we got exposure to all the big names in basketball-- Purdue, Michigan, Kentucky. We got to play all the big teams just because we had that opportunity through the Great Alaska Shootout. It was quite an experience that really isn't available to this day with all the wide variety of tournaments and exposure that you can have for a small school in a far away place.

Host: Alaska definitely favors winter games. I've heard of some kind of odd ones that Alaskans have made up to get through those dark winters. What is your favorite memory of your basketball career?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: Other than the shootout while I was playing, it was very interesting. You know, we talk about, in all other 49 states other than Indiana, basketball is just a sport. I think Indiana thinks it kind of owns basketball, but I would say basketball is huge in rural Alaska. Because when it's 40 below, the gym's open and it's full of all ages playing basketball because that's a warm place to be and have fun. I was working in a sports medicine office at Alaska Sports Medicine. And we went out to all the villages to do their sports physicals. Of course, we had to fly into the little villages and, of course, I walk in at 6'6" and they want me to go on the basketball gym and dunk. That's the most important thing for them to see. So, it was fun to meet all the villages in Western Alaska. I would say that was one of the highlights post playing in the great Alaska Shootout.

Host: And now, you've been at Woodlawn for several years. What do you like most about Woodlawn?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: In this environment, in rural medicine, I think I'm allowed a little more freedom to spend more time with patients. I think in bigger practices, the restraints and the drive to see more and more patients is much more a driving force. I don't know that they have as much time to spend with their patient's as I do. So, I think just being able to give each individual the time they need to educate them and evaluate them. I just think I'm afforded a little more personal touch than you necessarily are in Indianapolis or Chicago, where they really have to get more people through the door to be honest.

Host: So, rural health really would you say is a good fit for you?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: Yeah, I think it's the perfect fit. I don't know, if I were in a large practice in a large city, that I would've had the opportunity to coach my daughter's basketball teams and get everywhere to be home for dinner every night. I don't think most orthopedic surgeons get to experience that. I think I've found a good work-life balance and still provide the needed services for this community.

Host: Let's talk a little bit about what you like to do outside of work. You just touched on your daughter's basketball team. Did you pass on a love of athletics to your family?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: I did. Basketball and volleyball are big in our house, and were from the beginning. And the girls just stepped into it. My daughter went on to play in college. And my younger daughter's getting ready to graduate high school and she's considering it. She's not sure if she wants to just go to a big school like IU and join a national football team or play for a smaller college. So, definitely, sports were big in our house.

Host: And what else do you like to do these days outside of work?

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: Spending that time in Alaska made me really enjoy the outdoors, whether it's fishing, canoeing or hiking. So, I would say I spend a lot of time, as much time as I can, outdoors.

Host: Well, Dr. Sheedy, it was great to truly meet you and be able to ask those more personal questions and get a view on why you do what you do at Woodlawn Hospital. Thank you so very much for your time today.

Jeffery Sheedy, DO: Thank you for hosting.

Host: That was orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jeffery Sheedy. For more information about Dr. Sheedy and his team, visit woodlawnhospital.org/orthopedics. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it on your social channels and check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Woodlawn Health Doc talk, a podcast from Woodlawn Health.