From the field to medicine, Dechiro finds purpose in serving others
Connor Dechiro knew college football would demand a lot of his time. What he did not fully understand until he arrived at Washington University in St. Louis was how quickly everything else would demand it, too.
His freshman year was an adjustment.
There were practices, workouts, classes, studying, and the everyday responsibilities that came with being away at college. Dechiro had always taken academics seriously, but now he had to figure out how to give both football and school the attention they required.
Eventually, he stopped thinking about balance and giving everything equal time. Instead, he learned to decide what mattered most in a particular moment and be intentional about the effort he gave it.
That lesson followed him through college. Now, as a first-year student at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, his schedule looks different, but the approach still applies.
Dechiro had been drawn to medicine because it brought together two things he already knew were important to him.
“In contemplating careers that best suited me, medicine was the glaringly obvious choice that integrated my strongest passions and interests,” Dechiro said. “I really enjoy science and the exercise of learning it. And I love serving people however I can. There is no better occupation that combines these two than being a physician.”
His time as an athlete also gave him a reason to think about medicine from the patient’s perspective.
After suffering a ligament injury that required surgery, Dechiro found himself facing the uncertainty that comes with being hurt. For an athlete, the questions went beyond whether the injury would heal. He wanted to know what recovery would mean for football and whether he could get back to doing something that had been such a large part of his life.
What he remembers about his physician was the attention paid to those goals.
His care was not simply about repairing the injury. His physician understood what returning to football meant to him and approached his recovery with that in mind.
Dechiro came away from the experience with an appreciation for how vulnerable it can feel to be a patient. He also saw the value of care that considers more than the immediate medical problem.
Those experiences are part of why orthopedic surgery and sports medicine interest him today.
“I both find the science of orthopedics to be super interesting and love the idea of being a part of tangibly improving a patient’s quality of life, allowing them to return as strong as ever to the activities that bring them joy,” Dechiro said.
As a former athlete, he understands that getting hurt can affect more than the body. An injury can take someone away from teammates, routines, goals, and an activity that may have become part of how they see themselves.
He would like to remember that if he someday finds himself caring for athletes of his own.
For now, Dechiro has plenty of medicine left to explore.
He chose McGovern Medical School after hearing from current students and others during his interview about the support they found among faculty and classmates. Training in the Texas Medical Center added another reason to come to Houston.
Starting medical school has brought some of the same feelings he remembers from other major transitions. There is a lot to learn. There are new people to meet and a new place to call home.
There are moments when it feels overwhelming.
But Dechiro has wanted to be here for a long time.
“I am thrilled to be in medical school!” he said. “It has been my dream for such a long time and is only the beginning.”
When the workload gets difficult, Dechiro sometimes thinks beyond medical school entirely.
He pictures an exam room.
In his mind, he walks through the door and meets a patient for the first time. Sometimes that person is smiling. Other times, something is clearly wrong.
Either way, the patient is waiting for him.
“I walk in knowing that they trust me and are looking to me for help,” Dechiro said. “I sit opposite them with my heart facing outward, determined to meet them where they are and serve their needs.”
It is a simple scene, but one he returns to often.
Dechiro has already experienced what it feels like to be the athlete asking whether he will be able to return to the field. Someday, he may be the physician sitting across from someone asking a question just as important to them.
He wants to be ready when that happens.
“While there are hopefully many awesome and celebration-worthy milestones in my future, I never want to hang my career on mere achievement,” Dechiro said. “Rather, my goal is to make a genuine, intentional impact on those I serve, one patient at a time.”