Not sure of the age of this article ... a prop?!
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It isn't David Fitter's interest in sports medicine that makes him different, its where this passion comes from. David is a former professional rugby player for the Western Force, and represented Australia as a member of the Wallabies.
It was playing professional sport that inspired Dave to study Biomedicine.
"With all the injuries in rugby you're exposed to a range of medicos – doctors, physiotherapists - on a weekly basis. I became interested in sports science, diet, training, how the body works and responds to things and developed a passion for understanding how it all works."
After leaving professional rugby behind, he found a new passion - chemistry.
"I love learning about how oxygen is carried in the blood and how these things relate back to sport. It's great that subjects are taught at such a high level, and how they are linked together," he says.
Dave chose to study at Melbourne largely because of its international reputation.
"It's the best medical faculty in the country and right up there in the world. It speaks for itself. Studying here is a great challenge but nothing you can't handle," he says.
Dave has embraced the challenge of full time study, with 25 hours contact per week, which he matches with the same hours of independent study. In his free time, he plays on the University rugby team and is involved in a program fostering the talent of young rugby players.
He says although studying Biomedicine can be demanding, there is always support available.
"I've been blown away by the level of help from academics and teaching staff – it's beyond what you expect. If you're going to be studying hard this is the place to do it."
For someone with such a diverse range of interests, the opportunity to choose breadth subjects has been a real bonus. Dave says breadth subjects allow him to get some much needed variety.
"It also gets you out of your clan and gets you to mix with other students," he explains.
Dave highlights a major similarity between rugby and studying Biomedicine, comparing studying in a small group to working and playing together in a team.
"You bounce your ideas off other people, sometimes you're the one asking for answers sometimes you're helping people out. You can achieve more in a team than you could on your own – like playing rugby," he says.
He plans to complete postgraduate studies and eventually get in to sports medicine.
"My ears prick up whenever sports physiology is mentioned in lecture. Although I may have a massive change of direction and find something I haven’t yet discovered that I'm passionate about."
If Dave can work as well in his Biomedicine team as he did with the Wallabies, then success as a sports doctor is a sure thing.
http://www.bbiomed.unimelb.edu.au/david-fitter
