By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
Going for the gold and being able to perform consistently at the international level takes its toll on one’s body, but a local doctor is helping U.S. gymnasts maintain the required balance of physical and mental fitness.
UC Davis family and sports medicine physician Dr. Marcia Faustin is just back from the Paris Olympics where she put her skills to good use. Dr. Faustin, referred to affectionately by athletes as “Dr. Marcy,” is the co-head team physician for the USA Gymnastics Women’s National Team. Locally, she’s the head team physician for UC Davis Division I Collegiate Athletics.
“Paris was a magical experience,” Dr. Faustin said. “Staying in the Olympic village and being with these incredible athletes from all over the world, seeing that unity was phenomenal.”
Paris was Dr. Faustin’s second Olympics. She also helped gymnasts during the Tokyo games delayed until 2021 due to the global coronovirus pandemic. Those games had a different look and feel as there were no families or spectators to cheer the teams on. In Paris, Dr. Faustin got the young ladies prepared for the qualifying rounds, before co-team doctor Ellen Casey took over duties from there.
Dr. Faustin talked to The OBSERVER about the importance of empowering young athletes to speak up for themselves, particularly in the face of adversity. She emphasized the need for support systems to help athletes navigate challenges and overcome obstacles and prioritize athletes’ well-being.
“Myself and Dr. Casey, we’ve always had this premise of taking care of the entire person, that bio, psycho, socio approach to medicine,” Dr. Faustin said.
As a Hall of Fame athlete at Chicago’s Loyola University, Dr. Faustin gets it.
“You have an idea of what it has taken for each individual to be there and the amount of adversity they have had to overcome, because it is impossible to be at that level and not have had some setbacks, and to know that their coaches and their parents and their village around them is also part of that.”
Dr. Faustin took her athletic career as far as college and is fine with now seeing others live out their dreams from her seat on the sidelines.
“It was incredible to watch,” she said of the recent Olympics. “It’s a showing of humanity that you can overcome and you can get to wherever you want to be if you put your mind to it.”
Mind Over Matter
Star gymnast Suni Lee started waking up with swollen ankles in February 2023 and the inflammation spread to other parts of her body. She was initially told by a doctor that it was allergies. Something about that diagnosis didn’t feel right to Lee and fortunately she had Dr. Marcy on speed dial. Tests were ordered and the then 20-year-old was reportedly diagnosed with two rare kidney issues.
Had Dr. Faustin not responded as she did, Lee may not have had her shining moments a year later in Paris. Lee, who won bronze on the uneven bars, has been called divine on the apparatus, but says Dr. Faustin is the real angel, openly praising her on social media.
“We all have to feel empowered to speak up for ourselves, because it can be the difference between life and death,” Dr. Faustin said. “For somebody of her caliber and her notoriety to have to advocate for herself, then it makes us think, ‘How about the rest of us?’ What about those that are underserved or don’t have the health literacy or don’t have the words to say it? That’s where it becomes so important that you advocate for yourself and for the others around you.”
It’s also a matter of trust.
“In order to build trust, it takes time and communication,” Dr. Faustin said. “It takes listening and really being an advocate for your patients. That’s what we’ve really tried to do, is to be there and to communicate, not just with the athletes, but communicate with their parents. Doesn’t matter if they’re in their 20s, you always have to have an advocate in medicine, which I tell every single person I encounter.”
It’s a trust that Dr. Faustin and Dr. Casey have worked to rebuild. U.S. women’s gymnastics was rocked to its core by the sexual abuses perpetrated by former team doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar was convicted in 2018 after being accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of young women and girls under the guise of providing medical treatment.
Gold medalists Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles were among those who came out publicly as being violated by Nassar.
“Their bravery and their courage is unmatched,” Dr. Faustin said of those who spoke out against the abuse.
For somebody to be able to speak their truth and to stand up for what they think is correct, she says, is worth its weight in gold medals.
Under pressure
World-class athletes deal with tremendous pressure to succeed and often have their lives placed under a magnifying glass. While many applauded Biles’ return from previous retirment, others accused her of abandoning the sport and her fans. She and fellow Olympian Gabby Douglas have been dragged on social media about how their hair looked during competitions.
“The way these athletes have millions of people commenting and giving opinions from right behind the screen, is really difficult,” Dr. Faustin said.
“Remember when Gabby Douglas was the first Black all-around winner ever, and it was all about her hair? Simone has talked about it while we were at these Olympics. Simone posted, ‘My hair was good. Please stop coming at me.’ Just the fact that they even have to say anything about it.”
To avoid distractions, Dr. Faustin turned off social media altogether during the Tokyo games and now often encouraged gymnasts to do the same.
“I have no phone zones,” she explained. During these times, everyone puts down their phones and spends time playing card games or hanging out together rather than watching Tiktok videos or following negative comments.
Eyes on the prize
The Paris games saw women performing at ages previously unheard of for Olympic competition. Biles came away with four medals, three golds and a silver, at age 27. Rebecca Ardrade, the Brazillian who won gold in floor exercise, silver in the individual all-around silver medal and a bronze for her vault, is 25.
“It’s beautiful to see that they have broken barriers,” Dr. Faustin said. “They’ve broken the glass ceiling where people said it used to be 14, 15-16-year- olds. This is the Olympics with the oldest average age ever. And it’s not like they’re just screeching by. They are getting better as they age. It’s amazing.”
While they’re eyeing the medal stand and national pride, Dr. Faustin wants athletes to see the bigger picture.
“These Olympics are an amazing part of their lives, but shouldn’t be the only highlight of their life,” Dr. Faustin said. “We’re really encouraging them to think of what their future will look like and to understand that we’re making medical decisions on a global scale.
“I’m aware that the world is watching what decision I make for this athlete, but I’m here to take care of the athlete in front of me, while also still understanding there’s an impact to people around us, but my job is to take care of that person in front of me and to keep them as healthy as possible in the present moment and for their future.”
As young girls of color watch Biles, Lee and teammate Jordan Chiles perform, many aspire to be like them. Representation matters and that she’s also inspiring the young women and girls who are watching isn’t lost on Dr. Faustin.
‘It touches my heart,” she said.
She recalls growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and not seeing anyone who looked like her as advanced in school and sports.
“I remember those times when you see a Black female and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. I can do it.’ She has a similar reaction seeing other Black women as keynote speakers at conferences she attends.
“You remember that feeling of rejuvenated hope, of, ‘I know it’s hard, but I can make it.’ For me, and for others, it’s the reason why we’re here, to bring others along with us, and it makes me so happy.”
Friend and former UCD colleague Dr. Jann Murray-Garcia was among those watching the games and cheering on both the competitors and their doctor.
“So many of us are so proud of and grateful for her contributions,” said Dr. Murray-Garcia, a former pediatrician and founding faculty member of the university’s Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
“We get to know ‘our girls’ are cared for in the highest quality, most integrous and most compassionate way,” she continued. “(We’ve) seen how much the girls appreciate her. They give her her props on Instagram and Twitter. It’s neat to see.”
The next summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles.
“Between now and then, Dr. Casey and myself, we still help take care of the athletes and help coordinate their care at home,” Dr. Faustin said. “We go to camps, we go to competitions and then for LA 2028 hopefully we’ll both get to be there and to help take care of the gymnasts. It’s exciting for it to be on home soil.”