Local doctor returns from Paris Olympics

Chief Medical Officer of Rowing Canada, Dr. Stephen Joseph, is seen at the Paris Olympics in August 2024. (Source: Stephen Joseph)

A local doctor has returned from the experience of a lifetime at the Paris Olympics.

Dr. Steven Joseph has a family practice at South Huron Medical Centre in Exeter, he works in the emergency department at South Huron Hospital and is also the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Rowing Canada.

Joseph told CTV News he started helping the team part time in 2017. After a consolidation of rowing programs, he said the organization needed somebody to assess athletes in the London area, which eventually expanded to an increased role for him.

As part of his role in Paris, Joseph said, "The CMO role certainly involved providing medical care to the athletes as well as the rest of the Rowing Canada staff. It also involved travel planning, rehabilitation, infection control, and advice/support with avoiding banned medications/drug testing."

In addition to his role with rowing, Joseph also assisted the Canadian canoe/kayak slalom team while in Paris.

When it comes to rural medicine, Joseph said his experiences abroad certainly help with treating people back home.

"[There are] Limited resource availability, advanced planning, and fulfilling multiple roles are all transferrable skills we use in both rural medicine and major event settings. And being prepared for the unexpected."

Dr. Steven Joseph (second from right) is seen with Women's 8 silver medalists Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski (L), Coach Tom Morris and Kristina Walker (Right) at the Paris Olympics in August 2024. (Source: Steven Joseph)Joseph has also worked as a Team Canada physician for the Pan American Games in Chile in October 2023. When asked if he has any ambitions for attending other large sporting events, Joseph said, "We will see what the future holds! [It is] Important to mention none of this would be possible without the support of my fantastic wife Lindsay and my three children Sayre, Landon, and Hadley."

Prior to setting up in the Exeter area, Joseph finished medical school at the University of Calgary, he did a family medicine residency at Western University, and was a military physician for four years, followed by a sports medicine fellowship at Western University.