Local physician making impact on world stage

Believe it or not, there is a big world outside of Crested Butte. But for some, that world is literally the world. Local physician Dr. Gloria Beim returned to the Gunnison Valley last week from almost a month in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she worked as the chief medical officer (CMO) for the U.S. team at the 2011 Pan American Games.
“The games ran from October 14 to the 30th but I had to be there for the setup as well,” Beim explained. “There were nearly 640 athletes and about 400 staff members. I had a 62-member team of medical practitioners, including medical doctors, chiropractors, athletic trainers, physical therapists and massage therapists.”
The U.S. Olympic Committee named Beim to the post. She has been involved with the U.S. Olympic team since 2001, when she did a volunteer stint at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. She has been to two World University Games and has been invited to two different Olympic Games.
Beim explained that the Pan Am Games is an Olympic Qualifier for many sports, including gymnastics, water polo, field hockey, kayaking, shooting, and others. For some sports that do not participate in Olympic Games, the Pan Am Games were their pinnacle performances. These sports included wake boarding, water skiing, karate, racquetball and rugby.
“Being the CMO was an amazing experience. It is such an honor representing our country and there is nothing like working with the Olympic Spirit that most of the athletes share,” Beim said. “The energy and excitement throughout the games was contagious and despite the challenges that we often faced being in a foreign country, it was always fun and incredibly rewarding.”
Beim said the United States had a great showing when it came down to the competition. “Team USA was amazing! Out of 42 countries, we came in first, winning a total of 236 medals, including 92 gold medals,” she related. “The next country in the medal count was Brazil, with 140 medals. Many athletes qualified for the Olympics in London for next summer. Gymnastics won 18 medals and nine were gold.
“One of the athletes was able to compete despite a significant injury that occurred during training,” she continued. “With the help of our amazing sports medicine team, she won two gold medals. It was a multidisciplinary approach and it was very successful. That is the best part of the games, to have even a little involvement to help the athlete’s performance.”
Beim said the experience was different from her past encounters because she was in charge of a large team of medical personnel. She was not focused on any one sport this time around. “I treated all comers in the sports medicine clinic and was able to cover several different sports where we needed extra coverage,” she explained. “Our sports medicine clinic had just about everything we needed for the 1,000 athletes and staff, including a pharmacy. We were able to treat nearly everyone there. I did have to visit the hospital a few times due to severe injury or illness but due to a pre-games visit and sharing Olympic pins with the hospital administrator, I had great experiences there as well.”
As far as being in Mexico and feeling secure, Beim said that was no problem. “The vibe in Guadalajara was electric. People were so kind to us and it was obvious we were very welcome everywhere. We were well received at opening and closing ceremonies. Security was amazing. We saw no obvious drug cartel activity during the games and due to our amazing security team, including many from the State Department, I felt safe and secure the entire time.”
Beim loves working these international events. She sees similar injuries to what she treats at her four Alpine Orthopaedic clinics in the Colorado mountains.
“I am hopeful that I will be invited to future events with the USOC as I love working with them,” she said. “It has always been such an amazing experience and gets better every time I go.”
For Beim, these events expose her to a big world outside of Crested Butte. “I love working these types of events because you have so many amazing, energetic and wonderful people to work with and you are in an international environment,” she said. “You can meet so many different people from all over the world and learn about their cultures and even how they practice medicine. I enjoy helping out team members from other countries as well that do not have their own medical support. They are always so gracious and appreciative.”
Beim says she truly enjoys being part of the Olympic spirit and is “hopeful to be part of the team again sometime in the future.”