A pack of doctors racing down the street on bicycles may sound like the latest trend in mobile medicine, but in Philadelphia it’s more likely to be Temple University’s Team Temple Med bike team. An orthopedist, a psychiatrist, a gynecologist, a physical therapist, and more than a dozen other medical specialists and resident physicians have been riding together in fund raisers for the past year thanks to the initiative of two colleagues, Susan Gersh and Anu Paranjape.
Dr. Gersh, a professor of clinical medicine and deputy director of Temple’s internal medicine residency program, has been an avid biker for most of her life. When she interviews new residency candidates, she makes a point of asking whether they like to cycle. “You know they’re OK if they ride a bike,” she says, half joking.
That is how Dr. Gersh and Dr. Paranjape, now an associate professor and interim chief of general internal medicine, discovered that they both enjoyed cycling. The women started biking together and, in 2009, decided to sign up for the annual City to Shore Ride for multiple sclerosis, which stretches 150 miles from Cherry Hill, N.J., to Ocean City, Md. Dr. Gersh had never participated in an organized ride before and couldn’t help noticing how many cyclists were wearing team jerseys.
“We decided after seeing so many teams out there that we should start a Temple team,” she says. “We put something out on the Temple Listserv and people came out of the woodwork.”
Last year, more than 20 cyclists rode with Team Temple Med in the City to Shore Ride and raised $12,000 for multiple-sclerosis research. They are hoping for similar numbers in this year’s ride, which takes place September 24 and 25. The team has also participated in several other rides, raising almost $20,000 for charitable causes over the past year.
Dr. Paranjape says it hasn’t been hard finding members because, strangely enough, most people she works with like to bicycle; those who don’t like to run. When asked about jogging, Dr. Gersh lets out a groan. “I would rather die,” she says, and Dr. Paranjape’s sentiments are not far off.
“Maybe I’m biased, but runners look pained when they’re running, and cyclists look happy,” she says. “You know how you see dogs and they have their heads out car windows and they seem happy? That’s the expression you see on cyclists.”
Another benefit to biking is the opportunity for conversation. Both doctors agree that chatting while riding has helped bring Temple’s medical staff closer together. “I was riding with one of my former med students, and I never get to talk to him because we’re always busy at work,” says Dr. Gersh, recalling a recent bike-a-thon for cancer research. “We totally reconnected on that 60-mile ride.”
Team Temple Med has yet to deliver any medical services while out biking, though they may have prevented a few head injuries. “We yell at people on the trail who aren’t wearing their helmets,” confesses Dr. Gersh. “We’re like the helmet Nazis.” Those in Philadelphia who like to ride helmet-free should keep their eyes open for cyclists in red and white Temple jerseys. They may be in for some free medical advice.