Over the summer, the world of sports news was buzzing about the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, with outstanding athletes, unexpected results and countless records being broken. One of these athletes was one of our own professors here at Saint Louis University (SLU), Dr. Sarah Adam.
Dr. Adam is an assistant professor and academic fieldwork coordinator for the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy department at SLU. Aside from her professional career, Dr. Adam is also a member of the Team USA Wheelchair Rugby team and has recently competed in the Paris Paralympics, where she acted as a key player in the team’s path to ultimately claiming the silver medal. Dr. Adam was a starting player in every game played by Team USA and was consistently one of the top three scorers during each of their five matches throughout the Games. Dr. Adam also made history by becoming the first woman to represent Team USA Wheelchair Rugby in a Paralympic Games.
Team USA started off their Paralympic gameplay with three preliminary matches covering three days. The US first defeated Canada, then suffered a loss to Japan, but came back to win against Germany. They then moved on to the semi-finals, where they topped Great Britain with a final score of 50-43.
The final game set to be played by Team USA was the gold medal game, where they would face Japan for a second time. The game remained close throughout, with the US leading at the end of the first period, but Japan taking it back by the end of the second and third periods. Although the gold medal remained within reach for Team USA through the whole game, Japan ended in the lead with a final score of 49-41. Japan claimed gold, Team USA earned silver and Australia ended with bronze at the conclusion of the wheelchair rugby events in Paris.
While Dr. Adam was busy making history and winning a medal in Paris, her colleagues, students and members of the SLU community were gathering to support her along the way. The department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy hosted a watch party for the wheelchair rugby gold medal game, open to students, graduates and staff. Viewers held homemade signs and dressed in red, white and blue to support their professor and her team.
Dr. Adam has been an impactful role model for both her colleagues and students, showing them that it is possible for dreams and a professional career to work alongside one another. Dr. Angela Cecil, the undergraduate program director and an associate professor in the occupational science and occupational therapy department, spoke highly of Dr. Adam’s leadership qualities when conversing with the University News.
“As a champion, Sarah has wowed me with her fearlessness and devotion to not only her wheelchair rugby team on the court, but also to women in sports, to individuals with disabilities, to the students she teaches, and to the profession of occupational therapy.”
Dr. Adam has proved her commitment to both our university and to her own endeavors within her sport and professional career. As an overall leader in all that she does, Dr. Adam continues to pave the way for students, athletes and women and the SLU community is proud to call her one of our own.