Orthopedic sports medicine is Dr. Robert Gallo's life, and he's taken it to new levels - LebTown

Growing up successful South Lebanon, Bobby Gallo couldn’t comprehend a beingness without sports. But not adjacent helium could’ve imagined the way his beingness would take.

In retrospect, it each makes consciousness now. Not lone is helium inactive connected to sports, but he’s been blessed with an accidental to springiness back, he’s making a quality successful his assemblage and he’s helping section student-athletes extract the implicit astir from their scholastic experiences.

It’s Dr. Robert Gallo now, prof of Orthopedic Sports Medicine astatine Penn State’s College of Medicine successful Hershey. A 1994 postgraduate of Cedar Crest High School and a nonmigratory of Palmyra, Gallo is portion of the sports medicine teams – erstwhile referred to arsenic the “team doctor” – for Northern Lebanon, Lebanon, Annville-Cleona, Lebanon Valley College, and the Harrisburg Senators.

In short, helium is surviving his dream, oregon reality’s mentation of it.

“As a kid, sports were my full life,” said Gallo. “I learned however to work and bash mathematics connected the backmost of shot cards. I conscionable couldn’t ideate a beingness without immoderate benignant of sports successful it.

“I honestly struggled successful assemblage (with the prime of) becoming a sportswriter oregon a doctor,” helium continued. “I deliberation it was benignant of weird trying determine betwixt the two. But I deliberation they’re much alike than you would think. In each 1 you’re perpetually learning and you’re gathering with people. But successful medicine, I consciousness similar I person much idiosyncratic input into the wellbeing of people.”

Obviously, Gallo made the close decision.

As a prof of Orthopedic Sports Medicine, determination are 4 main components to Gallo’s duties – teaching, clinical, surgical and assemblage service. But what piques Gallo’s nonrecreational involvement is the people.

“I deliberation it’s the relationships,” helium said, erstwhile pressed for his favourite facet of what helium does. “My champion time is interviewing assemblage students for aesculapian school. You’re seeing radical who privation to assistance different people. I sometimes usage that to refresh myself. But I bask each 3 components of my work.

“It’s not similar I’m not being compensated,” helium added. “But it’s truthful chill erstwhile you tin assistance radical out. It’s important to me. I bash deduce precise overmuch joyousness from going to schools that don’t person arsenic galore resources arsenic others. But they’re each important to me.”

Gallo has gained a estimation arsenic 1 of the area’s astir knowledgeable experts successful the attraction and survey of anterior cruciate ligament injuries, 1 of the astir communal injuries successful each of scholastic sports. Over his 14-year career, helium has performed implicit 700 ACL surgeries, galore of which were suffered by Lebanon County student-athletes.

Dr. Robert Gallo participating successful a vocation time astatine St. Joan of Arc successful Hershey. (Provided photo)

“To beryllium capable to reconstruct someone’s quality to play, particularly aft an ACL tear, it’s beauteous awesome,” said Gallo. “Then to spell to games and spot kids who tore their ACLs retired determination competing again, it’s truthful rewarding. When they spell to college, I archer them ‘Keep maine successful the loop.’ I deliberation it’s truthful chill to spot their advancement astatine the adjacent level. Some volition usage it arsenic inspiration to spell connected and bash thing successful the health-care field.

“I bash deduce enjoyment from going retired and helping connected the sidelines (at section diversion events). People get to spot you and radical get to cognize you. I person a transportation to and an affinity for Lebanon County.”

After graduating from Penn State’s School of Medicine successful 2002, Gallo completed his orthopedic country residency astatine Allegheny General Hospital successful Pittsburgh and a sports medicine and enarthrosis fellowship astatine The Hospital for Special Surgery successful New York City. Gallo, who starred arsenic a tennis subordinate during his Cedar Crest years, is besides poised to go the manager for the orthopedic residency programme astatine Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Dr. Robert Gallo, left, and Dr. Joe Andrie, the aesculapian manager for the Harrisburg Senators. (Provided photograph by Heather Sell)

“I deliberation portion of the conception of going into medicine is to assistance people, but it’s besides due to the fact that you privation to learn,” said Gallo, 46. “Those (the precocious schooling years) were immoderate of my astir fulfilling times of my life. You’re seeing truthful galore bully and atrocious things. You’re spot trauma each the clip and you spot people’s unrecorded alteration instantly forever. It decidedly makes you little of a hazard taker.

“My ma was an head astatine the Lebanon Valley General Hospital (later the Hyman S. Caplan Pavilion),” helium continued. “I was ever exposed to medicine. Those were large years for me. I was ever surrounded by that, and I got bully grades, truthful you’re benignant of pushed successful that direction.”

There’s an adage successful sports that says hard workers marque their ain bully luck. Still a young man, Gallo is precise overmuch connected apical of his crippled and precise overmuch astatine the apical of his profession. There beryllium galore remaining goals for him to achieve.

“As you get older, you commencement reasoning astir your bequest and however radical volition retrieve you,” said Gallo. “I person been unthinkable fortunate to beryllium surrounded by large radical who taken clip to enactment me. I person large parents; I went to large schools and I’ve been incredibly lucky. And I’ve had large partners and colleagues. It’s not casual to find an world sports medicine job. I’m indebted to Hershey.”

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