Dr. David Hepburn is a
sports physician with ties to the Canadian Junior National Rugby team. He is
also connected to a few different hockey teams that employed him to be the main
trainer who takes care of the athletes’ health. Prior to this, he got his doctorate’s
degree in 1986 from the University of Ottawa. This marked the beginning of a
very unique career path that subsequently led to the military where Dr. David Hepburn helped during the Persian Gulf War. Nowadays, besides working with professional
athletes and countless long-term patients, he also does a lot of relevant
research on the potential uses of medical cannabis. In the end, he is known for going as far as
the Olympics to be one of the main physicians during the 1996 games.
Why did you choose to pursue a career in the field in which you currently work?
I wanted to become a doctor since I was very young. It was a profession that
intrigued me as I thought that having the ability to help others was something
incomprehensibly wonderful. Once I reached high school, I started taking some
classes on natural sciences and noticed that my performance there was outstanding
even when I was not applying myself completely. This made me realize that I am
understanding the material extremely well because it interests me a lot. So, it
made sense to do something that would be related to the field of medicine as
this area obviously piqued my curiosity. I am proud to say that making this
decision was one of the best things that I have ever done.
In what way does your professional role make it possible for you to have a positive impact on others?
Well, I am a doctor who spends most of his days working with patients. This is
probably the best way to have a positive impact on others since my treatments
are quite literally the reason why many people feel better. Regardless, I do
want to give credit to a lot of my patients who are dedicated enough to go
through complex procedures with me. Absent their persistence, my diagnoses
would have absolutely no impact and the treatment suggestions would be
futile.
Can you give our readers any advice about starting their own business?
You should start a business in a niche market that you are very passionate
about. For example, although I am somehow extremely talented at certain types
of service-based entrepreneurial ventures, I would never consider doing that
full-time. The reason why is that I am much more interested in helping people.
So, the fact that I could earn more as a sole proprietor who offers a unique
service does not matter. What is important is the fact that my current job is
something that I am extremely passionate about. Due to this, I seldom even feel
like I am going to work and have no issues with spending north of 10-12 hours
trying to find ways to treat patients.
What do you do for recreation?
I try to stay physically active by taking long walks or doing some very light
jogging. I have given up hard workouts with resistance exercises because they
do not make me feel as good as they used to. This is mostly because I spend a
lot of my time in the office which makes for a stark contrast. So, trying to
suddenly shock muscles back into shape with difficult training was causing me a
lot of problems with injuries. Therefore, I simply chose to do something that
will allow me to remain active enough to where my physical health is kept in
check without exposing my body to the unwarranted risk of potential
injury.
Is there an Australian you admire or who has had a profound influence on you personally or professionally? Explain.
There is. In fact, there are three of them that are definitely worthy of
mention. The first one is Basil Hetzel. Unfortunately, the world lost Mr.
Hetzel’s brilliant mind in 2017. He was one of the main Australian researchers
who made incredible breakthroughs in the field of treating iodine deficiency.
The next one is a career businessman with decades of success, Chris Corrigan.
He used to be the managing director of the renowned Patrick Corporation until
2006. His approach to business definitely taught me a lot about professionalism
and long-term persistence when it comes to tough projects. Finally, I have to
mention Bob Hawke who used to be Australia’s Prime Minister. He is famous for
having the highest approval rating in the country ever! Obviously, he achieved
this by being an outstanding politician and conveying many important lessons on
leadership.
