Longtime veteran of the OUA sports scene, Dr. Graeme Whyte has continued to work with athletes as he begins his medical career.
 
During his numerous years of schooling en route to becoming a surgeon, Whyte donned the jerseys of various universities, capping off his athletic career as a member of the Gaels' OUA Championship men's rugby team of 2012. During his stead in the OUA, Whyte racked up a multitude of OUA medals in his years with the University of Toronto's soccer team, Guelph's soccer and rugby teams, Western's rugby team, and the rugby team at Queen's.
 
"I have played a total of 13 OUA seasons for the 1st team as a varsity player in Ontario, competing for four different universities," Whyte said. "Over these 13 years, I have won 10 OUA medals [and competed at the CIS Championship in soccer with U of T]. To my knowledge, there is no other university athlete in the history of Canadian university athletics who has achieved this."
 
Leaving a highly successful career on the sports field, Whyte now has the chance to encounter athletes on the job as he completes a fellowship in Sports Orthopaedic Surgery at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in Manhattan. Whyte said residency in orthopaedic surgery at Queen's prepared him well for independent surgical practice.
 
"Playing varsity rugby for Queen's during every year of residency, particularly for such a successful team, set me apart from other residents, and was no doubt beneficial to my career path in that regard," Whyte said. "There is a large focus on arthroscopic surgical techniques related to the shoulder, knee, hip, elbow, and ankle. This includes advanced joint preservation procedures, cartilage preservation and restoration being an important component. I have strong interests in musculoskeletal research, and am currently working on research related to cartilage restoration and regeneration within the knee."
 
Now working to preserve and restore athletes' bodies, Whyte isn't new to the comeback story, having overcome the pain of defeat with his Gaels teammates.
 
"I have vivid memories of the championship game of my first season at Queen's," Whyte said, recalling the 2008-2009 season. "We had been undefeated all season, and lost a close game [to McMaster] in the finals. The next season we were determined not to repeat that performance and we came away with gold, [beating McMaster in the semis and Western in the final]."
 
Off the field, Whyte's operations weren't confined to the hospital, as he found himself able to give toward the Nixon Field project, which transformed the Gaels' home field from natural grass to state-of-the-art artificial turf.
 
"The Nixon Field project was a much-needed renovation to the varsity rugby field that enabled regular use of a consistent playing surface throughout the entire season," Whyte said. "This project will provide long-term benefit to ensure the Queen's rugby program continues its success, and maintains a focus on player development, being the biggest university rugby program in the country."
 
Whyte played his final season, capturing the OUA title, in the inaugural season of the new Nixon Field. Just one year removed from the Queen's rugby scene, Whyte said he had high expectations for this year's squad.
 
"Given the make-up of our team last year, I expected the men's team to handily win the OUA championship this season," Whyte said, which they did, beating Western 40-10 to win the second OUA title in two years on the renovated Nixon Field. "There are many remarkable players on the team, and given the demonstrated ability of the coaching staff to recruit and develop players of that caliber, I expect this success will continue over the foreseeable future."
 
Although his OUA career has come to an end, Whyte has plans to continue his work with athletes, beginning a year-long fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery, also in Manhattan, which will focus on preserving the young and active hip.
 
The tools Whyte cultivated in his many years as a student-athlete are still paying dividends.
 
"The commitment, effort, and time-management it takes to be successful scholastically, and as a varsity athlete, provide a great opportunity to develop a skill-set that will be beneficial for long after graduation."