Jermaine Lee, DPT

All through elementary school, high school and college, Jermaine Lee lived and breathed football. Then, at the age of 22, his dream came true. He was signed as a defensive end for the Canadian Pro Football League team, the Edmonton Eskimos. Two years later, like many football players, an injury changed everything. With a bum hamstring, Lee was released from the team and suddenly the life he had trained and planned for was finished. For 24-year-old Lee, it was time to start over.

“I wanted to use what I’d learned as an athlete in a setting where I could help people,” he says. Initially, Lee worked as a sports trainer but soon he turned his sights to something more substantial. “I wanted more,” he explains. Lee decided to obtain the training needed to become a physical therapist so that he could really make a difference in the lives of people with whom he worked.

Lee applied and was accepted to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the School of Health Sciences of Touro University (SHS). One of the factors that helped in Lee’s ultimate success was the mentoring relationships he developed at SHS, particularly with his professor, Dr. Shira Weiner. Mentoring is a critical part of the Physical Therapy program. The faculty all know the students on a first-name basis and there is a collective commitment to make sure that the students succeed.

For Lee, Dr. Weiner was more than an advisor. “She was like a life coach for me. She was there for me. She would say, ‘Jermaine, you can do this. You played professional football—I know you can do this.’”

Today, Lee is happily working as a physical therapist at Nassau BOCES schools, where he creates treatment plans that help support and nurture children with impaired physical and cognitive abilities. And although he no longer plays competitive sports, fitness remains an important part of Lee’s daily life. Looking back at his journey, Lee grows philosophical. “There’s a quote I live by,” he says. “You will be remembered more for your kindness than any success you could possibly attain in life. This is true for Dr. Weiner. I don’t remember many of the teachers who taught me subjects. Although Dr. Weiner taught anatomy, what I remember most is the way she encouraged me and believed in me when I couldn’t be there for myself.”