World Wrestling Entertainment Physician Returns to Teaching Medical Students

(SUWANEE, GA – April 28, 2015) Michael J. Sampson, DO, FAOASM, recently returned to Georgia Campus—Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) as the clinical education coordinator and associate professor of Family/Sports Medicine for the College’s Clinical Education Department. Dr. Sampson had previously worked as an associate professor of Family Medicine/Sports Medicine and director of Primary Care Skills and Family Medicine Clerkships at GA-PCOM. Before arriving back on campus, he worked as a ringside physician for World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE), an organization he had been involved with since 2009.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dr. Sampson earned his bachelor of science degree at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. He obtained his medical degree from the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) in Kirksville, Missouri in 1992 as a member of the centennial class. He completed his internship and residency in Family Medicine at Garden City Hospital in Michigan where he served as chief resident. An athlete in his own right, Dr. Sampson pursued a career in sports medicine, completing a one-year sports medicine fellowship at Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine programs were affiliates of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSU-COM). While in Grand Rapids, he served as team physician or assistant team physician for numerous competitive athletic teams.

Prior to relocating to the metro Atlanta area, Dr. Sampson was the department chair of Family Medicine and associate professor of Sports Medicine at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Blacksburg, Virginia. He also served as one of the team physicians for the Virginia Tech athletic teams, and served as president of the Virginia chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP). He was named the 2007 “Young Physician of the Year” by the ACOFP.

Arriving in the Atlanta area, he served as one of the team physicians for the Georgia Institute of Technology and as a GA-PCOM faculty member.

Dr. Sampson has worked with college, Olympic and professional sports teams throughout his career and he continues to speak at local, regional and national conventions on sports medicine and family medicine topics. He serves on the board of directors of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (AOASM) and is board certified in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine.

About GA-PCOM

Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) is a private, not-for-profit branch campus of the fully accredited Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a multi-program institution with a 116-year tradition of educational excellence. Located in Suwanee, GA-PCOM offers the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree, the doctor of pharmacy degree and a master’s degree in biomedical sciences. The campus includes the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit www.pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500.

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