Q&A With Dr. Joel Press

Dr. Press is AAPM&R President and medical director of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Sports and Spine Rehabilitation Center. On June 12 he will begin the “Ride for Rehab.”

How did you come up with the idea for Ride for Rehab?
I’ve been bike riding for many years, and I’ve done a number of rides for up to a week at a time in places like Colorado, Montana, and even one in Europe. I’ve really enjoyed those rides and have always wanted to ride from coast to coast. So I started thinking about what would be the right reason to make that journey and when is the best time to do it. At first I thought when I turn 50 years old might be a good time. Well it turns out, I’m actually going to be 49 years old this summer, not 50, but I figured this would be a great thing to do as president of the AAPM&R to use as an awareness campaign. One of the biggest issues we have in the field is just who we are and what we do. Then I figured I might as well use the opportunity to make it into a fundraiser for the RIC sports and spine program and for outcomes research. I also picked this time because my son is graduating from high school in June, and it would be the perfect time for him to go with me for a while. He will be joining me for the last few hundred miles of the ride from Ohio to Boston, so we’ll spend a few weeks together before we take him to college.

How long was your longest ride?
About 600 miles in a week, so the Ride for Rehab is that times about six or seven.

How are you training for the ride?
I’ve been working with a personal trainer for about eight months now, and I’ve been on a program riding an average of two hours every day and taking a day off once a week or so. Basically, he has been making me work in different heart rate zones to simulate getting into a good aerobic pace to allow me to ride for many hours at a time and have good recovery for the next day.

Besides your son, who else is coming on the ride with you?
A bunch of people are meeting me throughout the ride. For example, there are some friends from California, Dr. Venu Akuthota and his wife will meet me through Colorado, some other friends in Utah, my wife will meet me in Kansas, Dr. Heidi Prather and some of her friends in Missouri, and hopefully some folks from RIC – Dr. Ross Bogey and Dr. Felice Zollman will join me in southern Illinois up to Indianapolis or so. Then my son will meet me in Ohio and some other people will meet us in New York.

What kind of bicycle are you riding and will you be using any special equipment?
I’m using a Waterford road bike. I actually just got a new one after having one for 15 years, because my son is going to need one and he is about the same size as me. I’m not using any other special equipment except a GPS unit. LaSalle Bank and Garmin are going to help me get set up with a GPS chip that will track me through an Internet link, and people will be able to log in and see where I am as well as the elevation. So I do thank LaSalle Bank and Garmin for helping to support that. I’m hoping to keep a blog so I can send photos and write along the way.

How will the ride affect PM&R residents and how can residents get involved?
The residents have been incredibly supportive of the ride in terms of fundraising. [RPC is holding a competition to see which institution can raise the most funds.] And the money that is raised will help open up more opportunities for funding research to prove what we do in PM&R works. Besides fundraising, anybody who is interested in riding is welcome to join me in any part of the ride. Even if people want to drive a little bit and ride some of the way – having a car around is great. So if a few people want to come and take turns riding the car so there’s support they would be welcome.

Last question. How would you describe your leadership style?
It’s always a weird question, because I don’t think I have a specific style. I can tell you what my mentality has always been playing basketball -- be a pointguard. If you’re a good pointguard, your team wins, and that’s all that’s important. I don’t really care how things get done, as long as we do what we have to do. If I have to shoot, I’ll shoot. If I have to pass, I’ll pass. If I have to rebound, I’ll rebound. Whatever it takes. I don’t really care about the process, I only care that we get things done. As long as you have people who are motivated and hardworking, you don’t really have to lead at all because you’re all going in the same direction anyway.

For more details on Ride for Rehab, click here. To donate, click here . If you would like to get involved and organize a fundraising event, please contact the RPC resident communication liaison, Mike Mallow or Ai Mukai, RPC president.
 

Ai Mukai, MD
AAPM&R-RPC President
amukai355@gmail.com

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