WVU alumna develops skills and connections through science and sports

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of stories highlighting the connection between pursuing a career in health sciences and participating in athletics.

Much like participation on an athletic team, health care professions require dedication, hard-work and collaboration. West Virginia University alumna Abbie Pierson has found her perseverance, communication and teamwork skills to shine during her time as a student-athlete on the WVU Gymnastics team and throughout her completion of both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in exercise physiology.

With her family's involvement in the health care field and her lifelong experiences in gymnastics, Pierson always knew she wanted to pursue a degree in health care.

"My dad's a pharmacist and my sister's a nurse, so I have family around me that definitely influenced me. Even just the lifestyle I live—exercising, staying fit, being an athlete and being surrounded by people who have ACL tears and come back, have Achilles tears and come back—I definitely think my athletics have influenced my career path," she said.

Pierson enjoyed the hands-on experiences of both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, with the cadaver teaching lab being one of her favorite learning resources.

“I loved my master's experience. I thought it was a super interesting thing learning how to do exercise tests and just different protocols and getting to work with patients.”

Pierson’s involvement in gymnastics has helped her develop perseverance and communication skills—qualities that have allowed her to excel in her exercise physiology coursework.

“When you're on a team, you learn to have really good communication skills. How to find people’s strengths and weaknesses and how we can play into people's strengths," Pierson said. "I've seen that come true when I work in clinicals and my master's degree. From working with patients and communicating and seeing what their weaknesses are and what their strengths are, and how to help them as an exercise physiologist.”

Pierson has also developed teamwork and leadership skills that go beyond competing alongside her teammates. While on the road to gymnastics meets, Pierson spends time helping her teammates study.

“We were sitting on the bus for four hours coming back from a team meet and [my teammate] was learning about ECGs and the cardiac [system]. We were studying with her for two hours, trying to just help her understand the concepts,” she said.

Through both her academic and athletic experiences, Pierson has recognized similarities in the accountability required in both fields when working collaboratively.

“A health care team can be the nurses, the pace, the doctors, the receptionist, the medical assistant. So it's sometimes much, much deeper than what we see," Pierson said. "Same with athletics. It's the gymnast, but then it's the athletic trainer and the strength coach and the coaches and media to the janitors.”

From WVU Gymnastics fans to working with patients in her clinical labs, Pierson’s high involvement in WVU has allowed her to connect with the state’s community in multiple ways.

“It was more than ever I could have ever experienced. Being able to compete for the state of West Virginia was amazing and I really felt like I had the community in athletics and seeing all the fans come out to the meets made that connection," Pierson said. "I was able to connect even more working with patients in the Human Performance Lab and such. So it was a really cool dynamic between the two of [us] being with West Virginia's community and Morgantown community.”

Along with the Human Performance Lab, the WVU Master’s of Exercise Physiology program allowed Pierson to apply her skills to her course work, including the School of Medicine’s Exercise Physiology Class: French Endurance Performance and Nutrition. In this class, Pierson traveled to Nice, France, to explore the role of the Mediterranean diet.

“We went to Nice, France, and we got to see the Tour de France and learn about the Mediterranean diet. So it was exercise with cycling and then really getting to look into the Mediterranean diet and how that's been crucial for anti-inflammator and weight loss.”

While in her gap year and working for WVU Athletics, Pierson is preparing to continue her academic journey by applying to medical school.

“I think West Virginia is a hidden gem. We have really good athletics, but I think our academics are right up there. Ruby Memorial [Hospital] is growing and I think it's really interesting to be in a program that's a part of that"

-WVU-

po/03/11/25

MEDIA CONTACT: Christie Matyola
Senior Communications Specialist
WVU Health Sciences
732-966-2107; christie.matyola@hsc.wvu.edu