Track star medicine grad takes it all in stride

The third-year schedule at the Cumming School of Medicine may have forced Andrew Dargie to take the year off from competition, but there’s no way the University of Calgary track star would ever stop running.

“This year I’ve just been training to stay fit,” the 27-year-old said.

“The way medical school works is the first two [years] are course-based and final year you’re essentially working, so it gets a bit trickier scheduling. Last year I was quite often at the gym at 5:30 in the morning before going to the class,” Dargie says.

Stepping back from competing for the Dinos this past season was worth it though, because Dargie will celebrate his convocation on May 7 and begin preparing for a residency in vascular surgery at the University of Manitoba.

Somehow, Dargie continued to compete for the Dinos in his second year of medical school and finished the Canadian Interuniversity Sports indoor season ranked fourth in 300m. He also made the finals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games trials in the 400m, quite an accomplishment given that he was enduring 24-plus hour shifts.

“I was on a pediatrics rotation and I had just finished a call shift and flew straight to Moncton and competed. I remember going into the race thinking to myself, ‘Boy, am I really tired,’ ” he recalled.

A strong commitment to community

As all of the 170 Cumming School of Medicine students do, Dargie was also involved in volunteer work. Since 2012 he has been working with the university’s Aboriginal Health Program. 

“I’m born and raised in Calgary and used to practise hockey on the Tsuu T’ina reserve and grew up close to Morley (and the Stoney reserve),” he said.

“For me it’s a program that helps get aboriginal youth exposure to medicine. Every few months there’s a mini-aboriginal medical school. You have a bunch of junior high kids come in and you try to teach them a little anatomy, radiology. It’s a few hours every couple of months. It’s something that I felt very passionate about. It’s very rewarding personally.”

In March, Dargie’s outreach work was recognized with the CIS track Student-Athlete Community Service Award, given annually to a student who displays attributes of academic and athletic success as well as community support.

“He’s quite a talent,” said his track coach, John Cannon. “Not too often do you have someone who is going into medicine, which is a very extensive program, and still works full-time as a track athlete. He has the gift of athletics and academics.”

Dargie may continue to compete, even at Olympic level

Dargie began his university studies at Stanford University in the California, where he was an all-American in track, before returning home for medical school. He isn’t ruling out competing again and may decide to enter the next Olympic trials and attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“I don’t know how seriously I’m going to take my running next year. They have a great indoor track. It’s sort of open ended. I haven’t ruled [Olympic trials] out,” he said.

Dargie will leave for Winnipeg in June to begin his five-year residency. Joining him will be fiancé Adrianne Erdman, who is wrapping up her business degree this spring at the University of British Columbia.

Future holds the same as Dargie’s past: success

“I got an interview at all seven vascular programs I applied at and Manitoba is a great fit and I’m glad they picked me,” he said.

“I had them ranked extremely high; they said they’d give you an incredible operating experience.”

One of Dargie’s mentors, Rockyview General Hospital orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ed Rendall, has no doubt Dargie is on the path to continued success.

“He’s a clever, multi-talented guy and he’ll do well at whatever he does,” Randell said.

“That’s been the case with everything he’s tried in the past and I imagine that will be the case with everything he tries in the future.”