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It was a moment that shocked the world. Simone Biles, widely regarded as one of the best gymnasts in Olympic history, withdrew from most of her planned events in the 2021 Tokyo Games due to a debilitating case of the “twisties,” a condition that made her lose sense of where her body was midair. A mere three years later, at the 2024 Paris Games, Biles awed the world, winning gold in vault, individual all-around, and team all-around, and silver on floor. In an Instagram post, Biles thanked Loyola University Chicago alumna Dr. Marcia Faustin (BS ’07) for “making sure I never gave up on my dreams.” The current co-head team physician for the U.S. gymnastics women’s national team might not do a triple-twisting double tuck on the mat, but she accomplished a feat as difficult as scoring a perfect 10—restoring the team’s physical and emotional health after years of devastating challenges.
Creating a supportive culture
A gymnast soaring through the air may look supernatural, but Faustin and her fellow Co-Head Team Physician Dr. Ellen Casey put their athletes’ humanity front and center: “We not only have to support them within the gymnastics realm, but long term, helping them overcome whatever hardships,” she says.
That mindset helped Biles and the rest of her teammates navigate some of the most turbulent years in U.S. gymnastics team history. At the center of the turmoil was former team doctor Larry Nassar, convicted in 2017 of sexually abusing more than 500 victims. While Nassar’s actions led to untold physical and psychological trauma for the team, diseases and injuries also took their toll. In addition to Biles’s mysterious condition, star gymnast Suni Lee experienced inflammation in different parts of her body. Working closely with Faustin, Lee’s home medical team discovered the gymnast had two rare kidney diseases.
The doctors’ patient-centered approach helped support the team through these struggles and qualify for the Paris Olympics. The team earned the highest scores of all competing countries and won 10 medals. But how did a track star from Orland Park, Illinois, find herself in Paris caring for some of the greatest athletes in the world?
From Loyola to the Olympics
When she first arrived at Loyola on an athletic scholarship, Faustin dreamed of becoming a nurse like her mother. However, scheduling conflicts made it difficult for her to complete the nursing requirement while competing in track, so she switched her major to biology. It proved to be a good decision. She became a record-winning Rambler in the high jump and an active presence on campus. According to fellow athlete Nora Reilly (BBA ’07, MBA ’08), who notes that Faustin’s dedication to caring for others was apparent even then, “there was not a room, classroom, or facility that she could walk into where she didn’t have friends excited to see her. She never let her friends walk home alone—ever. She was adamant that we stick together
and always look after one another.”
As a student-athlete, Faustin had frequent interactions with Dr. Neeru Jayanthi (MD ’98), a professor in orthopedics and family medicine at Emory University, who served then as the team physician at Loyola for undergraduate athletics. She was curious about the ins and outs of his position, so he invited her to shadow him in Loyola’s Maywood clinic, where they had extensive conversations about the job. Witnessing firsthand what family and sports medicine entailed was critical for Faustin. “He’s the reason why I’ve chosen this career path as a family and sports medicine physician.”
Nearly a decade later, after graduating from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completing her residency at University of California, San Diego, Faustin was hired at University of California, Davis, as an assistant clinical professor in family medicine and sports medicine. She was also pegged as co-head team physician for the university’s Division I intercollegiate athletics program. While Faustin worked toward becoming a doctor, she began volunteering with the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. At the time, she had no expectations as to where it would lead: “I didn’t have a template of what working for USA Gymnastics as a physician looked like. I was excited to be there as a volunteer,” Faustin says. But in 2019, after years of assisting in regional, state, and national competitions, the organization asked Faustin and Casey, a professor and primary care sports medicine physician in New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, to be co-head team physicians for the women’s national team.
The team physicians weren’t total strangers to the gymnasts. Throughout their years as volunteers, they had established a rapport with the athletes, coaches, and staff. But they were also aware that the group needed to heal in ways that went beyond sprains or aches. “Dr. Casey and I focused on communication with the athletes and their support systems … to build trust among the community,” Faustin says. “We focused on transparency and a collaborative approach to care.”
Caring for the whole athlete
Faustin’s typical approach follows the biopsychosocial model of care, which considers the biological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors that affect a person’s health. Patients share their vulnerabilities, and as a physician, she comes to earn their trust. “Whether it’s your mental health or your physical health that’s holding you back, let’s work towards that, so we can get you healthy enough to do those things that bring you joy.” To help Biles overcome her case of the “twisties,” for example, Faustin treated her holistically. “We had an established relationship and trust,” says Faustin. “I focused on supporting her physical and mental health, taking actions that would help her get to a safe place to compete at the beam finals and start her road to healing.”
During the Olympics, Faustin and Casey continued to make sure they were offering the best medical care to the gymnasts, coaches, and support staff. They relied on detailed emergency action plans to guide them through treatment decisions.
Faustin describes the Paris Olympics as a “phenomenal experience,” gushing about the camaraderie between athletes from all over the world. Now back at University of California, Davis, she acknowledges that, during the Olympics, her responsibilities as co-head team physician were a grind. Yet they offered her the memorable experience of watching the women’s team win three gold medals, including the team all-around, Biles’s vault, and Lee’s uneven bars.
The gymnasts usually practiced for several hours in the morning. After lunch, athletes spent time in rehabilitation or physical therapy, followed by several more hours of practice in the afternoon. Some even completed more rehabilitation exercises after dinner. On competition days, gymnasts underwent drug testing, which could take several hours. The team physicians remained with athletes throughout the day, on alert for any emergencies or unexpected illnesses. “What it comes down to is that we’re taking care of each of those individuals similar to the clinic,” says Faustin. “I’m going to see 20 patients today. I have a different relationship with each person. That’s how we think of it within the gymnastics world, too.”
Those who have followed Faustin’s career are not surprised by her role in the Olympic team’s redemption tour. Reilly, who is now a marketing consultant for Olympic sports, points out that Faustin “genuinely cares about athletes as people first.” If that sounds trite, “it’s unfortunately not always the case,” Reilly says. “It doesn’t matter what your body is capable of if your mind and your heart aren’t also supported. She brings that to her work.”
As a fellow sports physician, Jayanthi echoes that sentiment: “I saw her drive, enthusiasm, and follow-through right away. Sometimes you talk to students, but they don’t follow through. Marcy always did what she said she was going to do.” Her positivity and nonjudgmental approach to athletic care also set her apart, Jayanthi says. “You can’t help but want her to be a part of your team.”
