Family Medicine Clinician Spotlight: Jennifer Oberstar, MD
Jennifer Oberstar, MD, is faculty with the sports medicine academic group through the Department of Family Medicine and Community health, as well as the sports medicine liaison at the University of Minnesota Medical Center Residency Program (Smiley’s). She is a co-medical director for the USA soccer cup in Blaine, MN. She provides sports medicine coverage for Brooklyn Center High School, the Twin Cities marathon, Loppet foundation, and Minnesota high school league state tournaments. Prior to joining the department in 2014, she was in private practice in family medicine. Her sports medicine fellowship was completed at Hennepin County Medical Center. She has interests in community health, exercise as medicine, bone health for fracture prevention, device creation for ultrasound-guided injection teaching, and musculoskeletal education.
What brings you joy in practicing your specialty and why?
Being double boarded affords me the opportunity to expand differentials, work-up musculoskeletal concerns, teach, and do procedures. Sideline sports coverage provides a different insight into getting athletes back to competition. I enjoy the variety of concerns that present to the clinic and the challenges of staying up-to-date on treatment options. Also, this is an opportunity to teach learners PEARLS for practice and learn from students and residents rotating through programmatic courses and clinical rotations.
Why did you choose family medicine?
It’s impossible to specialize in just one area! Family medicine offers a variety of presenting concerns. There is never a “boring” day. I enjoy helping people find ways to improve their quality of life. Establishing patient rapport and understanding the patients’ background are necessary to work together towards the best treatment possible for each individual.
What advice would you give to yourself as a physician just starting out?
Lifetime learning and diligence are cornerstones to a successful medical career. The advancement of information and treatment options is forever changing. Effective communication and teamwork with colleagues make for better patient outcomes. Continue striving towards the advancement of scientific data and ways to assist patients help themselves have healthier and happier lives.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I enjoy outdoor activities in every season with my family. In the summer, we enjoy golfing, fishing, and canoeing down the St. Croix River. In the fall, we like to hike the shores of Lake Superior. In the winter, we participate in cross-country and downhill skiing, and in the spring, we have a great time on our bikes.
What are your key messages when teaching residents clinical care?
I like to encourage residents to consider exercise and time in nature as an outlet to improve their own physical fitness and mental health. In our profession there are constant challenges to work/life balance, and it is important to take personal time to improve our own well-being so we can effectively take care of others.
What are you particularly proud of as you consider your clinical career so far?
I am proud of the collaborative projects that I have been involved with at the University. Whether it’s a research project or a lecture, there are so many individuals with varying expertise who are interested in breaking down silos. For example, I had an idea for creating an injection training device to teach ultrasound-guided hip injections. Countless hours and years were used to coordinate with groups of engineering students and the Simulation Center. We are now using this device in our programmatic courses. Also, I’m proud to be part of the teaching process to engage our residents in musculoskeletal medicine. It is nice to hear from former residents after they have accepted their first job and are doing great things out in the community.
What do you hope to achieve in the years to come?
I hope to achieve an increased awareness of the value of physical activity in our daily lives and decrease chronic illness in our patient population. I spearheaded Exercise Is Medicine On Campus and have been part of the inaugural leadership team since 2019, which involves students coordinating a physical activity event and educational programming. I am currently working on a quality improvement project to ask our patients about physical activity practices and developing a toolkit to support clinicians in exercise prescription.
