EP.7 Alessandro Francella-Proactive Preparation vs Reactive Chaos

Alessandro Francella

During my college football career, I would ask myself why only very few freshmen made it to their senior year. Everyone had the same access to training, facilities, programs, coaching, etc. So then why did everyone not make it to 4th year?

As I look back, I came to a realization that it all came down to preparation and underlying principles. Nothing else matters if the individual is not committed to managing his/her time, showing up early to practice, and having the will to win.

If you are curious about the underlying principles we need to prioritize and live by, then this episode is for you.

“Physical activity is a form of medicine!” – Alex Francella

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  • This week, I chat with Alessandro Francella, MD, a Sports Medicine Physician at Cleveland Clinic Canada, and someone whom I called a teammate at McMaster.
  • Dr. Francella has a strong interest in sport and exercise medicine, physical activity promotion, emergency medicine, and sideline and event coverage.
  • At McMaster, Alex graduated with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. He played 4 years of varsity football for the Marauders, where he was a 3-time Marauder Scholar, and 2-time Academic All-Canadian. In his final year, he was also nominated for the Russ Jackson Award, given annually to the Canadian university football player who best exemplifies the attributes of football skill, academic achievement, and citizenship.
  • Dr. Francella obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the Saba University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Toronto, where he was Chief Resident in his final year.
  • Dr. Francella is dedicated to working with his patients to develop individualized treatment plans to help them return to their activity or sport of choice. He believes in exercise as a first-line treatment for a variety of medical conditions – not simply musculoskeletal-related injuries. He is also involved in a variety of educational and research endeavors to ensure he remains up to date and providing the best treatment to his patients. He is a contributing editor to the educational website www.sportmedschool.com.
  • Active in the world of sports, Dr. Francella is currently the Team Physician for the Toronto Wolfpack Rugby League Football Club. He has been involved with Canada Basketball as the Team Physician for the Under 16 Canada Men’s National Basketball Team, traveling to Brazil for the 2019 FIBA Americas Championships. He has previously provided medical care to teams such as the Toronto Football Club Academy, Mississauga Steelheads hockey team, Toronto Rock Lacrosse team, the Nutcracker Ballet, NHL Referees Association, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Toronto Triathlon.

Some things we Discuss:

  • What Alex did to manage a full course load as a student-athlete as 2x Academic All-Canadian
  • Why he pursued Sports Medicine after football
  • Why you need to have accountability and be OK with having tough conversations with your teammates
  • How exercise is actually the best medicine… period
  • How being active before work or studying actually results in new neuron generation in the brain

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