Justin Spain, '95
In 1995, rapper Coolio topped the Billboard Year End chart, eBay went live, Toy Story opened in theaters, and the second class of leadership studies majors graduated from the Jepson School. Justin Spain, ’95, was among those graduates. Now a regional sales manager for Arthrex, a global medical device manufacturer, Spain reflects on the impact of his leadership studies education on his career in healthcare.
Having grown up witnessing the importance of leadership in multiple aspects of life and serving as a football quarterback and baseball catcher, Spain was eager to study leadership and understand how to cultivate connections in organizations. He remembers the excited buzz on campus about the new Jepson School with its diverse and prestigious faculty.
As a student, he saw how connections were created and fostered on an international scale when he and his classmates traveled to Venezuela with Dr. Joanne Ciulla. Spain recalls playing with children in Barrios while volunteering with Amnesty International: “Even though I was conversational in Spanish, the universal language of laughter and sport translated well with the children.”
Following graduation, Spain wanted to pursue his passion for athletics. After sustaining an injury that forced him to accept that he could no longer play competitively, Spain set out to find a career that would immerse him in the world of sports while enabling him to make a difference. Eventually, a connection with a fellow Spider led Spain to the area of medical sales, specifically in orthopedics and sports medicine.
Now, Spain is engaged with the forefront of advances in medicine.
“On a daily basis, I am in the operating room covering surgeries and consulting with staff and physicians on the proper use of our implants and instrumentation,” said Spain. “It is my job and responsibility to train and stay current on new techniques and advancements in the industry through cadaveric labs, education seminars, and hands on educational events.”
As he navigates these tasks, Spain recalls a piece of advice a mentor once gave him: “It’s not about price, product, or profit, it’s about people.” To be successful in his business, Spain draws upon his understanding of conflict resolution and negotiation to be successful. And in the operating room, the stakes for success are high.
“Every day, I get to make a difference in someone’s life. Whether making a technical suggestion so that a procedure goes more smoothly for a surgeon or bringing in a new piece of technology or instrument that can help save time under anesthesia, my ultimate goal is to provide a better outcome for the patient,” explained Spain.
As Spain considers the future of healthcare in the United States, he describes the complex challenges that the industry faces and the need for more adaptive policies.
“The healthcare field today is the one field that is most in need of creative, innovative, and pioneering thinkers and leaders. We have all seen the changing demographics in our country. As we age and our needs change, the systems and ways in which we strive to retain our health and ways in which we seek out treatment need to evolve,” said Spain.
When considering how to address these challenges, Spain returned to the importance of human connections and understanding how people interact: “As we all are aware, this will not be a partisan issue but rather a people issue—helping people return to their daily activities or sport of choice more quickly will be of the greatest importance.”