SPORTS STORIES:
SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
eason coaches tennis while researching aids...
CLEVELAND, OH (February 26, 2009) - Once New Zealand-born James Eason graduated high school he knew he wanted two things: to continue his tennis career and to become a doctor.
Now he’s realizing both dreams over 8,000 miles away from his home, as an assistant tennis coach for the Spartans and a researcher at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Following his completion of high school in New Zealand, Eason sent e-mails to countless colleges in the United States expressing his interest in playing tennis. He caught the attention of the coaches at The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, who offered Eason a full-ride scholarship. And while Eason had no intentions of joining the military, he took the opportunity that he was given and ran with it.
“I wanted a challenge,” said Eason. “In a school like that [Citadel], they break you down and build you back up into something more than you were when you got in. For me it was a great experience, and I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”
While playing with Bulldogs’ tennis team, Eason was a four year ITA All-Academic scholar-athlete, and was ranked in the top 20 in the nation in doubles. It was also at that time that he was coached by current Case Western Reserve Head Coach Todd Wojtkowski, who was an assistant coach at The Citadel at that time.
When Wojtkowski took the head coaching position at Case Western Reserve last August, he remembered Eason’s desire to stay involved with tennis. He also knew Eason’s credentials would not only be suited to work as his assistant coach, but that he would be an excellent candidate to do research at the medical school.
“Once Todd told me about the research opportunities here, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue,” recalled Eason.
Eason has been given an exceptional opportunity to perform experiments for one of the leading doctors in the country in HIV research, Dr. Michael M. Lederman. Each day Eason works at the Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Center For AIDS Research (Case CFAR) doing tests in order to make progress in the search for a cure for HIV.
“I’m working for one of the top HIV research professionals in the nation,” said Eason. “Dr. Lederman is one of the most well known doctors among HIV circles, right here at Case Western Reserve. I am able to utilize cutting edge technology, and work with some truly brilliant minds in science.”
Currently, Eason is working with some new drugs and performing experiments to see the underlying mechanisms of those drugs at a cellular level, particularly in the way of inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines..
“There’s no cure for HIV at the moment,” said Eason. “We are still just touching the surface of the virus. I think one thing that interests me about this type of research, is that the ways to prevent HIV transmission through a vaccine, and how to stop HIV progression to AIDS is still a mystery and provides a huge challenge.”
Once Eason is done doing his daily research he continues to immerse himself in the world of medicine, reading books and cramming in information as he prepares for the GAMSAT (Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test) in March. Eason hopes that with his research experience here at Case Western Reserve and by passing the GAMSAT that he will be able to go to medical school in Australia, which neighbors his native New Zealand.
While becoming a doctor is clearly Eason’s future goal, working as the assistant coach for the Case Western Reserve tennis teams is another line of work he takes seriously. Most mornings before Eason goes to work to do research, he holds an hour-long training session with individual players. Then at night he helps coach a three-hour practice from 9:00 p.m. until midnight before finally getting some much needed sleep.
“James is such an important part of the program because of the energy he brings to the table,” said Coach Wojtkowski. “Despite working from 9-5 every day in the lab, he still devotes every other waking hour in the early morning and late at night to helping the tennis team. He’s never tired – he’s like a machine.”
Speaking of machines, Eason and Wojtkowski are trying to create a tennis one at Case Western Reserve and so far they have seen their influence paying off.
“I think we both coach in ways that complement each other well,” said Eason. “We like to see intensity on the court and I think our players are starting to acquire that intensity. Todd and I both have a passion for the game and more importantly we both like to win - we hate losing.”
-end-