Andre Labbe has been a physical therapist for 29 years — two years as an instructor at Tulane’s School of Medicine, Director of Rehabilitation and Return-to-Play for Tulane Athletics. He recently enrolled in the online Masters in Sport Studies program offered by the Center for Sport and Tulane School of Professional Advancement. Here, he talks about why he decided to take his career to the next level.

Q: What inspired you to apply to the MPS in Sport Studies program? 

A: The curriculum is a great addendum to degrees like mine. If you’re thinking about any career in the sports industry, no matter what your base degree is in – medicine, business, law — this degree shows you’ve put in the work to gain a level of knowledge that is valuable to the industry. I'm a physical therapist, but there are courses and certificates offered that will increase my knowledge base in specialty areas, from psychosocial stressors on the pro athlete, to physical symptoms of their daily grind — things that perhaps I'm not privy to in the role I'm in now.

Anyone from physical therapists to athletic trainers to coaches can expand their knowledge. It's very applicable to what I do, and also applicable in expanding what my career looks like. I’m excited about the sport psychology, management of sports events, and sport in society.

Q: How do you plan to apply that knowledge after your earn your Masters? 

A: Eventually I'd like to teach courses in the program. I teach in physical therapy schools and continuing education programs around the United States and the world. I'm hoping to add to what I do with the knowledge gained from this program. It adds value, it adds credibility. This degree is going to put current sports industry professionals in positions to succeed in areas we may or may not have even thought of before. No matter where I teach, what Center for Sport brings to the table is going to be ingrained in what myself and a lot of people are going to be doing after the program.

Q: You work with the Professional Athlete Care Team at Tulane — how do you think that experience will connect with your MPS in Sport Studies degree? 

A: With Dr. [Gregory] Stewart [medical director of PACT], the theme is: players first. That sports medicine philosophy is ingrained in all of us.