Mountain Hawk Heroes: Track and Field Alum Yasmin Deliz

Every Wednesday, Lehigh Athletics, Lehigh Valley Health Network and Coordinated Health is proud to recognize a Mountain Hawk Hero - someone associated with Lehigh Athletics who is making a difference in the medical field. We continue today with track and field alum Yasmin Deliz '03.

Previous Mountain Hawk Heroes
August 26: Evan Guerrero (Men's Lacrosse Alum)
August 19: Ross Biggs (Baseball Alum)
August 12: Cynthia Izuno Macri (Soccer Alum)
August 5: Susan Westman (Rowing Student-Athlete)
July 29: Megan Hetzel (Track and Field/Cross Country Alum)
July 22: Lexi Martins (Women's Basketball Alum)
July 15: Nii Daako-Darko (Track and Field/Cross Country Alum)
July 8: Ali Linsk Butash (Softball Alum)
July 1: Kimberly Scotto-Wetzel & Jonathan Wetzel (Track and Field/Cross Country Alums)
June 24: Robert Bonow (Men's Basketball Alum)
June 17: Morgan Decker (Softball Alum)
June 10: Jim Guzzo (Former Quarterback)
June 3: Amina Affini (Women's Basketball Alum)
May 27: Natalie Krane (Women's Soccer Alum)
May 20: Tricia Klein (Women's Golf Assistant Coach)

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications

After graduating from Lehigh in 2003, former track and field standout Yasmin Deliz has gone on to chase her dreams in the medical field, especially pediatric medicine, learning and growing along the way.

"I've always loved working with children," she said. "They're fun and say silly things. They can be unpredictable and they always make me laugh and smile."

Deliz was smiling in her role as a pediatrician for more than seven years, but she wanted to explore a longstanding interest.

"I was working at the Children's Hospital Philadelphia as a pediatrician, but left last November," she said. "I'm now focused on trying to get into pediatric sports medicine."

Deliz's interest in sports medicine began during her time at Lehigh.
Yasmin Deliz

"From a young age, I wanted to be a pediatrician, but it wasn't until I was competing in athletics at Lehigh that I realized pediatric sports medicine was what I really wanted to do," she said. "I knew it was a very niche area, but knew I wanted to work with kids in that realm. I took an interest in how injuries occurred and the recovery process. I also looked at my own injuries as a field athlete and tried to figure out why this was happening and what I could do to recover and improve my ability to throw."

The COVID-19 pandemic has made finding that coveted position challenging, but Deliz is remaining positive and using this time to continue developing.

"I have a friend who's a dermatologist. He owns a practice and has let me come in, learn some dermatology and see some patients," said Deliz. "It is completely different on the spectrum of what I normally do, but I do see children and I'm learning a lot more about dermatological conditions, which has a place in pediatrics and sports medicine."

Deliz is embracing the opportunity to learn and grow, much like she did at Lehigh.

Setting The Foundation
Deliz remembers the exact moment she became interested in medicine.

"My aunt (who unfortunately passed away from cancer when I was 17) was a pediatric nurse and worked at a hospital in Brooklyn," said Deliz. "When I was 10, she brought me along one day and had me watch these two babies. They were siblings who I believe were abandoned, so they were there for medical care holding for social services. She had me play with them and exercise their legs, and they were just so happy.

"That, and seeing my aunt interact with kids on the pediatric floor, solidified my decision to become a doctor."

Flash forward about seven years when Deliz was entering Lehigh, a place that had everything she could have hoped for – strong academics, Division I athletics and the opportunity to set a foundation for her future career in medicine.

"I actually participated in Lehigh's Challenge for Success program, where you came to campus the summer before freshman year and took college courses with a group of students," said Deliz. "It gave me a bit of a leg up in navigating the whole college experience. Then in the fall, I entered with confidence, knowing I'd be able to handle these courses and succeed.

"I knew Lehigh was preparing me for my future because of the curriculum," she continued. "It was challenging, but I was very interested in all the classes I was taking."

It took patience, but Deliz enjoyed an impressive career on the track as well. She still owns the program's shot put records for both indoor (13.89m) and outdoor (14.11m), both set in 2003.

"In high school, I was fourth in New Jersey for javelin at the Meet of Champions," she said. "I thought I'd be immediately successful [at Lehigh]. That definitely didn't happen the first two years, but over time, I tried to stay patient, learning the process – like the way I needed to throw, the way I needed to advance myself and the way I needed to train."
Yasmin Deliz

Things certainly "clicked" as Deliz went on to enjoy most of her success in the shot put (while still competing in javelin as well).

"Yasmin came to us as a sprinter and a thrower," said Lehigh head track and field coach Matt Utesch. "Fast and powerful is a great combination. As we began to work more and more with her in the throws, we all realized she could be a great shot putter. Like most people, when you begin to get really good at something, you really want to attack it and have even more success. It's clear she really did this with the shot put…

"And I can see her doing this in her life after Lehigh," Utesch continued. "She finds something she's good at, then attacks it with all she has and gets really good at it. If you add in a never-ending smile and a super bubbly personality, you get Yasmin.

"She was (and is) a very hard worker and very persistent."

That persistence led to not only numerous program records, but also multiple Patriot League Championships as well.

"It took a long time to get to that point as champion," said Deliz. "It took a lot of patience and trust in the process, which went on to help me with medical school."

Being Humble To The Process
Following Lehigh, Deliz took a gap year before beginning medical school.

"I gained further experience and took my MCATs," she said. "In August of 2004, I started at UMDMJ – University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine. Now, it's called Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine."

Those years were challenging, but also rewarding and humbling.

"Medicine takes a lot of patience," she said. "It's so important to be humble because you deal with so much as a physician. You often see things that are new or you don't expect."

Luckily for Deliz, she was used to a humbling experience from her time at Lehigh.

"I knew I shouldn't take the opportunity as a Lehigh student-athlete for granted," she said. "I wanted to do all I could to be the best student and athlete possible. Being humble to the process was definitely something I learned at Lehigh, which helped me in medicine."

Made For The Medical Field
After graduating medical school in 2008, Deliz matched at Cooper University Medical Center and its pediatrics residency in Camden, New Jersey.
Yasmin Deliz

"I was there for three years, graduating residency in 2011," she said. "In the midst of my residency, I applied for the pediatric sports medicine fellowship at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey and started right after I graduated."

From there, Deliz secured her first position in 2012 as an attending physician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

No matter what she's doing in medicine, at the core of Deliz's passion is helping people.

"I love taking care of patients and advocating for them," she said. "You're not only taking care of the children, but also the parents. You're teaching them how to address their children's medical concerns and what they can do to make things better for themselves and their families.

"I love developing relationships with families."

Throughout Deliz's life, she's been a happy, personable person. It's another valuable trait for a medical professional working with children.

"The fact that I get to speak with patients and their families and hear their stories makes me excited to go to work," she said. "That's really special, and I'm humbled, and also appreciative that they'd open up to me in a way they normally wouldn't to other people."

Dating back to Deliz's time at Lehigh, she had a way of making people comfortable around her.

"I talked to everyone. You could usually find me cheering on my teammates in their races and throwing events, screaming my head off with the rest of the team," she said. "I love my track family; we spent most of our time together for four years of our young adult lives."

Utesch is proud of Deliz's past, present and future accomplishments, and couldn't be more excited that she's part of the Lehigh track and field family.

"As a student-athlete, Yasmin was fun and friendly, compassionate and enthusiastic," said Utesch. "She was obviously engaged in her events, but also the events of her teammates. Always supportive of her team, she continues to follow the program and contribute to Lehigh track and field in any way she can."

"Although those relationships and bonds with my teammates have changed as we're all in different places in our lives, I still keep in touch with a good deal of my teammates via phone and social media," said Deliz. "And I'm pretty sure they can attest to the fact that I definitely haven't changed as a person."

Making The Most Of Every Situation
Today, Deliz is looking for that coveted position in pediatric sports medicine, but isn't letting time go to waste. She had the misfortune of being in this situation during a global pandemic, which is limiting the number of openings and opportunities.

"I do some part-time work with AtlantiCare pediatric urgent care in South Jersey, but my opportunities there have been limited due to COVID-19 and the significant decrease in children being seen at urgent care," said Deliz.
Yasmin Deliz

Despite some misfortune, the personable Deliz is making the most of what's in front of her. She has embraced the opportunity working in dermatology.

"Rashes can be challenging for some pediatricians to figure out and they typically will refer out to dermatologists," said Deliz. "With my additional training and ability to identify different rashes, skin conditions and lesions, it gives me an advantage. It adds to my armamentarium, my tool box so to speak. I feel like that makes me a stronger candidate for finding a position anywhere, whether it be sports medicine or pediatrics."

More than any specific skills Deliz learned in the classroom at Lehigh, her development as a person and ability to adapt to situations with a growth mindset, has set her up for whatever situation that comes her way… including this one.

"I'd do anything for Lehigh," said Deliz. "My whole experience was amazing. I always say if I could go another four years or relive the four years, I completely would. My whole experience – my track family, being in Pi Beta Phi sorority, the pre-med experience – despite it being challenging and tough, I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat."

Deliz may not be able to turn back the clock, but she's reliving it every day through her actions as she chases her dreams.

Lehigh University Athletics

Completed Event: Women's Track and Field at NCAA East Regionals on May 28, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Track and Field at ECAC/IC4A Championships on May 16, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Track and Field at Patriot League Championships on May 2, 2025 , , 6th of 10

Completed Event: Women's Track and Field versus Carol & John Covert Classic on April 25, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Track and Field at Penn Relays on April 24, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Track and Field at Virginia Challenge on April 18, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Track and Field at Coach Pollard Invite on April 18, 2025 ,

Mountain Hawk Heroes: Track and Field Alum Yasmin Deliz

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