Showing Heart
2/24/2021 11:38:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Support, Features, Flight 45, Intellectual Development
As part of Black Excellence Month in Partnership with Lehigh's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Lehigh Athletics will be telling the story of a former student-athlete or coach of color each week. We continue today with Adrienne Blount '07 of women’s basketball.
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Adrienne Blount's position in medical device sales demands a lot of focus, much like her days at Lehigh.
"You have moments when you have to fully focus, then there are moments when it's a little lighter where you talk and have some rapport," said the former All-Patriot League basketball standout. "I have a computer displaying a 3D model of the patient's heart (and the physician can see his/her tools in real time as he/she is working within the heart)."
After graduating Lehigh in 2007, Blount earned her master's degree from Duke in 2009. Ever since, Blount has been working at Abbott (formally St. Jude Medical) in medical device sales – specifically cardiac medical devices.
Blount and her colleagues are the experts on certain medical devices, so they're resources in procedures for doctors.
"I cover ablation procedures," she said. "When your heart has an arrhythmia, we have a product that can map it. I'm in procedures with the physicians and assist them in locating the source of the problem and getting rid of it."
The valedictorian of her high school, Blount wanted to be involved in medicine in some fashion for as long as she can remember.
"When you're getting ready to go to college, everyone keeps asking what your major's going to be," she said. "You look at what you're good at and what you like. I was always good at math and science, and my dad was an engineer, so I thought engineering was perfect."
Speaking of perfect, Lehigh was the perfect fit for Blount as not only an athlete, but also a student.
"Lehigh offered a bioengineering program that seemed to be the best of both worlds," she said. "I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but was good at engineering. As a senior upon leaving Lehigh, that's when you have to make all these fun decisions."
At that point, Blount asked herself, "Do I want to go to med school? Do I want to go to grad school? Do I want to get a job?"
She came to the conclusion that she didn't want to be a doctor, but did want to stay in health care.
"So I decided to go to grad school," said Blount.
Blount went to Duke, where her father attended.
"That brought me down to North Carolina, and I have been here (in Durham) ever since," she said. "I got into Duke's biomedical engineering master's program.
"During my second year of graduate school, St. Jude Medical was recruiting on campuses and was talking about this job where you're customer facing."
The concept of customer-facing caught Blount's attention. Although she is towards the quieter side, she is very much a people person, making St. Jude (now Abbott) a perfect fit. Blount had secured the position before graduating Duke.
"I am an engineer, but sitting at a cubicle all day doesn't really fit me," she said. "I get to be in front of customers and in front of doctors."
Blount's average week revolves around cases scheduled by physicians.
"A physician will say he/she has an atrial fibrillation procedure and schedule someone from our staff," said Blount. "That's probably our most common procedure. Typically, first case means 8 a.m. Procedure times vary. AFibs tend to be long… around three hours.
"My schedule depends on the hospital schedule, which depends on my physician schedule."
Time may have passed since Blount entered the workforce more than a decade ago, but her passion for what she does is as strong as ever.
"I love it because I'm helping people," she said. "It's not necessarily life or death. It's more quality of life. If you have AFib, yes, you are at risk of stroke and therefor at risk of death. But for the most part, it's uncomfortable. Palpitations and someone's heart beating out of rhythm is uncomfortable; it can also affect the patient's blood pressure.
"But it is surgery, so there is always a risk," Blount continued. "There are high-stress moments when a patient can go into VFib (ventricle fibrillation) where we need to shock the patient back into rhythm or need to ablate (burn tissue) near vital electrical landmarks in the heart. These parts of cases need the full focus. The other parts are lighter and we can talk and make jokes."
Blount said helping others has always been the driving force behind her interest in health care.
"At the same time, I do love math and science, so that part of my brain also gets stimulated every day," she said.
Even though Blount's career is a passion, it doesn't mean everything was always easy. Same can be said for basketball.
"When I first started working, I was also doing pacemakers and defibrillator implants. With that, you're on call on weekends," said Blount. "You have to rotate holidays with your team; if somebody gets taken to the hospital because their device went off, they can call someone at the company to have their device checked. You need someone on call 24/7."
Blount isn't on call anymore, but when she was, it reminded her of her days as a Lehigh student-athlete – like having limited breaks over holidays or having workouts/practices anytime from the early morning to the evening.
"I didn't love waking up early, but became used to it," said Blount. "Basketball is a winter sport, but you pretty much start when you step on campus and it goes to the end of the year. You get used to doing what needs to be done and taking advantage of the time you have. You just roll with the punches. When you have a moment with your family or friends, you fully immerse yourself and fully cherish it."
Any sacrifice Blount has made for her job, or basketball, has been well worth it.
One of the biggest motivators has been the people.
"I chose Lehigh for the family atmosphere," she said. "My high school team was like that too. I just felt that with Lehigh. I still have great friends from the team and we still talk to this day."
The same is true with Abbott. Over the years, Blount's technical knowledge of her job has been strong, but perhaps most important is the intangible aspects of a team setting.
Just like basketball.
"You have to read the room," said Blount. "Some physicians like you to talk while some physicians don't. Most of the time, I have one account and they're a great group of people. I get along with all the physicians and nurses.
"The environment does remind me of my Lehigh team," she continued. "Obviously, you're there for basketball. You're running, you're sprinting, you're doing all this serious stuff, but then there are lighter moments all practice long."
Knowing when not to speak up is just as important as knowing when to talk.
"Some days, the mood is lighter. Some days, you can tell something is off, so you may ask how they're doing," said Blount. "Some days, if the case is really hard and people are getting frustrated, you may not say as much."
Blount compares the uniqueness of each day to her time at Lehigh.
"Every practice is not the same; everyone's not at the same energy level every practice," she said. "Some days, you have to be more careful with this person or maybe try to pump the other person up. The more you're around people, the more you get to read their moods and can navigate through any challenges."
Blount has navigated through a number of challenges over the years, which has helped make her the person she is today. On the court, she tore her ACL as a high school senior, which made her feel like she was playing catch-up as she transitioned to college basketball.
Blount also faced obstacles as an engineer.
"Being a student in engineering was hard. Being an athlete was hard," she said. "You put them together and it was insane. I wouldn't give it up for the world, but it was challenging."
When thinking about that balance, a story came to mind.
"One spring, we had morning workouts and were doing max outs," she said. "That's when you warm up then do one rep of increasingly higher weights until you reach your max. And I had an exam that day."
There was down time built in between the squats and Blount took advantage.
"So I studied," she said. "When it was my time, I'd go up, put the bar on, squat down and stand back up. In those five minutes between, I was studying.
"That's probably the quintessential student-athlete moment."
"Adrienne serves as a true example of the qualities that exemplify our Lehigh scholar-athletes, as she excelled on the basketball court as an All-League performer, in the classroom as a bio-engineering major, and as an important leader in our program," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "She was a student-athlete who was exceptional at multi-tasking and building relationships with her teammates. It's no surprise how she has excelled as a professional, as she left Lehigh with all the tools needed for success."
Blount has been successful throughout her life, with every piece building on the previous. It wouldn't have been possible without a strong foundation from her family.
"My dad has always been big on academics," said Blount. "He went to Duke and Stanford, and was a computer engineer. I knew I had it in me. My older brother played sports. I played all the sports he played and fell in love with basketball."
"And of course, my mom is the most supportive person ever, so anything I wanted to do, she'd say let's do it," Adrienne continued.
"My family is my rock."
Blount's family may have helped set her up for success, but Adrienne's focus and hard work have made it happen.
"I love what I do and love what it affords me every day."
Adrienne Blount's position in medical device sales demands a lot of focus, much like her days at Lehigh.
"You have moments when you have to fully focus, then there are moments when it's a little lighter where you talk and have some rapport," said the former All-Patriot League basketball standout. "I have a computer displaying a 3D model of the patient's heart (and the physician can see his/her tools in real time as he/she is working within the heart)."
After graduating Lehigh in 2007, Blount earned her master's degree from Duke in 2009. Ever since, Blount has been working at Abbott (formally St. Jude Medical) in medical device sales – specifically cardiac medical devices.
Blount and her colleagues are the experts on certain medical devices, so they're resources in procedures for doctors.
"I cover ablation procedures," she said. "When your heart has an arrhythmia, we have a product that can map it. I'm in procedures with the physicians and assist them in locating the source of the problem and getting rid of it."
The valedictorian of her high school, Blount wanted to be involved in medicine in some fashion for as long as she can remember.
"When you're getting ready to go to college, everyone keeps asking what your major's going to be," she said. "You look at what you're good at and what you like. I was always good at math and science, and my dad was an engineer, so I thought engineering was perfect."
Speaking of perfect, Lehigh was the perfect fit for Blount as not only an athlete, but also a student.
"Lehigh offered a bioengineering program that seemed to be the best of both worlds," she said. "I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but was good at engineering. As a senior upon leaving Lehigh, that's when you have to make all these fun decisions."
At that point, Blount asked herself, "Do I want to go to med school? Do I want to go to grad school? Do I want to get a job?"
She came to the conclusion that she didn't want to be a doctor, but did want to stay in health care.
"So I decided to go to grad school," said Blount.
Blount went to Duke, where her father attended.
"That brought me down to North Carolina, and I have been here (in Durham) ever since," she said. "I got into Duke's biomedical engineering master's program.
"During my second year of graduate school, St. Jude Medical was recruiting on campuses and was talking about this job where you're customer facing."
The concept of customer-facing caught Blount's attention. Although she is towards the quieter side, she is very much a people person, making St. Jude (now Abbott) a perfect fit. Blount had secured the position before graduating Duke.
"I am an engineer, but sitting at a cubicle all day doesn't really fit me," she said. "I get to be in front of customers and in front of doctors."
Blount's average week revolves around cases scheduled by physicians.
"A physician will say he/she has an atrial fibrillation procedure and schedule someone from our staff," said Blount. "That's probably our most common procedure. Typically, first case means 8 a.m. Procedure times vary. AFibs tend to be long… around three hours.
"My schedule depends on the hospital schedule, which depends on my physician schedule."
Time may have passed since Blount entered the workforce more than a decade ago, but her passion for what she does is as strong as ever.
"I love it because I'm helping people," she said. "It's not necessarily life or death. It's more quality of life. If you have AFib, yes, you are at risk of stroke and therefor at risk of death. But for the most part, it's uncomfortable. Palpitations and someone's heart beating out of rhythm is uncomfortable; it can also affect the patient's blood pressure.
"But it is surgery, so there is always a risk," Blount continued. "There are high-stress moments when a patient can go into VFib (ventricle fibrillation) where we need to shock the patient back into rhythm or need to ablate (burn tissue) near vital electrical landmarks in the heart. These parts of cases need the full focus. The other parts are lighter and we can talk and make jokes."
Blount said helping others has always been the driving force behind her interest in health care.
"At the same time, I do love math and science, so that part of my brain also gets stimulated every day," she said.
Even though Blount's career is a passion, it doesn't mean everything was always easy. Same can be said for basketball.
"When I first started working, I was also doing pacemakers and defibrillator implants. With that, you're on call on weekends," said Blount. "You have to rotate holidays with your team; if somebody gets taken to the hospital because their device went off, they can call someone at the company to have their device checked. You need someone on call 24/7."
Blount isn't on call anymore, but when she was, it reminded her of her days as a Lehigh student-athlete – like having limited breaks over holidays or having workouts/practices anytime from the early morning to the evening.
"I didn't love waking up early, but became used to it," said Blount. "Basketball is a winter sport, but you pretty much start when you step on campus and it goes to the end of the year. You get used to doing what needs to be done and taking advantage of the time you have. You just roll with the punches. When you have a moment with your family or friends, you fully immerse yourself and fully cherish it."
Any sacrifice Blount has made for her job, or basketball, has been well worth it.
One of the biggest motivators has been the people.
"I chose Lehigh for the family atmosphere," she said. "My high school team was like that too. I just felt that with Lehigh. I still have great friends from the team and we still talk to this day."
The same is true with Abbott. Over the years, Blount's technical knowledge of her job has been strong, but perhaps most important is the intangible aspects of a team setting.
Just like basketball.
"You have to read the room," said Blount. "Some physicians like you to talk while some physicians don't. Most of the time, I have one account and they're a great group of people. I get along with all the physicians and nurses.
"The environment does remind me of my Lehigh team," she continued. "Obviously, you're there for basketball. You're running, you're sprinting, you're doing all this serious stuff, but then there are lighter moments all practice long."
Knowing when not to speak up is just as important as knowing when to talk.
"Some days, the mood is lighter. Some days, you can tell something is off, so you may ask how they're doing," said Blount. "Some days, if the case is really hard and people are getting frustrated, you may not say as much."
Blount compares the uniqueness of each day to her time at Lehigh.
"Every practice is not the same; everyone's not at the same energy level every practice," she said. "Some days, you have to be more careful with this person or maybe try to pump the other person up. The more you're around people, the more you get to read their moods and can navigate through any challenges."
Blount has navigated through a number of challenges over the years, which has helped make her the person she is today. On the court, she tore her ACL as a high school senior, which made her feel like she was playing catch-up as she transitioned to college basketball.
Blount also faced obstacles as an engineer.
"Being a student in engineering was hard. Being an athlete was hard," she said. "You put them together and it was insane. I wouldn't give it up for the world, but it was challenging."
When thinking about that balance, a story came to mind.
"One spring, we had morning workouts and were doing max outs," she said. "That's when you warm up then do one rep of increasingly higher weights until you reach your max. And I had an exam that day."
There was down time built in between the squats and Blount took advantage.
"So I studied," she said. "When it was my time, I'd go up, put the bar on, squat down and stand back up. In those five minutes between, I was studying.
"That's probably the quintessential student-athlete moment."
"Adrienne serves as a true example of the qualities that exemplify our Lehigh scholar-athletes, as she excelled on the basketball court as an All-League performer, in the classroom as a bio-engineering major, and as an important leader in our program," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "She was a student-athlete who was exceptional at multi-tasking and building relationships with her teammates. It's no surprise how she has excelled as a professional, as she left Lehigh with all the tools needed for success."
Blount has been successful throughout her life, with every piece building on the previous. It wouldn't have been possible without a strong foundation from her family.
"My dad has always been big on academics," said Blount. "He went to Duke and Stanford, and was a computer engineer. I knew I had it in me. My older brother played sports. I played all the sports he played and fell in love with basketball."
"And of course, my mom is the most supportive person ever, so anything I wanted to do, she'd say let's do it," Adrienne continued.
"My family is my rock."
Blount's family may have helped set her up for success, but Adrienne's focus and hard work have made it happen.
"I love what I do and love what it affords me every day."
As part of Black Excellence Month in partnership with Lehigh's DEI Office, we're proud to feature former student-athletes and coaches of color. This week, we share the story of Adrienne Blount '07 of @LehighWBB!
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) February 22, 2021
Check back Wednesday for the full feature story. pic.twitter.com/qp3nWorVcN
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