Freyda Mannering’s experience playing soccer from childhood through college has helped her organization and time management skills as a D.O.-Ph.D. student at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM). It has also exposed her to numerous health care professionals and helped her to maximize her own health. All the pieces came together when she decided she wanted to be an osteopathic physician and researcher, better known as a physician-scientist.
“I always knew it took a lot of different people and community to support me in soccer,” Mannering said. “That’s not dissimilar to the concepts of osteopathic medicine – looking at the person as a whole, considering all aspects of their community to maximize their health.”
She said the community approach to health care helps her as a medical student, ensuring she is also supporting others, including her fellow medical students and lab partners, soccer teammates and her family, because in medical school “I need all their support. I really appreciate the community I have here.”
Today, Mannering is in her third year of her D.O.-Ph.D. program with an expected graduation date of 2030 to receive her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. As part of her program, she is working in the Aguirre Lab at MSU “focused on stem cell and tissue engineering approaches to improving human cardiovascular health.”
Her current research project examines the sexually dimorphic (physical and behavioral differences between males and females of the same species) effects of elevated testosterone, estrogen and/or progesterone treatment on engineered heart organoids – three‐dimensional miniaturized versions of the heart that are obtained from cells and function similarly to cells in the body. This research strives to help reveal the direct sex hormone effects on male and female heart development, morphology and functionality, she explained. Mannering hopes her research will be informative for clinical applications in cases of endocrine disorders in pregnancy, and that it may reveal pathologic mechanisms contributing to the development of cardiovascular diseases later in life.
Her medical education and research have Mannering considering the fields of neonatology, pediatrics and regenerative medicine as she decides her medical specialty. In addition, her sports background and her pursuit of osteopathic medicine have also brought an appreciation for osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) beyond just her coursework. In fact, she has been working in the Student OMM Clinic for more than a year.
“It’s very hands-on and really helps solidify learning anatomy and different types of disease,” Mannering said about OMM. “I feel aware of my own health, own body, and feel like understanding OMM helps me appreciate more in myself. I hope as a physician I will be able to help patients be more in touch with their own health.”
Beyond her medical studies and research, Mannering has also found opportunities to continue playing soccer. After starting medical school at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, she joined the MSU Women’s Club Soccer Team and, in 2024, went to the National Intramural and Recreation Sports Association (NIRSA) Soccer Women’s Championship with the team, which was eliminated during the series by the eventual champion, UCLA.
Mannering played soccer on her high school and club teams while growing up in Indiana. When she moved to Florida during high school, Mannering played with the Tampa Bay United team in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) – a nationally competitive travel soccer league. She attended the University of Calgary on a soccer scholarship, but after her first two years of college, COVID hit. She transferred closer to home – to Indiana University – to finish her undergraduate degree. She then went on to the University of South Florida for a master’s degree in medical science. There, she continued playing soccer in intramural and adult leagues.
During this time, Mannering said she also knew she wanted to pursue something as important to her as soccer; it was medicine. “I shadowed physicians, volunteered in COVID-19 vaccination clinics and finished my master’s thesis research project. All of these experiences solidified my desire to go into medicine,” she said.
Her journey brought her to the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine to pursue her passion to become a physician-scientist. The holistic approach to treating patients drew her to osteopathic medicine and MSU. That whole-person focus also drove her to build her own community. Playing soccer helps you meet people, she said, so she started with pickup soccer groups in East Lansing.
From there, she found the MSU Women’s Club Soccer program, initially playing with MSU Women’s Club Soccer White Team while she settled into the D.O.-Ph.D. program. The following year, she joined the practice team for MSU Women’s Club Soccer Green Team, the official club team recognized by the university and part of NIRSA. She wanted to ensure she didn’t over commit herself, so the practice team was enough.
“Soccer helps me balance the stress of academics and get exercise,” Mannering said. “I’ve used it for all my education. It made sense to continue in medical school.”
This academic year, she became a full player with the MSU Women’s Club Soccer Green Team, which meant a greater time commitment, traveling out of state and competing in regionals and the national championship. During this exciting, yet busy time in medical school, Mannering said the team has supported her throughout, even when she had to miss something with the team, which is what has made all this possible.
As she looks ahead, she hopes to keep soccer in her life even once she completes her D.O.-Ph.D. Last fall, she started coaching with a youth club in East Lansing. “It’s been nice to give back and to see how many kids are interested in playing soccer,” she said, adding she will likely coach more in the future, but also plans to continue playing the game as long as possible.
By Terri Hughes-Lazzell