Lee University named Christopher Camp the 2022 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year at the recent Homecoming weekend festivities. This award is the highest honor given by the university to alumni and is given to a graduate who demonstrates excellence in his or her career, while also embracing the values that Lee embodies. 

“Dr. Camp is the perfect example of what we hope Lee alums become,” said Dr. Brad Moffett, vice president for university relations. “From being a husband and father first, to making an extraordinary contribution to his professional field, Dr. Camp embodies a Christ-like life in a complex world.”

Camp is a practicing sports medicine surgeon at the Mayo Clinic where he treats athletes of all ages and serves as the associate program director for the Orthopedic Surgery Residency. He is also the associate director of the Mayo Clinic Orthopedic Sports Medicine Clinical Fellowship and director of the research fellowship.  

In addition to his clinical duties, he works closely with the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club as their medical director, director of high performance, and team orthopedic surgeon. He also serves as a team orthopedic surgeon for the Minnesota Lynx WNBA Team.    

Camp attended and played baseball at Lee University from 2002-2006, where he majored in biological sciences and met his wife, Erica. He attended medical school and orthopedic surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Following residency, he completed two years of fellowship training and research in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, where he served as a team physician for the New York Mets.   

Camp has published over 200 research articles and multiple textbooks related to sports medicine surgery. He is passionate about personal and professional leadership development and has recently created a formal Leadership Principles curriculum for residents at the Mayo Clinic.    

In 2019, Camp was also named Alumnus of the Year for Lee University’s Department of Natural Sciences.

Camp and his wife currently live in Rochester with their four children: Annabelle, Bennett, Emmeline, and Warren, who all hope to attend Lee University in the coming years.