John Trentini takes flight, in medicine and in life
By Geri Corey
GOSHEN — Former Goshen resident John Trentini took the risk, and now he’s reaping the rewards.
Trentini said serving in the military is a trade-off. But at age 35, he's racked up an impressive list of educational and career accomplishments: a bachelor’s degree, a master's, and a Ph.D, along with the rank of Major in the United State Air Force.
The best part?
“I have no educational debt,” he said.
The military funded his entire college career and training, including his advanced degrees.
The seeds were sown in 1999 when, as a Goshen High School senior, Trentini was awarded an ROTC college scholarship. He attended St. Lawrence University, north of Syracuse, where he majored in neuroscience, the study of the brain and spinal cord.
While t St. Lawrence, two of his papers were published: “The Analgesic Effects of Acupressure in Rats,” in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, and “The Antinociceptive Effects of Salvinorin A,” a component of a hallucinogenic plant from Mexico, in the European Journal of Pharmacology.
After graduating in 2003, he enlisted in the Air Force, where he studied aerospace physiology. His knowledge of neuroscience and aerospace physiology led to his first assignment: teaching pilots and air crew how flight affects their performance.
While stationed in Columbus, Miss., Trentini educated pilots on how the body reacts in a low-oxygen environment and the effects of G-force — the lightheadedness and — something you don’t want to happen — the eventual passing out.
After three years in Mississippi, Trentini began a seven-year program at Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., where he earned his master's and Ph.D. Continuing his study of neuroscience, he wrote his doctorate on the effects of smoking on brain development.
“Don’t smoke when you’re pregnant,” Trentini said with finality. “Smoking affects development of brain cells and affects their migration into the brain.”
Trentini is now in residency at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where emergency medicine is his specialty.
“I like the fast pace, taking care of very sick people, having to be on my toes and making fast decisions,” said Trentini.
When he completes his residency in July, he hopes to be a medical director for a pararescue squadron. He will be stationed on an active duty base, most likely in Las Vegas.
But Trentini can’t explain his motivation for choosing medicine.
“I just always wanted to be a doctor," he said. "I don’t have a great answer as to why, though."
And yet, while growing up in Goshen, there were two doctors he especially admired: his pediatrician, Dr. Mohammad Poufar, now retired from Monroe Pediatrics, and his family doctor, Dr. John Carey of Goshen.
“Dr. Carey is inspirational," he said. "He’s always available to your family — even today. He’s interested in your well-being and health. It’s who you want to be there for your parents.”
His parents, Rose and Frank Trentini, still live in Goshen, in the same neighborhood where Trentini grew up. Their marriage of more than 40 years also produced two daughters, and they raised many foster children over the years.
“Goshen is a great place to live," Trentini said. "I grew up in the country where there’s lots of privacy. I was outside all the time playing with friends. I’m still close with my friends, and when I visit we catch up on old times. It’s like being a kid again."
He fondly remembers his high school Spanish teacher, Helen Lamison.
“I do a lot of traveling around, like in South America and other Spanish speaking countries, and I think of her — and am thankful — when I’m speaking Spanish to the people in those countries.”
“Now I’m studying wilderness medicine, which I’ll finish up with this spring," said Trentini. "I go along on expeditions as a team doctor or for medical support and get to include mountain climbing."
He presently calls home a 10-acre farm in Sugarcreek, Ohio. He does the daily chores necessary to upkeep a farm, which includes caring for and feeding chickens, two alpacas, several sheep, and a donkey that he calls "the bouncer."
“He’s the protector and keeps everyone safe," Trentini said. "He’s a kicker. He scares everything away."
By the way, he also cares for a 200-pound pig named Abigail.
"She’s huge, affectionate, like a dog,” he said. She stays in the house with him and nudges him when it’s time to eat.
“She likes to eat, have her belly rubbed, sometimes she’s hard to please," he said. "She doesn’t like going out in the snow. Somewhat of a diva."
In 2023, Trentini will eligible to opt out of the Air Force. Will he chose to stay? He’s not sure.
“It depends on the opportunities, the military climate at that time, and my family wishes,” he said. But right now he’s taking it one assignment at a time.
Trentini was recently featured at “Medicine and the Military,” a new website that spotlights the medical opportunities available in the military. To read the article visit http://medicineandthemilitary.com/day-in-the-life#john-trentini