Travis resides in Oregon and attends Pacific Northwest University. He is a third-year medical student and the recipient of the Fred and Diana Bradshaw Scholarship
Travis told the Foundation about his experience working with a woman who needed surgery but was struggling with her weight and didn’t meet the criteria for BMI (Body Mass Index) in order to receive treatment.
When she left the clinic, dejected at the prospect of being unable to move enough to lose the weight, it made Travis realize that something needed to be done. After consulting with his supervisor and finding that most of the patients in this position wouldn’t be returning, he said, “My training as a DO would not let me accept this outcome. I developed a plan, got funding and implemented a program in Fairbanks called “Walk With A Future Doc”. This free service meets once a week at a hockey rink. Doctors and medical students give 5-minute health-related talks to the participants and we then spend an hour walking together”.
He goes on to say, “The initial goal of this program was to serve pre-surgical patients, a safe place for them to learn about medicine and to get some exercise. I realized that there was a need across all specialties. It is important to treat the patient as a whole in order to obtain one’s maximum health potential. We must listen to our patient’s needs and fears, and develop compassion for those unique desires and concerns”.
Owen Hanley DO, MPH, Internist in Fairbanks Alaska used words to describe Travis such as, “inquisitive, thorough, and a genuine attitude of excitement in the learning of medicine. Travis’ true passion seems to be in genuinely understanding patients; their motivations and concerns. What truly sets him apart is his genuine interest in a broader approach to medical care, one that is directed at patient education and empowerment. Tavis is interested in general surgery, and I see him in a new stereotype of surgeon emerging, one that understands the value of a surgeon not limited to the operating room”.
Dr. Hanley went on to say, “Travis has weekly interaction with OMM (Osteopathic Medical Manipulation) clinicians and the opportunity to improve pain control and functional ability through Osteopathic Medicine in patients who have had recent surgery. This team-centered approach to surgical care is refreshing and has opened up new communication between allopathic surgeons and OMM practitioners in our community, which is something that will have important ramifications for years to come”.
Travis states, “Having a positive health outcome depends not only on the successful medical procedure; it also depends on our ability to understand the patient’s challenges, their mind, and their spirit”.
Travis, the Foundation agrees with you across the board. You will have a career worth keeping track of. Congratulations, and a job well done.