Still serving the ATSU Mission: Lon Egbert, DPT, MPT, ATC, ’98
Posted: May 6, 2015
Growing up in the small, rural town of Jerome, Idaho, Lon Egbert, DPT, MPT, ATC, ’98, became aware of the gap in healthcare services for the region’s medically underserved population. With the next major town being Twin Falls, Idaho, small communities like Jerome did not have available specialty healthcare services— especially physical therapy or athletic trainer services. The lack of services that affected so many individuals impacted him so much that just after completing high school and hearing a career presentation by a local physical therapist, Dr. Egbert decided that he wanted to serve the rural community as a physical therapist and athletic trainer.
He completed his undergraduate degree in sports medicine at Brigham Young University and decided on pursuing his physical therapy career goals with A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS). “ATSU-ASHS was the best fit since their focus is on osteopathy and rural medicine,” said Dr. Egbert. “I felt in coming to ATSU-ASHS that I could be an asset to the school—which was new at the time—and the school could be an advantage for my career.”
Today, Dr. Egbert continues to serve out the ATSU mission in the town where he grew up. He is the director and owner of Jerome Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Clinic alongside fellow ATSU alums, Denton Scow, DPT ’09, and Clint Axman, DPT ’11. “I get the best of both worlds,” said Dr. Egbert. “I get to care for the athletes in preventative care and in rehabilitative care after surgery or injury. I also provide care for newborns to the elderly population through home healthcare. As well, occupational injuries from farming and dairy accidents are also part of our care. In rural communities, we get to do all and everything. We are literally a jack-of- all trades.”
A typical day starts for Dr. Egbert starts at 6:30 a.m., with patients arriving at 7:00 a.m., working through lunch and hopefully leaving in time for his children’s sporting activities around 4-6:00 p.m. He may be called out to any of the four high schools in the area to evaluate an athlete at practice or after a game. “I may have them come by the office or my home at any hour or on the weekend,” said Dr. Egbert. “Because we serve so many areas in our community, we run from the hospital inpatient/swingbed patients to our outpatient office and out to home health two days out of the week. We all stay very busy serving our community in local health fitness events, job-shadowing from the local high school seniors and putting on supportive taping classes for the coaches. I am also active assisting in coaching high school and pee wee wrestling, officiating high school wrestling and helping out the Boy Scouts of America.”
When asked about one of his most memorable interactions with a patient, Dr. Egbert shared about a time that he was treating an elderly patient who was having problems with falls after a prolonged illness. “She had not been able to work in her flower garden for the past year, and she dearly loved and had a reputation for her flowers,” said Dr. Egbert. “Through therapy, we were able to help her return to gardening and in better shape than she was in before. Since that time, she brings us flowers every spring for our office. She also sends thank you letters along with any newspaper article she reads regarding my children or family. It is always delightful to see these people in town at the stores, church or their grandchildren at school, and they talk about how well they or their family member is still doing. We always try to have a positive outlook on everyone and give them the best care and service we can give.”
Still serving the ATSU Mission features an ATSU alumnus who exhibits a continuation of service to the underserved in their professional practice.
