What’s in a name?
Posted: November 11, 2013
Behind every name is a history. On the surface, a name is merely letters on a page, but digging deeper, it represents a family and a personal identity. At first glance, U.S. Air Force Captain Leif Magnusson, DO, ’13, is an officer and a doctor. Looking closely, however, this Wisconsin native represents more than the Air Force and the osteopathic profession.
“My parents wanted a name that would reflect my Scandinavian heritage and came across Leif,” says Dr. Magnusson, whose great-grandfather emigrated from Finland to Chisholm, Minn.
While Dr. Magnusson’s last name is Swedish, his lineage is heavily Norwegian—making the pronunciation of his first name “lay-f” rather than “leaf,” which he says he is quite thankful for now.
“The actual meaning of my name is ‘beloved descendant,’ which I think is a pretty sweet meaning for a name,” Dr. Magnusson says.
Along with Dr. Magnusson’s Scandinavian lineage, he also inherited a mind for medicine. Both his father and grandfather were veterinarians, which exposed him to medicine at an early age.
“As I spent more time around pets and their owners, I learned that my compassion and concern was oriented toward the owners more so than the pets,” says Dr. Magnusson.
His compassion is evident when helping patients. While on rotation in downtown Detroit, Mich., Dr. Magnusson treated a homeless woman who had restricted motion in her arms, which interfered with her ability to do anything. After treating her with osteopathic manipulation, she regained almost full range of motion.
“She came to the clinic in tears but was almost giddy when she left,” Dr. Magnusson says. “Had I not treated her with OMT, I don’t know if she would have been a priority since all consults were on a volunteer basis.”
Similarly, while working with an OMT doctor south of Detroit, Dr. Magnusson assisted with a patient who had multiple sclerosis. During the treatment, he introduced the doctor to a technique he learned on a rotation in Kirksville.
“Later that day, the patient’s physical therapist called the doctor to ask what we did because this was the first day in more than a year that the patient was pain free,” says Dr. Magnusson.
The more Dr. Magnusson became involved with medicine and patients, the more he wanted to be involved in all areas of a patient’s healthcare. He felt family medicine was the option that afforded him that ability.
“My old family doctor was one of my favorite people growing up,” Dr. Magnusson recalls. “I saw how a great family medicine doctor could do a lot for brining stability to a family.”
Making a name for himself, he graduated at the top of his KCOM class and entered a family medicine residency at the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Following his residency, he will complete a four-year stint with the Air Force, taking care of other service members and their families.
Dr. Magnusson adds, “My family and I are hoping to spend some of that time abroad, maybe Guam, Japan, or another country that will give us very different and unique experiences.”
When his service commitment expires, he and his family will decide if military life is right for them or if they want to follow their roots back to the northern United States. Regardless of where the road leads, Dr. Magnusson puts family first and proudly carries his heritage with him.