Walk with a Doc puts bedside manner on the move

The Medical College of Georgia‘s chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society will bring the “Walk with a Doc” program to Augusta on Oct. 21, 2017. The inaugural walk will begin at 9 a.m. at Pendleton King Park.

Dr. David Sabgir of the Mount Carmel Medical Group started the “Walk with a Doc program in 2005. As cardiologist working in Columbus, Ohio, Sabgir was frustrated by something all physicians struggle with: affecting behavioral change in a clinical setting. Rather than mope, Sabgir did something simple but unorthodox. He invited his patients to go for a walk with him. When he arrived at his local park the following Saturday morning, more than 100 people were waiting for him, all of them eager to get up and get moving. 

Since Sabgir’s first walk in 2005, Walk with a Doc has evolved into a global effort to get communities more active. On each walk, doctors give a brief presentation on a chosen health topic before leading participants on a group walk.

Dr. Bruce Merrill LeClair will deliver a brief keynote prior to the walk. Dr. Bunja Rungruang, assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. Judson Alderman, an Emergency Medicine resident, will be participating in the walk. Emily Peng, class of 2018 MD Candidate and Community Service Chair of MCG’s chapter of the Golden Humanism Honor Society, organized the event. 

For more information about the Walk with a Doc program, contact Emily Peng or Carmen Collins.