Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Levine.
Hi Doug, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
In the latter half of my junior year of undergrad at the University of Texas at Austin, I got off the bus to my apartment off campus when I started feeling dizzy, shaky, and nauseous. I barely made it to my apartment and sat on my bedroom floor. I came to find out later I was having my very first (and thankfully only) panic attack. I had just changed my major for the seventh time, and I realized I was ¾ of the way through college, and I had no idea what I wanted to do. And I panicked. My girlfriend at the time (now my wife) lovingly suggested that I make an appointment at the career center and see if they can help. They did. One of the careers they suggested was physical therapy. My girlfriend was on the path to becoming a PT, and I thought it would be a good fit for me. After some brief internships and volunteering later, this was the path that I chose. Following PT school, a job as a traveling therapist, and working in many different fields of PT, I knew that working with kids was where I wanted to be. And not just any kid, but those with special needs. Those needing the most help were most at risk of being written off as non-contributing members of society.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has it been a smooth road? No. A challenging and rewarding path is more like it. Along the way, I have constantly tried to challenge myself, taking on positions and responsibilities well out of my comfort zone. This included starting my own therapy company with my wife and standing in front of and teaching dozens of my professional peers. But I always thought, “I don’t know how to do this, but I’ll figure it out.” Staying open to any possibilities that came my way has also helped.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work and career have taken many exciting twists and turns. Currently I do many different things in the field of pediatric physical therapy. I see kids for therapy in their homes, am a school PT, help with the MDA neuromuscular clinic, and work for CureDuchenne. This nonprofit organization supports individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive neuromuscular disease. I still see kids with different diagnoses, but over the last ten years, I have specialized in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. CureDuchenne has the only physical therapy education program specifically designed to help individuals living with Duchenne prolong ambulation and delay many areas of disease progression and to train physical therapists to treat people with Duchenne properly. In my work with CureDuchenne, I can travel to teach other therapists, parents, caregivers of kids with this disease, and other medical professionals about Duchenne muscular dystrophy and how to provide the best care for their loved ones. Recently, CureDuchenne started expanding our outreach internationally. We realized the need for improved care and education about this disease in LMICs (lower middle-income countries). About a year ago, a colleague from CureDuchenne and I traveled to numerous cities in India and Nepal for three weeks to educate families and medical professionals about Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It was a unique, eye-opening experience and very gratifying to help provide optimal care and train therapists in distant corners of the world.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
It is important to remember that we are all humans occupying the same planet and connected. A parent of a child with special needs in Uganda could easily have been any one of us. If you can use your skills to make a difference in the world, you should, however large or small. I approach each situation I encounter as unique and listen and watch to see how I can best be of service.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CureDuchenne.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cureduchenne/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cureduchenne , https://www.facebook.com/douglas.levine.5836
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cureduchenne
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CureDuchenne
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CureDuchenneMD
