Celebrating 10 years and nearly 140,000 miles walked, the Texas Medical Association’s Walk With a Doc program leaves behind an impressive footprint.
Trailblazers Susan Pike, MD, and Piyush Mittal, MD, forged the path by launching the program in 2012 in Round Rock and Lubbock, respectively. For the past decade, both physicians have held monthly Walk With a Doc events, helping their patients form healthy habits.
Dr. Pike, co-founder of Walk With a Doc Texas and past president of the TMA Foundation, said the program gave her “a renewed sense of the value of what I can bring to a community event as a physician. I feel good when I’m done. I’ve got some exercise. I’ve interacted with my patients and their friends. I’ve made some new friends.
“I’m really forming a community. That’s one of the greatest things about the program.”
Since 2012, TMA physicians and medical students have started more than 135 Walk With a Doc chapters. The walks have produced countless smiles and laughter along the way, and several patient success stories.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Walk With a Doc events that were postponed or put on hold are now coming back with great fanfare. More than 415 walks have been led by TMA physicians, alliance members, and medical students in the first six months of this year.
After a long pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, Charla Allen, MD, laced up her walking shoes again in late August to restart her monthly walks in Lubbock. The family physician strode alongside patients, fellow physicians, and other health care professionals at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, as well as staff, students, and community members.
One big reason the program works: “Because walking is something simple,” Dr. Pike said. “It’s something most people can do regardless of socioeconomic status.” Dr. Pike’s son has been participating in her monthly walks since he was 4 years old.
On the heels of the anniversary, TMA members can sign up to become a walk leader or volunteer and foster a connection with their patients and community.
For more information about TMA’s Walk With a Doc program, visit www.texmed.org/WWAD.
Walk With a Doc Texas is funded by a grant from the TMA Foundation with generous support from TMA Insurance Trust and Prudential.