David R. Clawson, MD

"DR" Clawson, MD, is Board Certified in both Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R). Dr. Clawson received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Washington Medical Center and Affiliated Hospitals. He is also Board Certified in Sports Medicine.
 
Dr. Clawson's earliest memories include attending church on Sundays and then going to the hospital with his father - an orthopedic surgeon - to check in on patients. "Growing up in a medical family coupled with my interests in sports and exercise as well as math and science all pointed me in the direction of becoming a doctor," states Dr. Clawson. "While in medical school, I continued to be interested in sports and exercise physiology as well as emergency medicine, orthopedics and psychology. During a rotation in medical school, I was exposed to physical medicine and rehabilitation and found that the specialty would allow me to continue to pursue all of these interests...I was hooked."

During his residency program, Dr. Clawson intended to pursue a sports medicine career. However, when he completed his residency a friend asked him to coach a high school football team for a year and at the same time the opportunity came up to cover a friend's PM&R practice while she was out on maternity leave.

"During that time, I developed a passion for inpatient care and while I have always been interested in sports medicine, inpatient care is the arena where I thrive," states Dr. Clawson.

"Rehabilitation medicine is the original team model. Various disciplines - physical, occupational, speech therapies and others all come together to address a patient's treatment plan. It's truly holistic care and covers the entire spectrum of a patient's health care and road to wellness. In team-care, everyone has their part on which to work, including the patient. As a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation physician, I assume the role in many ways of a coach - making sure that all treatments and conditions are coordinated, and it is helping the patient to meet their goals, as well as providing caregivers and family members with information they need to help their loved one be successful. But in the end... the patient does all the work."