SLU PT Alumni spotlight - Brian Schwabe, PT, DPT, SCS, COMT, CSCS

SLU PT Alumni Spotlight - Brian Schwabe, PT, DPT, SCS, COMT, CSCS

Director of I.O. Sports Therapy, Irvine Orthopedic Sports Therapy

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Current Town/City: Los Angeles, CA

SLU DPT Class of 2013

Interests, Activities, Clubs, and Professional Organizations

Personal Development, Business & Finances, Sports Physical Therapy, The Beach!

Dr. Schwabe presenting at APTA Combined Sections Meeting.

If you could come back to SLU and teach a class, which class would you like to teach?

Sports Physical Therapy Seminar.  This class helped me start my vision of what was possible in sports PT. I would love to share my experiences with students.

Dr. Schwabe at the NFL Combine

What was the most valuable lesson — inside or outside the classroom — you learned at SLU?

What you become in the process is more important than the dream. My experience at SLU taught me that the person I was becoming and the struggle I endured was the most important part of my growth process as not only a person, but a health care provider.

Tell us about one of your professional accomplishments thus far.

Ignoring the traditional path of physical therapy and creating my own dream career.  While I wasn’t always the strongest academic test taker (despite the endless hours in the library), I always had a burning desire to excel and build a unique career in sports physical therapy.  I was fortunate that a few professors in SLU’s PT program believed in me and gave me a reference/opportunity to land a sports residency position with USC.  From there I worked hard, ignored the many naysayers, and created a dream career working as an out of network/cash based sports therapist working with athletes of all levels and traveling with entertainers and professional athletes.  

Dr. Schwabe during Concierge Performance Therapy services.

What advice do you have for students getting ready to graduate with their DPT?

Know that despite challenges our profession faces, there has never been a greater time to become a physical therapist, help more people than ever before, and build out the career you envision through hard work and perseverance.   

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My time at SLU was an incredible experience.  I am extremely grateful for the mentorship, support, and experiences at SLU. There is no doubt in my mind that without SLU I would never have accomplished what I have in my professional career.  

This is one of several posts featuring SLU PT Alumni experiences. The Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy wants to recognize the exciting and innovative things our alumni are doing, here in St. Louis and around the world. For more information for and about SLU alumni experiences go to: http://www.slu.edu/alumni-and-donors/.