Former Eagles offensive lineman returns as volunteer physician for high school
Lant Abernathy then and now.
– As an all-league offensive lineman in high school, Lant Abernathy’s job on the field was to keep his team upright. On Thursday night for the CIF football playoff game at Atascadero, the goal of his current job will be very similar – but this time as Doctor Lant Abernathy.
Abernathy, who played at Templeton High School and graduated in 2011 before heading off to Southern California for college and medical school, is a volunteer sideline physician at high school football games. He returned to the north county earlier this year to practice podiatry and sports medicine and jumped at the chance to help at high school football games.
“I couldn’t wait to join when I heard about it,” said Abernathy, who learned of the opportunity during the onboarding process of joining the Tenet Health Central Coast medical staff. “Someone told me that another staff physician, Dr. Carlo Orlando, was looking for physicians to volunteer at high school football games and I said I would absolutely like to help.”
To put it another way, he’s where the football fields and the medical fields overlap. As one may expect, the new field brings a new perspective.
“As a player, I had shoulder injuries and ankle injuries and I always wanted to play through it,” said Abernathy. “But now, as a doctor, I look at it differently: I have to look after these kids and make sure they are healthy and that they can live the rest of their lives and do functional activities.”
While the enthusiasm of youth may not always have had long-term health in mind, the long-term benefits of being part of the program are things that Abernathy appreciates.
“Playing football was a fun time. I learned about teamwork, I learned about discipline, I learned about accountability,” said Abernathy. “These all have applications for what I do today – particularly in healthcare where teamwork is essential as it is increasingly an interdisciplinary approach. We work with physical therapists, orthopedists, and hospitalists and everyone needs to be on the same page.”
Abernathy also stresses the importance of learning to be accountable at a young age. “When you make a mistake, you need to be accountable for it, you need to fix it and you need to learn from it. You know, FAIL is an acronym for First Attempt In Learning and I like that. If you don’t learn from it, then what have you really accomplished?
And Abernathy has accomplished much in his young career. He has completed over 1,200 surgical cases and 4,000 procedures overall, including over 50 total ankle arthroplasties.
“It’s really great to see the dedication and heart of these kids,” said Abernathy. “You really know they can do great things, not just on the field.”
