PATIENT CARE
“Dr. Barrett is a brilliant and dedicated family medicine physician with an extensive background in sports medicine, so it is no surprise that he was honored as the NBA Physician of the Year. He is especially deserving of such recognition because he combines excellent care with a focus on the safety of each and every Thunder player every time they step onto the court,” said John Zubialde, M.D., Executive Dean of the OU College of Medicine. As the lead physician for a team of physicians that also includes an orthopedist and a cardiologist, Barrett attends every Thunder game to provide primary care support. During games, he treats players for musculoskeletal injuries, concussions and lacerations, among other issues, and he is always available to provide medical consultation to the Thunder’s team of physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches. “It’s a team of doctors taking care of a team of athletes,” Barrett said. “We also take care of the coaches and staff because they need to be at the top of their game to help with the team.” Although NBA players tend to be celebrities, Barrett’s job is to care for them as people. “Even though the players are in the spotlight, they are people with regular needs, and they need to be treated like people. That humanity is so important to them,” he said. Barrett’s professional sports medicine service has allowed him to travel the world, particularly with Olympians, traveling to Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Mexico, England and many other places. He has learned the intricacies of numerous sports and the types of injuries athletes are prone to experiencing. On a trip to Australia with a women’s field hockey team, a sport he had never watched, he read a book and talked to coaches to understand the game. By the time they arrived, he understood how injuries might occur and could talk to players more fluently about what they should and should not do. One of his most inspiring types of service has been working with Paralympic Athletes, he said. “They compete at the highest level. Whether they are in wheelchairs or have had amputations or other disabilities, they compete as strongly and equally as able-bodied people,” he said. “It’s a joy to work with those athletes.” Barrett said he couldn’t do his work without the support of his family, who understand the long hours involved with sports medicine, as well as his “right-hand man” and current sports medicine fellowship director, Brian Coleman, M.D., who fills in at Thunder games. Whether he is working with elite athletes or is helping everyday athletes overcome barriers like asthma or diabetes, Barrett is driven by his own love of sports and connecting people to the activities they enjoy and that improve health. “One of the most important things we do is to listen to people’s stories and hear what their concerns are,” he said. “We may assume what their concerns are, but we don’t always know. Listening to them and helping them find ways to stay active is key.”
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Tyler Gunter M.D.
OU Health Performs First Brachytherapy, Implanting Radioactive ‘Seeds’ Around Brain Tumor Site An OU Health surgical and medical team has performed its first brachytherapy procedure for brain tumor, a process in which radioactive “seeds” are implanted around the edges of the tumor site after it has been removed. The surgery, the first known case in Oklahoma, treats the cancer internally, rather than from an outside radiation source. It is an especially good option for patients whose cancer has been treated with multiple courses of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy has a cumulative toxic effect on nearby tissue, making repeated treatments risky. “The benefit of brachytherapy is that it allows us to be very precise with the radiation dose,” said neurosurgeon Chad Glenn, M.D., who performed the surgery and implanted the radiation seeds. “Although traditional radiation therapy is accurate and targeted, it can still spread to adjacent brain tissues or the scalp. Brachytherapy allows us to give a therapeutic dose of radiation but minimize the spread.” Both the tumor removal and the implanting of the radioactive seeds are performed during the same procedure. Because the radioactive seeds have a short half-life, meticulous planning was necessary to ensure they were ordered, delivered and implanted at the correct time. Glenn’s colleague in radiation oncology, Tyler Gunter, M.D., helped to plan the surgery, using an estimated model of the tumor cavity to calculate the radiation dose and number of seeds needed, as well as ideal placement. “Brachytherapy is an ideal technique to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation to brain tumors that have been
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