PROVO - Physiatry, a medical specialty that's only been around since 1947 and is practiced by only about 3,000 physicians around the country, will be more well-known locally as a result of a new center at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.
When the Intermountain Health Care Rehabilitation Center opens in January, it will offer the services of the center's new physiatrist, Dr. Max Root."Physiatry is a combination of physical medicine and rehab medicine," Root said. "There used to be very few treatment centers around the country from which a physiatrist could practice. But with rehab centers springing up all across the country the demand for physiatrists is higher than it's ever been."
Before coming to UVRMC in October, Root worked at the Holy Cross Hospital Rehabiliation Center. He received a bachelor's degree in zoology at Arizona State University and completed his medical training at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Root also attended Brigham Young University. He completed his residency at the University of Rochester medical center and worked there in the hospital's regional spinal cord injury center - one of only 13 such centers in the nation.
For further information about the new UVRMC Rehab Center call 373-7850, ext. 2750.