As a medical student at Touro University, Brent Bluett, DO, was intrigued by the opportunity Las Vegas presented graduating physicians. With too many people waiting too long to be seen by too few physicians, he thought he could help by joining a local practice following his graduation in 2010.

First, however, Dr. Bluett needed to complete his graduate medical education (GME). Since Nevada didn’t offer the neurology residency he sought or any movement disorders fellowships, he was forced to leave the state he had come to love for specialty training at UT Southwestern Austin and UC San Diego, respectively. While roughly 70 percent of trainees practice in the state in which they complete their GME, Dr. Bluett bucked this trend and returned to Las Vegas in 2015, to join Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health where he treats patients with dystonia, ataxia, Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. One of his specialized treatments is botulinum toxin (“Botox®”) injections, which relax muscles temporarily, allowing patient to regain function and find relief from pain caused by muscle spasticity.

As he reacclimatizes to the Las Vegas medical community, Dr. Bluett enjoys reconnecting with fellow Touro alumni and mentors who practice here and providing second opinions to each other’s’ patients.

Just as DO school was a good match for Dr. Bluett because it integrates the whole person spanning emotional and physical health, he says Las Vegas and the relationship-based opportunities the tight-knit community presents is “a good fit because I see patients as people first. I come to love my patients as if they are part of my family.”

Dr. Bluett says this rings true even more so in neurodegenerative disorders, where “you have to separate patients from their disorder and make them feel like they’re a person again.”

Photo: Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health – Dr. Bluett with patient

For more information: Dr. Bluett’s Cleveland Clinic profile.