“Walk with a Doc” and Take a Step Toward Better Health

UPDATE:  LOCATION CHANGE – the August 14 Walk-With-A-Doc program will meet at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge (next door to the Oak Ridge Civic Center, 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike).  Please park on the west side of the civic center and in front of the Oak Ridge Senior Center and proceed to the welcome table.

Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, improve your blood pressure and blood sugar levels, elevate your mood and reduce your risk of osteoporosis, cancer and diabetes.

Walk, Talk, Learn, Reconnect

And, if you join Methodist Medical Center’s new “Walk-with-a-Doc” program, you can also learn more about an important health topic each month. Milan Sheth, DO, board-certified interventional cardiologist will lead off the first session with a discussion on heart disease on Saturday, Aug. 14, at 9 a.m. Participants will meet at the pavilion at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge for a short talk by Dr. Sheth and then will walk as a group to Calhoun’s and then back. 

“Walking not only adds years to our lives, but provides needed companionship with family and friends,” said Dr. Sheth. “Routine walking has been associated with lower rates of depression. As we come out of this dark period in our history, we as people need to re-connect. Walk-with-a-Doc is a great way to bounce back from the past two years.”

Dad-Daughter Inspiration

This new series was inspired by Dr. Sheth’s daughter, Riya, during the pandemic. “I saw my dad come home worried about how isolated his patients were becoming during quarantine,” said Riya, who wants to pursue a career in medicine just like her father. “I started doing some research about the mental as well as physical benefits of just getting outside for a short walk and interaction.” 

That research turned into Riya’s AP seminar research paper during her sophomore year at Oak Ridge High School – and convinced her dad to start the first chapter of the Walk-with-a-Doc program in East Tennessee. 

“I’m so proud of Riya for pursuing this with such a passion,” said Dr. Sheth.  “Together we want to create this into a dynamic monthly program featuring other physicians and health topics. At Methodist we also help mentor and train medical students from Lincoln Memorial University – and I want to involve them as well. I think it will be a tremendous learning experience for them outside of the clinical hospital setting.”

Walk Along with Us

Dr. Sheth received his medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. He completed an internal medicine residency and general and interventional cardiology fellowships at Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, and a molecular cardiology research fellowship at Texas A&M University’s regional medical campus in Temple. Dr. Sheth is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine and interventional cardiology. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and is in practice with Parkway Cardiology Associates. 

Walk-with-a-Doc is free and open to the public. It will occur the second Saturday of every month, weather permitting. To RSVP or to be added to the email list for upcoming event topics and scheduling notifications, please call (865) 835-4662.