WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Dr. Patrick Carey, Lycoming College’s athletics physician for the past 28 seasons, would have been allowed a rare absence at a Lycoming home football game in the home finale on Saturday, Nov. 3, because he has been nominated for Irish America magazine’s Healthcare and Life Sciences 50 and will be a part of an awards dinner at the New York Yacht Club on Friday night, Nov. 2.
Irish America magazine’s Annual Healthcare & Life Sciences 50 recognizes the excellence, performance, and extraordinary contributions of Irish-American and Irish-born leaders in fields including medical care, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, research and development, and life sciences venture capital.
In typical Carey fashion, however, he never even told Lycoming’s football coach or head athletic trainer about the dinner. He will be on the sidelines the next afternoon when Lycoming takes the field. He said, “We’re getting up in the morning and coming back. We’re playing Stevenson and I can’t miss that.”
“Doc really cares about all of his patients,” Lycoming’s head athletic trainer Andi Lucas said. “He goes above and beyond, especially with our student-athletes. He makes himself available and gives access to world-class medical treatment that many Division III programs in areas like ours just don’t get access to. That’s really what makes him so special.”
While the admiration for Dr. Carey has always been obvious amongst Lycoming’s athletics staff and student-athletes, it has been reciprocated by the doctor.
“I think without question, the most fun part of my job an orthopaedic surgeon has been with Lycoming,” Carey said. “Working from the administrative level to the trainers, coaches, students as well as getting to meet their families, it’s whet my appetite for athletics. It’s been a fun ride. I have really enjoyed the success of the Lycoming teams and obviously, that is continuing.”
Carey is a renowned North Central Pennsylvania Orthopedic Surgeon and practitioner of Sports Medicine. In his current role as UPMC Susquehanna’s Director of Sports Medicine, he has served as the primary doctor for the Williamsport area’s high school, college and professional athletes for the past 28 years. In addition to his role in sports medicine, he practices general orthopedics, was the sports medicine consultant for the Minor League Williamsport Crosscutters, the sports medicine consultant for the Little League World Series, the team physician for the athletic programs Lycoming College since 1990, and a generous philanthropist in the Williamsport area.
“Following an accomplished athletic career, Dr. Carey has been as successful or more so as a doctor,” Lycoming’s head football coach and Director of Athletics Mike Clark said. “As someone who has known him as an athlete, assistant coach and coach, I can tell you that he has always been a significant and trusted part of Lycoming’s football program. He is someone that we have counted on for a long time, not just as a surgeon, but as a fan, a confidant and a supporter of the athletic department. As a fellow Irish-American, I am thrilled that Doc is getting this kind of recognition from a group that recognizes our shared heritage.”
An accomplished athlete himself, Carey never lost a game as a starting quarterback at Central Bucks West, going 22-0 in two years as a starter, earning all-state honors as a senior. He went on to become a three-year starter at Temple University, where he led the Owls to two winning seasons, capping it off as the offensive MVP as a senior in a Bowl Game against future Super Bowl quarterback Doug Williams. He also earned Temple’s Top Scholar Athlete award as a senior.
Following a short stint with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Canadian Football League, he enrolled in the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and was the first DO accepted into Temple University’s Residency program. Following his residency, he did a fellowship in Sports Medicine at Temple University Hospital, before accepting a job at what was then known as Williamsport Hospital.
Once in Williamsport, along with Dr. Craig Stabler, he founded Sports Medicine, which was the first of its kind in the area. He has built Sports Medicine into the regional brand it is today. In addition to Sports Medicine, Carey also had his own practice for 25 years, West Branch Orthopedics, before being recruited to join UPMC Susquehanna in 2015. Carey specializes in rotator cuff surgery, total knee replacements and arthroscopic surgery with emphasis on ACL reconstruction.
Carey and his wife, Maureen, have two sons, Patrick and Shane. Patrick, a star quarterback at Loyalsock Township and Bloomsburg University, is currently in his second year as an assistant with the Lycoming football team. Shane, also a star quarterback at Loyalsock Township, went on to pitch at Division I St. Joseph’s University.
