La Porte / Indiana / United States
Meet Dr. Phil Maher (yes, Dr. Phil… and he gets asked about that a lot). The first in his family to embark on a career in medicine, Dr. Maher was working as a teacher in West Philadelphia when he decided he wanted to do more for his community. “My friend (also a teacher) and I debated the best ways to do this given our backgrounds and personalities. I chose medical school, and he went to law school.” With his goal to be a reliable doctor for the community in sight, Family Medicine was the perfect fit. And it was that same sense of community that led him to Beacon. “The people I met at the clinic in La Porte were absolutely delightful and welcoming,” he adds. “I thrive in that sort of culture.” Dr. Maher aims to maximize the quality and length of life for each and every one of his patients, and his advice and recommendations emerge from that purpose. He encourages people to focus on the aspects of their health that are within their control (rather than what’s outside of their control) in the management of their medical conditions. He also wants his patients to know that he practices what he preaches when it comes to preventive medicine. “Often, the harder thing to do is the better thing to do for my health, my mind and my life,” Dr. Maher explains. “For example, biking rather than driving, buying plenty of fresh vegetables rather than ordering in, not ordering that dessert, shoveling snow rather than using a snowblower, etc. I’m fiercely motivated by that philosophy.” Hand in hand with that ideal, Dr. Maher’s patients remind him every day that everyone is an individual with dignity, and they have their own story that needs to be heard. “Ongoing, trusting partnerships with patients are the most therapeutic intervention in healthcare.”
