Forward is the new approach to primary care, offering customized plans to help you control the future of your health. Today, we sit down with Travis Nesbit, the second physician to join our upcoming Orange County location, to hear his take on tech-enabled, member-centered healthcare.
We’re thrilled to introduce Dr. Travis Nesbit — the second physician to join our upcoming Orange County location in Fashion Island. Travis joins Forward from the UC Irvine Executive Health Program. With a background in personal training, he holds special interest in preventative and wellness-focused care.
What first drew you to practice medicine?
I was drawn to medicine indirectly through at least two different major influences while enrolled as an undecided undergraduate. First, while working as a personal trainer to support my undergraduate education I discovered how satisfying it was to help people take control of their lives in a way that will provide them longevity and improved life quality. During this time I also took an anatomy and physiology course, which at the time was done simply to fill a general education requirement. As part of my anatomy and physiology course, there were several videos demonstrating medical and surgical care. These two things were the primary motivating factors that got me exploring a career in medicine.
What areas of interest do you have as a physician?
My primary interest is prevention. Lifestyle optimization is the single most positive change a person can make to optimize their life quality and longevity. As a result, I have invested a significant portion of my free and professional time to making myself a more effective lifestyle coach. Of course, I’m happy I have the requisite medical training required to provide beneficial medical therapies and prescriptions when necessary. However, I am far happier when a member and I can create a plan to either avoid the need to start a medical regimen altogether, or resolve a problem and get off the medications.
What do you value most in your relationships with members?
Undoubtedly, the trust they give me. Trust is the keystone of an effective Care Team.
What has been your experience in the current healthcare industry? Where would you most like to see improvements or changes?
I have worked in both insurance- and cash-based medical clinics, inpatient and outpatient as a physician of internal medicine. It sounds cliche, but we need to see humanism in medicine improve. Our current body of knowledge and available medical therapies still have a nearly boundless upper-limit to strive toward. However, even with that stipulation it can also be stated that we already have enough of both to make nearly every human alive live a longer, higher quality life. I am convinced the problem of decreased humanism in medicine is a problem we need to leverage technology to resolve, and this is why I left a great medical practice to come to work with Forward. Forward is going to be revolutionary.
Why did you decide to join Forward?
As briefly mentioned above, I believe Forward will revolutionize the delivery of medical care. I was a at a great practice and had no intentions of leaving. However, I was unexpectedly contacted by Founder and CEO of Forward, Adrian Aoun, and invited for a tour and demonstration of the Forward facilities in Century City. I was blown away. As a physician interested in preventative care and hobbyist programming, I saw the value in the ultra high-tech healthcare delivery ecosystem they were creating. I performed my own research, and it was apparent Forward had excellent support and had recruited top-notch talent. I simply couldn’t imagine saying no to being part of this revolution in healthcare.
What’s one fun fact about you that our members might not know?
I have a pet poodle named Naruto, who I named after an anime character.