Physician Spotlight: Family Experiences Inspired David Tran, Who Now Treats Patients Like Family

“For others, not oneself.”

For David Minh Tran, MD, this isn’t just a statement of selflessness — it’s a guiding principle in both his life and his work in medicine.

Dr. Tran is an orthopaedic and sports medicine physician who specializes in nonsurgical care. For almost two years, he has worked at the UF Health Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine – World Equestrian Center in Ocala. In addition to his commitment to UF Health, he serves as a team physician and mentor for local high school athletic teams and outreach programs. He also offers UF students academic advisement.

Community acts as the greatest fuel for Dr. Tran and his everyday commitment to serving others. His perception of community began with his own in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Tran was the oldest child of two Vietnamese immigrants. As the Vietnam War ensued, his parents uprooted their lives and moved to the township of Southwold in Ontario. His mother became a registered nurse, and his father started a business that Dr. Tran was set to take over.

What was that business?

A worm farm! In more specific terms, it was The Canadian Nightcrawler Wholesale Company, similar to a bait shop or supplier. Out fishing one day, his father stumbled upon the idea of selling worms to bait shops. It started small and quickly grew internationally. The business transformed into an industry, supplemented by an entire facility and staffed by Vietnamese immigrants who were unable to find employment elsewhere. As the business grew, trucks would bring Canadian nightcrawlers all the way from Canada to Ohio, Michigan, Arkansas and beyond.

Yet, at only 22 years old, Dr. Tran’s expected life plan was completely altered. One day, his father, a typically healthy 50-year-old, began experiencing stomach pain and fatigue. After visiting the doctor, with no further tests or evaluations completed, his father’s pain was classified as heartburn that could be “fixed” with antacids.

But it wasn’t heartburn. It was hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer caused by chronic hepatitis B, or HBV, infection. He was unable to receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

By the time his father was finally given a proper diagnosis, it was too late. The disease had spread. He died just a few months later. From then on, Dr. Tran was left to wonder what would have happened if the doctor had been more attentive.

Dismissive and insignificant. That was how the doctor approached his father’s pain, he said. Now his father was gone, and Dr. Tran would need to grow up quickly and take responsibility as head of the household.

Dr. Tran — who originally left school after his father died — was motivated by the experience to go back and finish his undergraduate degree, attend medical school and become a practicing provider. “Put your head down and focus” and “get it done” were words he recalled from his father, and these sayings guided him through those next few years. To provide patients with hope and accurate solutions, Dr. Tran followed that advice, keeping his head down for years so he could later help so many others back up.

At just 22, Dr. Tran was thrust into a new level of responsibility, prompting him to reimagine what family could look like — grounded in mutual support and unity. That experience continues to shape the way he sees his work today. In his orthopaedic practice, he recognizes a similar dynamic among the athletes he treats: While performance might appear individual, it’s deeply influenced by family, life experiences and their support systems. In many ways, sports mirror this interconnectedness — built on community and teams that stand behind you, both on and off the field.

Dr. Tran’s personal experience followed a comparable process. This perspective, alongside the nostalgia sports evoke, drew Dr. Tran to becoming a family sports medicine physician. As a child, his dad would always cheer him on at his hockey games. There, Dr. Tran learned to admire the sportsmanship and mindset athletes displayed in each game. He now incorporates memories from the ice into his passion for his profession.

Orthopaedics, as Dr. Tran explains, focuses on mobility. Without one’s mobility, that person is “at a loss” until proper care is provided. Dr. Tran approaches each patient with this in mind. He emphasizes that “one patient is more than one person.” Although medical attention may be specific to one, the impact ripples beyond.

He doesn’t look at the patient linearly; he explores all directions, ensuring no path is missed. Kindness, compassion and community are the words that Dr. Tran weaves together in everything he does.

“You see me, but there are 20 people behind me pushing me forward,” Dr. Tran explains.

It’s these people — including his mom, sister and father — who brought him to where he is today, from originally leaving college to later attending medical school, from devastation to using that to power his purpose. All while remembering that it’s “for others, not oneself.”