Elwood Fox, DO
New England Rehab Hospital

For many of us, there is some motivational force that drives us to be the person we are when we reach adulthood. It could be a relative, a teacher, a book, an organization, a course of events. For Dr. Fox, it was – and is – a statement from his dad that he says he repeats almost every day, “You shoot for the stars and even if you don’t reach them, you’ll land on the roof top and not on your butt!”

Dr. Fox grew up in Bermuda. His dad worked three jobs to make sure he and his brother would have an education, a work ethic that Dr. Fox always respected and emulates today. Mom was ill and when he was about 7 years old he told her not to worry because he was going to be a doctor and take care of her. He also mentions that when he was 15 years old, he fell from a 3 story building on a school trip and shattered his right hip. To make sure he could continue to play sports, he participated in a rehabilitation program. He was an excellent student and loved science, and with those motivational forces behind him, the paths of medicine and rehabilitation were already starting to form the way toward his future.

After graduating from high school, Dr. Fox attended Queens University in Canada where he majored in science and computers. He was as very interested in research. An educator, impressed with his science and research skills, thought he would make an excellent doctor. She gave him some material on osteopathic medicine. He was captivated by the osteopathic philosophy of treatment and made the decision to pursue a career in that field.

He transferred to the University of New England, where he completed his undergraduate education. It was at UNE that he recruited physical and occupational therapy students as an admission counselor.

Following his UNECOM education, Dr. Fox went on to complete his internship and residency in internal medicine at Berkshire Medical Center. A Physiatry residency followed at JFK Rehabilitation Institute as Dr. Fox realized that rehabilitation was to become part of the care he wanted to give his patients. “I enjoyed the broad spectrum of internal medicine and rehabilitation, and being able to follow the patient from the onset of a disability through rehabilitation,” says Dr. Fox.

How did Dr. Fox end up in Maine? After his second residency, he gave “serious” thought about where to live and raise children. He was familiar with Maine from his undergraduate days and felt Portland would be a great place to live and work. Dr. Fox jointed NERHP in 2001.

During an interview for the New England Rehabilitation Hospital employee newsletter, The Rehab Roundup, Dr. Fox commented on a few of our questions as follows:

What are some of the most satisfactory accomplishments of your career?
“I call them my Maine Miracles,” Dr. Fox explains, “the patients that leave me feeling humbled and make me realize why I am in this field.” Dr. Fox says he sees patients who appear unlikely to survive, or brain injury patients, or the disabled elderly, not as a lost cause but a challenge. He wants to be able to give his patients a chance and give the families hope. Young or old, he has seen miracles that were not expected, been part of a team of professionals who never give up working with the patients and he has been witness to what can’t be explained. “That’s such a great feeling!” he says.

What do you feel are the most important contributions you have made?
“To give back to those who are disabled,” Dr. Fox states emphatically. His commitment is to patient care, with a positive but realistic approach. He says it is important to be both, and by being truthful, yet hopeful, patients are responsive to keep trying.

Remember the three jobs that Dr. Fox’s dad worked to see that his children received a good education? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Dr. Fox holds down four jobs! He practices at Riverridge Rehabilitation, as the Medial Rehabilitation Director; at NERHP as Medical Director of the Cardiopulmonary program and treats a full spectrum of diagnosis here; at the MMC Spine Center; and he has his own practice in Bermuda where he will be developing a stroke program at Kind Edward Memorial Hospital.

What is a clinical triumph that you were a part of?
The patient he immediately recalls was injured from a sky diving accident. When Dr. Fox first saw him at Riverridge Rehabilitation, the patient was a Rancho level 2 unit of conscientiousness. Dr. Fox followed his care when he transferred here to NERHP. After several weeks of rehabilitation, Dr. Fox asked the patient how he was doing and the first word he spoke was “awesome!” That was one of those inspiring moments when he, once again, knew why he was in the field of physical and rehabilitation medicine.

How would your children describe you?
Dr. Fox has two children, Emerson, 9 and Sydney, age 5. His face lit up and he exclaimed, “I’m fun! I try very hard to spend quality time with them and to give them fond memories of times we share.

What do you do for relaxation?
Dr. Fox laughs and says, “golf, reading, music, and more golf.”

What is your favorite meal?
>Dr. Fox has fond memories of eating at his grandmother’s home in Bermuda. He still looks forward to a meal at “Nanna’s.” His all-time Nanna meal is mac and cheese, followed by peas and rice, green pea soup, and snapper or rock fish!

What is your favorite movie of all time?
“I love this movie because it always makes me laugh: Disney’s Caddy Shack,” says Dr. Fox. (Must be a golf thing.)

Favorite book or author?
Dr. Fox has just completed Sidney Poitier’s recent autobiography, The Measure of a Man. It is a very inspirational piece and his choice of reading seems very appropriate for this physician who has been motivated to do well and work hard for many years.

And for Dr. Fox , there is one more quote which is “the philosophy that keeps me going every day: ‘Beware of your dreams, for you will surely get them.’”

Let us all learn by example.