Faces of Medicine
Meet Dr. Tony Ton-That

Dr. Tony Ton-That’s childhood in Saigon, Vietnam was one of hardship, heartbreak and survival. His parents’ struggles to find freedom and make their children safe instilled in him an unshakable faith in the value of education. His experiences deepened his respect for the critical importance of family unity. It steeled his commitment to use his learning toward a better life for other people. A witness to the fall of Saigon and the communist takeover, he overcame remarkable obstacles to complete his medical education and build a new life in America.

His skill, dedication and optimism are a boon to the Lancaster County community, and to his patients at Lancaster NeuroScience & Spine Associates. As a physiatrist, his goal is to restore function for patients with acute and chronic pain (back and neck) and treat employees with work-related injuries. Dr. Ton-That specializes in electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS), which help diagnose muscle and nerve disorders by stimulating muscle contractions to isolate a specific site or injury. He also performs Independent Medical Examinations and is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners. This service supports Lancaster County employers in dealing with work-related injuries.

Background
Tony Ton-That and his three siblings attended school under the French system that defined education in Saigon in the years before the Vietnam War. When Tony was in the fifth grade, the country was transformed by the communist takeover of North Vietnam. At that time, his parents were biology professors in the university system, and his brothers had graduated from the university. The country’s abysmal transformation under the new regime decimated the Vietnamese lifestyle, destroying the education system and threatening every aspect of young Tony’s life.

Through remarkable perseverance, and after 11 years of struggling to survive under communism, the family arrived in the United States in 1986. Tony earned his BS in computer science at the University of Maryland. He pursued dental school at Harvard Medical and Dental School before deciding on medicine. He graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, served an Internal Medicine Residency at York Hospital, York, PA, and a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency at Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Tony Ton-That joined Lancaster NeuroScience & Spine Associates in June, 2002.
He describes his journey from survival to success as an American physician in his comments below.

in his own words...
On his family’s life after the fall of Saigon…
"When the communists took over, everything was threatened. Not just our education, but our very survival. Because my parents were both professors, and my brothers were university graduates, they were not allowed to leave. Even though there were no jobs for them, they were considered valuable because of their "gray matter". All they could do was private tutoring. It was incredibly hard to get out. My uncle, a top official in the navy under the former government, had escaped from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. He fled to Washington, D.C., and he was our hope for sponsorship."

"My family struggled for nine years, and gave up everything they had to the new government in order to win our freedom. In 1986, we arrived in this country, and my father died just one year later. My mother worked hard, starting at the bottom, and today she is very proud of her sons, among them a pharmacist, a dentist, and a business owner. "

On being a doctor…
"I think my parents’ careers as biology professors, and their strong emphasis on education, certainly were a big influence on my choices. Living in a poor country gave me the motivation to work hard to achieve. It’s something I will never lose. I see myself learning everyday. I’m still working on mastering the English language!"

"I find it especially rewarding to work with older patients. Maybe no one has listened to them before, and they really appreciate the time and effort that I can give them to develop a personal relationship. I think I am a good listener. In the Vietnamese culture, we respect our elders so much, and so I find it a pleasure to do the geriatric medicine. If I can help the patient get better, the whole family will be better. "

"I think the medical community of Lancaster is really outstanding. Many excellent medical professionals have chosen this community to practice, which is fortunate for the people who live here, and for the other physicians. It makes for a really strong health care system."

On life in America…
"We are so fortunate here. I used to tell my friends at school, stop whining! I believe that I have assimilated well, I definitely consider myself an American. There is a small Vietnamese community here in Lancaster, which I enjoy. When I really want a taste of home, I visit Virginia, where there is a very large Vietnamese population. My favorite leisure activity is traveling. My most recent trips were to Rome, Paris, and Tuscany."