Call him St. Luke’s very own “Rock Doc.”
By day, Dennis McGorry, MD, is St. Luke’s Chairman of Family Practice. In the evenings, he turns into the “Rock Doc” for acts performing at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.
Whether he’s treating acts for minor injuries or giving Vitamin B12 boosters, Dr. McGorry enjoys the opportunity to keep up with the music scene. He grew up as a fan of the Lehigh Valley-based Blissters, whose drummer lived just up the street from him, and has had a lifelong love affair with music.
“The whole opportunity started out during a meeting with Jeff Trainer, who co-owns the events center,” Dr. McGorry said. “I met him through mutual friends. He found out I was a doctor and asked if I’d be interested if musicians needed any when they came to town.”
“We call him the Rock Doc,” said Terry Bender, co-owner of the Wind Creek Event Center. “These acts are on the road all the time and they get sick or injured and need care. You can’t cancel a show. It’s been very good for us to have a doctor who is part of the #1 health system in the country for quality, safety and patient experience.
“We even switched our EMTs to St. Luke’s, and it has been an A-plus experience, and a very positive and a very good partnership.”
While the “Rock Doc” position isn’t formal – he gets calls to check out the performers sporadically – he said it’s been an eye-opening view into the world of performers.
“I learned a lot about how stressful it really is, the physical and mental toll of being on the road all the time,” he said. “I love to see live music and bands, and I basically volunteered myself to be available when the bands are in town and need care.”
The side gig started off during the post-Covid return to perform, and a lot of that time was simply administering Covid tests. He’s treated knee pain, colds, flu, checks blood pressure and does routine screenings for the touring artists who are too busy and far from home to see their regular doctor for checkups.
Some acts have someone in their management that reaches out to physicians for care, and when they play at the Wind Creek Event Center, Dr. McGorry is the go-to doctor.
There is no set examination room. Sometimes it’s the tour bus, sometimes the dressing room, and other times it’s backstage.
He’s worked with a variety of acts from heavy metal bandsand rappers to comedians.
“This isn’t a big part of what I do,” Dr. McGorry said, “but I like to help out when I can. These people have a difficult path to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Wind Creek does a nice job catering with healthy food choices. As they say, the show must go on.”
