How Dr. Antonio Webb Defied The Odds To Become A Top Orthopedic Surgeon And Mentor
Becoming a doctor takes ambition, grit, and opportunity.
Dr. Antonio Webb’s path to becoming an orthopedic surgeon highlights all three.
Early In Life, He Faced Intense Adversity
Growing up in poverty in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dr. Webb faced instability, violence, gangs, drugs, family members’ incarceration, and a lack of role models.
He overcame the odds stacked against him through sheer determination and pivotal life experiences.
His early passion for medicine, fostered by a high school medical program and real-world experience as an EMT, propelled him forward.
Leveraging The Military To Achieve His Goals
The military also played a crucial role in helping Dr. Webb escape his difficult upbringing and access opportunities otherwise unavailable to him.
At just 17 years old, he joined the military while in high school. Serving as a medic and completing multiple tours in Iraq gave Dr. Webb valuable, hands-on medical experiences that solidified his interest in pursuing medicine as a career.
But the military did more than provide valuable experience. It also offered Dr. Webb financial benefits to help fund his education.
Overcoming Obstacles To Match In Orthopedics
As the first in his family to pursue a medical career, Dr. Webb had to navigate the path to medical school and residency mainly on his own.
After years of hard work, he finally succeeded in matching into an orthopedic surgery residency to complete his formal training.
Dr. Webb continued his training to subspecialize in Spine Surgery with a combined Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Spine Surgery Fellowship at Texas Back Institute (TBI). TBI is the leading institute in artificial disc replacement, and it was the first practice in America to implant an artificial disc replacement.
Now He’s A Role Model And Mentor
In his book, he shares his life story, lessons, and belief that there is “incredible, undeniable strength in every person to overcome the odds.”
Dr. Webb is the founder and President of The Webb Family Foundation, which aims to increase diversity in medicine, specifically orthopedic and spine surgery. He has a summer mentorship program, where he exposes students to the field of medicine. It is similar to the program he attended in high school that interested him in medicine.
This June, Dr. Webb is hosting a large summer program for kids. About three hundred students will attend, and all types of medical specialties will be present to expose students to various medical fields.
