Tanya Zucco, P.A.

College:

Graduate Physician Assistant School:

 Why did you go into medicine? 

I’ve always been someone who has seen life from the perspective that we were all put on this earth to contribute in our own special way and how do we truly know our capabilities if we don’t explore and push the boundaries….. so from a young age I was an “athlete”, I competed in waterskiing from the age of 9 (then became a professional water-skier and competed for Great Britain and all over the world from age 18-25. Through those travels and that journey, I had lots of injuries and things come up along the way and I realized that health is truly the foundation of everything….the goals we want to achieve, the life we want to live, all of it. Along my journey, I met many amazing people in medicine who inspired me to want to be in that field so I could also help people have their health so they could carry on achieving their dreams. 

 

Was there any key person, milestone or pivotal moment that helped you become who you are as a provider? 

After I retired from waterskiing, I quickly found triathlon…once an athlete…always an athlete (and I’ll argue that if you have a body, you are an athlete..so all of us!)…and in 2014 when I was starting to get serious about my training and wanting to push to try to qualify for the Ironman World Championships I kept getting sick, I was very tired all the time (I truly wasn’t over training), I had 3 stress fractures in the span of 2 years. I sought help to try to figure out why I was experiencing this yet so many doing more than me were not….and I really got no answers besides….”all your labs are normal, you just need to rest more”, “You are unlucky, it just happens”…I refused to settle for those answers and that’s what propelled me into the world of functional medicine and really looking at medicine differently. Understanding that conventional medicine is there to treat disease, and not truly to help prevent or look at the root cause of problems that many would consider things that are “just part of aging” or “what happens when you are an athlete”. 

 

Reflecting on your career, what has been the most rewarding part?

The way that patients and people open up to you when you are providing them care. Giving you all their trust and allowing you to truly be a part of their success. 

 

Why did you choose to work at Leggett Medical Group?

The ability to leave the “grind” aka 10 minutes per patient in urgent care and be able to get to know patients and families and have time to give them the care they deserve and the people I work with. During my interview, I immediately knew I would have a home working here at LMG. 

 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Ironman triathlon … This involves training 20-25 hours per week and I also help athletes optimize their health and hormones through functional medicine!