Father’s Day Offers Extra Special Meaning for LVHN Father and Daughter This Year

Ask any dad and he is sure to say Father’s Day is among the most special of days each year. For Terry Purcell, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) Senior Vice President, President of LVHN Northwest Region and President of Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Schuylkill, Father’s Day 2024 will be extra special. This year marks the first year since his daughter, Kelly Purcell, MD, joined Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG) in Allentown and Bethlehem as a physiatrist focusing on interventional spine injury.

“I’m so proud not only of Kelly’s clinical accomplishments but also that she is part of LVHN treating patients throughout the region, including patients from our native Schuylkill County,” Terry says. “It gives me great pride on both professional and personal levels to have a clinician of her caliber on our team.”

Dr. Purcell joined Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute last November at LVPG Advanced Spine Centers and LVPG Physiatry practices in Allentown and Bethlehem. She says other than both she and her father working for LVHN, their professional paths have not yet crossed, but she credits him with helping inspire her approach to her patients. “While we both work through different avenues, we share the goal of treating the community. My dad has always taught me a strong work ethic and I can now apply this to my current role,” says Dr. Purcell.

Dr. Purcell’s journey to medicine grew following a severe college sports injury that helped chart her course and her future. “While attending Bucknell University, a shoulder injury not only prevented me from participating in my sport (swimming), it also significantly affected my quality of life,” Dr. Purcell says. “I learned about the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation and developed a new passion for improving the quality of life for others.” Dr. Purcell completed her medical education at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, her internship at Drexel University College of Medicine and her residency at Emory University School of Medicine.

For certain, the Purcells are a health care family. In addition to Terry’s role as a health care administrator and Dr. Purcell as a physiatrist, Terry’s wife, Virginia, is a physical therapist and their oldest daughter Lauren is a clinical psychologist.

And how will the Purcells spend Father’s Day 2024? Says Terry, “It will be a great family time with my wife, daughters, grandchildren and our sons-in-law.