Member of the Month: Christopher Trinh, DO

Sports medicine physician enjoys the variety of life as a family doc

By Samantha White

posted 05.09.22

After working with student and professional athletes during residency in Oklahoma, Christopher Trinh, DO, returned to Texas to practice sports medicine in the DFW area. Trinh was an active TAFP member as a medical student at TCOM, and has continued to stay active in organized medicine as a way to help shape the health care system and better the health of patients across the state.

Who or what inspired you to become a physician?
I grew up fascinated with science and learning about how things worked. I enjoyed working with my hands and early on developed a natural curiosity for the medical field. There were no other physicians in my family but by the time I was in college and deciding what career to pursue, medicine felt like a natural extension of everything I already enjoyed. I initially considered a career in engineering, however, medicine allowed me to apply a similar set of technical skills to the compassion and human elements found within the field of medicine.

Can you briefly describe your career path?
I attended Texas Christian University for my undergraduate studies and graduated with a double major in biology and chemistry. I completed medical school at the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center – TCOM and went on to my family medicine residency in Oklahoma City at the University of Oklahoma. While in residency I worked with student athletes from Oklahoma City University and Oklahoma Christian University. I had coverage experience in sports ranging from mixed martial arts, Big 12 baseball, Big 12 women’s and men’s basketball, AAA professional baseball with the Oklahoma City Dodgers, and professional basketball through the NBA G-league team Oklahoma City Blue. I then completed my primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Arkansas where I was an SEC team physician for all university sports. I now work at Baylor Scott and White Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Institute in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

What drew you to sports medicine? Did you decide to pursue a DO before or after this decision was made?
Some of my same initial passions eventually led me to discover that sports medicine was a good fit for me. That initial curiosity at how things work and the desire to work with my hands lend themselves well to this field. There is a lot of important anatomy and physiology as well as hands-on skills including ultrasound, joint injections, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, and sideline sports coverage. Sports medicine has a lot of variety from high-level athletes to weekend warriors, and to those who are looking to simply maintain their activities of daily living. I decided to pursue an osteopathic medicine degree around the same time I knew sports medicine was for me. There is a huge emphasis on the interconnectedness of structure and function within osteopathic medicine and there is no better place to see that in action than in sports medicine.

Tell us what your sports medicine clinic is like.
What I enjoy the most about sports medicine is that each day can be slightly different from the rest. The field is primarily clinic based and most of my time each week is spent in clinic. However, there are lots of sideline coverage and training room opportunities. Within a typical clinic day I can be taking care of concussions, sprains and strains, non-operative orthopedic concerns, athlete injuries, as well as procedural visits using steroid injections and using ortho-biologics such as PRP.

Do you volunteer?
Throughout my medical career I have spent time volunteering, providing medical care at various health fairs and local high schools throughout the years. I view this as an important way to strengthen the health and well-being of my community. As team physician, I also provide training room coverage for high school student athletes.

Why do you choose to be involved in organized medicine?
It’s important to be a part of the process that plays a role in how medicine is practiced in our country. So much of medicine is decided by others in outside fields, and organized medicine allows physicians to band together around common causes and work on a larger scale to benefit our health care system and the health of our patients.

What do you enjoy doing outside of medicine?
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. My wife and I recently got married and had our first child so family time is extremely important to me. I also enjoy watching sports and cheering on my TCU Horned Frogs and Dallas Cowboys!

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Texas family physicians in TAFP News Now and on the TAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different TAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting TAFP by email at tafp@tafp.org or by phone at (512) 329-8666. View past Members of the Month here.