Full Breakdown
Leslie Buckner Champions Health Equity at Methodist Hospitals
8/20/2026, 7:47:24 PM
From a Slip on Ice to a Career in Physical Therapy
Leslie Buckner’s interest in medicine began after a teenage fall on black ice at Chicago O’Hare, which injured her knee and led orthopedic surgeons to introduce her to the field. She entered Marquette University’s Department of Physical Therapy through the Health Careers Opportunity Program, a recruiting initiative for disadvantaged students founded by former chair Dr. Lawrence Pan. After graduating in 2002, Buckner worked at several academic medical centers before becoming director of rehabilitation services at Methodist Hospitals, a safety-net institution serving uninsured and underinsured patients in the Chicago area.
Leadership at a Safety-Net Hospital
In her role, Buckner oversees neuro-specialty rehabilitation and emphasizes individualized care over standardized protocols. She describes the challenge of limited resources, noting that treatment decisions often hinge on patients’ ability to pay. Buckner also coordinates community partnerships to secure post-discharge support, aiming to bridge gaps that larger academic centers can more readily fill.
Advocacy for Health Equity
She stresses the Jesuit principle of *cura personalis*—caring for the whole person—and the university motto “Be the Difference,” which she says guides her daily practice. Her approach includes creative problem-solving, such as using pen and paper to enable communication for a coma patient who later regained speech and went on to run a 5K.
Official Statements & Responses
Buckner attributes her commitment to patient advocacy to early experiences at Marquette and to the mentorship she received there. She emphasizes that limited hospital resources require “thinking outside the box” and collaborating with community agencies to ensure continuity of care after discharge. Buckner asserts that without such efforts, “poor results” would persist for vulnerable populations.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It really piqued my interest in how I can help people who have hurt their body,” — Leslie Buckner
- “It was nice to have someone who didn’t just see me, but made my family comfortable, too,” — Leslie Buckner
- “When patients are uninsured or underinsured, there are a lot of things we would like them to have, but the sad part is sometimes healthcare is based on what you can afford,” — Leslie Buckner
- “Those mottos were engrained in me at Marquette, and I see them every day now in practice,” — Leslie Buckner
