An Elizabethtown College education is for people who feel the pull to contribute to the world. With a network of 24,425 living alumni, our graduates leave Etown to become the influential advocates and changemakers the world needs more of.
Meet Philip P. Metzger ’68, a retired surgeon from the Mayo Clinic in Florida. Metzer, who majored in Pre-Med Biology as a student, served on the College’s Board of Trustees and was inducted into Etown’s Ira R. Herr Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978 for his swimming accomplishments. He spends his time traveling the world as an adventure tourist.
“The community experience at Elizabethtown College provided me with a solid ground to stand upon for my future career.”
What defined your Etown experience?
My family and I decided that my desired course of education would lead to additional educational requirements. Living in Elizabethtown, it was logical that the first step to college would be to commute from home to school to conserve finances for additional schooling. Numerous Elizabethtown Area High School classmates made that similar decision and that obviously made an immediate group of classmates at the College for continued friendship.
Participating on Etown’s first-ever swimming team made many new friends throughout the years and other team training at similar times added even more associations. The commute lounge was a great spot to meet other commuters and develop friendships between classes each day. The staff in the Biology and Chemistry departments were extremely friendly and integrated well into all their student’s needs and pursuits, such as Drs. Apgar, Pepper, Proctor, Ranck, and Hedrick to mention just a few.
Those staff who were raised in Elizabethtown were friends of my family and a direct source for classes to take. The community experience at Elizabethtown College provided me with a solid ground to stand upon for my future career. I applied to many medical schools and a lot were in the Philadelphia region. When I did not initially get accepted, Dr. Pepper helped guide me to West Virginia Graduate School to start a master’s/Ph.D. in Anatomy. It was that guidance that, two years later, led me into their medical school.
How has your Etown degree benefitted you and your career success?
Etown’s Pre-Med Biology program provided me with a very strong foundation for both the graduate program in Anatomy and medical school. The years in Anatomy were incredibly helpful for my direction of general surgery and specialty fellowship in colon and rectal surgery.
How have you made a difference in the lives of others through your career and/or personal life?
My career included 33 years of both private practice and ended with 26 years at the Mayo Clinic in Florida heading their department of colon and rectal surgery. Every year you meet hundreds of patients and each patient is a personal sharing of comfort, learning, compassion, and giving of yourself to help them feel supported and cared for during their illness. Communication and trust are a great part of that process. The Mayo Clinic has a great saying, “The needs of the patient come first.” As a person sharing your experiences and listening to their experiences is part of being a caring practitioner. Kindness and caring go a long way as a surgeon.
What is your passion? Where do you place your energy besides your career?
My passion for many years has been fitness and healthy life pursuits. Briefly before retirement, and more after, have included biohacking and longevity measures to support that endeavor. Travel and travel with trekking in many unusual and out-of-the-way places have been a continuing source of seeing parts of our wonderful planet, meeting people from all over, and making new friendships.
View more Etown Changemakers at etown.edu/125.