Who's Who in Urgent Care

Welcome to the first-ever compilation of Who’s Who in Urgent Care. This special section includes the biographies of 10 outstanding urgent care professionals who were nominated by their peers.

These special people come from all walks of life but share one common thread: a commitment to their industry. They show this by improving their craft year after year, and through being generous with patients and their colleagues. People like this make the world go round. Many thanks to those who nominated, and congratulations to the winners.

Scott Burger, MD

Dr. Scott Burger, owner of the Doctors Express urgent care franchise (based in Towson, Md.), has a big vision for urgent care; he wants it to be clear, consistent, and everywhere it’s needed. Burger is a graduate of Loyola College in Baltimore, and the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Long Island, N.Y.

He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, N.Y., and then spent three years as an attending physician in the emergency department of Harlem Hospital. Burger also served as assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Burger has professional requisites, but he also embodies the more nuanced aspects of being a great healthcare professional: he cares. Scott’s friend Julie Rice told the following story about him:

“Scott Burger and I became quick friends after first meeting in 1992 while attending Loyola College. Scott always looked out for me and often treated me like a sister. After college, we stayed in contact even though our busy lives kept us from getting together as much as we would have liked.

“In November 2006, my husband Ken began experiencing some odd symptoms that eventually caused him to get an MRI of the brain. The night before the scheduled MRI, I called Scott to describe Ken’s symptoms. Ken was looking for reassurance that nothing serious was wrong with him. Scott was more than willing to talk and was extremely kind and patient. He tried to convince us not to get ahead of ourselves and to wait for the test results. I felt so reassured knowing I had someone I trusted on a personal and professional level looking out for us.

“Ken’s MRI revealed a brain tumor. Scott was one of the first people we called and trusted with this terrible news. Scott immediately got Ken into another hospital for a second opinion on treatment options. During Ken’s three-year battle with cancer, Scott always made sure we knew he was there for us as a friend and as a doctor.

In July 2009, Ken’s condition declined rapidly and he slipped into a coma nearing death. Scott came to visit me and seeing his face and hearing his voice gave me the strength I needed to pull through. My husband died July 31. I am left with his amazing legacy of two-year-old twin boys. I am eternally grateful to Scott for his ability to comfort me and make me laugh like we were back in college. The world needs more people like Scott Burger.”

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