On a chilly Friday night, Joe Tousignant, DO, stands rink-side in Cardinal red, cheering on the SUNY Plattsburgh men’s hockey team. Between periods, he heads to the field house training room to treat whoever needs him: hockey players with battered ankles or lacrosse players with sore knees. Track and field athletes hoping to get back to their best.

“That’s why I love what I do,” says Dr. Tousignant, a sports medicine and family medicine physician at University of Vermont Health – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital. “I get to help people get their health back to where they want to be — what’s better than that?”

A Calling Shaped at Home

Dr. Tousignant’s career path traces directly back to the North Country communities where he grew up. His mother was a nurse, and at home with her four athletic children, health and healing were everyday conversations.

As a senior at Malone’s Franklin Academy, Dr. Tousignant got his first real glimpse of medical life through the New Vision Program at UVM Health - Alice Hyde Medical Center, where each morning he rotated through different clinical departments. Pediatrics initially captured his interest, inspired by the pediatricians who stayed to care for local families.

“Coming from a small town, I was blown away by the incredible doctors who chose to stick around and care for our community,” says Dr. Tousignant.

Helping People Stay Active, With Hands-On Care

Dr. Tousignant was a three-sport athlete in high school — football, basketball, track and field; he later added rugby. His experiences on the field shaped his journey through college, medical school and family medicine residency at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital.

He ultimately found his calling in sports and family medicine, drawn to hands-on care that helps people of all ages stay active.

“My job is to help you — whether you’re a grandparent, a middle-school kid or a collegiate athlete — return to something you love, safely,” says Dr. Tousignant, amidst the cheers for the SUNY Plattsburgh’s opening goal against Buffalo State.

During his primary care sports medicine fellowship at University at Buffalo (UB), Dr. Tousignant worked with Dr. John Leddy, a global leader in concussion management, and helped care for athletes at UB and professional sports teams including the Buffalo Sabres and the Rochester Americans.

That training prepared him to help local schools, athletic programs and families learn how to identify and return safely from brain injuries that too often go undermanaged.

“It didn’t really exist when I was growing up, so it’s great to bring that experience back home — to schools I used to attend and teachers and coaches I knew from childhood,” says Dr. Tousignant.

Giving Back to the Place that Raised Him

Today, Dr. Tousignant’s practice centers on treating sports-related injuries — including concussions — and guiding patients safely back to the activities they love. As a team physician for SUNY Plattsburgh, he blends his passion for medicine and sport, while offering hands-on learning to medical residents.

What stands out is how personal his connection feels.

“This is where I'm from. This is where my family is. So many of the people I see in clinic are people I know — you’re not some random face,” he says. “I run into my patients in public all the time, at the grocery store or at hockey games.  I love it.”