Duane A. Barnett, MD, and Julie Barnett, PT, DPT, MTC, established the Barnett Endowed Scholarship to support physical therapy students on their journey to become compassionate and highly trained caregivers. Funds distributed from this special father-daughter endowment have directly supported scholarships for outstanding first- and second-year students enrolled in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program since 2014.
Born and raised on the family farm in Oklahoma, Dr. Barnett enlisted in the Navy before completing medical school and residency in Oklahoma City. He served as a general surgeon for more than 25 years at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Temple, Texas, and six years with the VA hospital in Amarillo, Texas. Following a move to Dallas, he continued to practice at UT Southwestern and Parkland Hospital until 1994. Throughout his career, Dr. Barnett was a member of the Fellowship of American College of Surgeons and a member of The University of Texas System Chancellor Council. His dedication to his practice and patients would shine through in his stories, often accompanied by photos of various surgeries.
UT Health San Antonio and our PT students were fortunate to have Dr. Barnett teach alongside his daughter Julie in the UT Health San Antonio Physical Therapy cadaver lab. He was 88 years young while working on campus, and he instilled in our students the importance of life-long learning.
Dr. Barnett passed away peacefully on October 24, 2020. Together with his beloved wife Joan, they shared 66 years of marriage and have four children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grant-children.
This special scholarship will last in perpetuity as a reflection of Dr. Barnett’s loving spirit and his legacy of faith, family, and fostering the future of health care professionals through education and training. His good work will continue to carry on through the impact of our students and graduates in their communities and beyond.
“My dad and I are honored to support a PT student in his or her on-going commitment to medical education to make a positive difference in the lives of future patients. Our time spent co-teaching in our PT cadaver lab created his desire to further support our wonderful PT students,” Julie Barnett said.
To make a gift to the Barnett Endowed Scholarship in support of our PT students, please complete and submit the form below. If you have any questions, please contact Anna Chowdhury, Director of Development for the School of Health Professions, by email or by phone at 210-450-7308.