About Daniel M. Brudnak M.D
Dr. Dan, as his patients call him, is just an “ol’ country doctor” in Gorman TX. He practices Eastern medicine and Western medicine daily in his office. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, FAAFP, and a charter member of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture, DABMA. He has been an “Air Doc” for over 10 NASA Space Shuttle missions and 6 major exercises where he manned the back of an H-60 helicopter for medical support if disaster occurred during space shuttle launches or landings. After retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel Flight Surgeon when he served as SGP, directly under the Commander of the unit as Chief of Aeromedical Services for the 902 ASTS Patrick AFB, he opened his family practice in Corpus Christi in TX and was one of the team doctors for the Ice Rays professional hockey team until he moved to Gorman. Presently, he has a solo practice in Gorman TX offering LASER (Class IV at 810 nm) therapy as well as many types of acupuncture including bioenergetics, five element, auricular medicine, and multiple variations of electro-acupuncture. As a medical student at UTMB Houston, Dr. Dan spent part of his senior year as an exchange student to Chile. Now he and his wife, Sondra, host exchange students from various countries. Sondra is assistant principle second violin in the Dallas Opera and Assistant Concert Master of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz Austria.
Education & Credentials
Place of Birth
- Chicago Illinois
Languages
- Fluent in Spanish and English, speaks functional German and Italian
Memberships
- Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice (FAAFP)
- Diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice
- Diplomat of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture (DABMA) — Charter member
Education
- Family Practice Residency, Memorial Medical Hosp. Corpus Christi, TX, 1991-1994
- University of Texas Health Science Center–Houston, Phd, Doctor of Medicine, 1987-1991
- University of Texas–Arlington, Bachelor of Science in Biology/Physiology, 1982-1985
Additional Designations
- Country Doctor of the Year runner up [1 of 4 finalists in the United States], 2006
- Medical Director Lighthouse Hospice, 2007- present
- Medical Director of Gorman Volunteer Fire Dept., 2002- present
- Medical Director of Cisco Volunteer Fire Dept., 2006- present
- Medical Director of Olden Volunteer Fire Dept., 2006 - present
- ACLS Instructor, 1996 to 2008
- Anthrax information officer for 10th Air Force, 1999-2007
- Team Physician for Professional Ice Hockey Team, Ice Rays, 1999-2001
- Medical Commander Disaster Recovery Team (Air Force), 1996-1998
- Medical Commander Hurricane Recovery Team (Air Force), 1996-1998
- Director/Creator Diabetes Clinic (Air Force), 1996-1998
- Director of Smoking Cessation Clinics (Air Force), 1996-1998
- Director of Wellness Clinics (Air Force), 1996-1998
- Director of Weight Loss Clinics (Air Force), 1996-1998
- BLS/CPR instructor 2002 to present
- Emergency Room Physician
Military Decorations and Honors
- Meritorious Service Medal, 1998, 1st oak cluster, 2007
- Joint Meritorious Unit Award, 1996
- Company Grade Officer of the Year, Medical Group, 1995
- Air Force Achievement Medal, 1995
- Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, 1995
- Air Force National Service Medal, 1987
- Marksmanship Decoration, 2000
- Air Force Good Conduct Medal, 1980
- Guest Speaker: Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S (AMSUS), 2000
- Topic: Aeromedical Acupuncture at Home, in Combat, and in Space
Civilian
- Guest Speaker Nevada Academy of Family Practice, 2000
- Topic: Acupuncture for Family Physicians
- Foreign Exchange Medical Externship, Santiago Chile, 1990
- Member Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society, 1998-2000
Work Experience
- Solo rural practice – with ER And house calls, Gorman TX, 2002-to present
- Assistant Medical Director, Care Now Urgent Care Clinics, Fort Worth TX, December 2001 to 2002
- John Peter Smith Main Street Clinic, Fort Worth, TX, March to May 2002
- Private Practice Corpus Christi, TX, July 1998-Sept. 2001
- Team Physician Professional Ice Hockey Team, Ice Rays, 1999-2001
- USAF Reserves: Retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, 2007
- SG 556 Red Horse Squadron 307 RHS/SG, Kelly AFB, TX
- Field, Garrison And Preventative medical care of squadron
- Force protection against bio-terrorism, including anthrax threat
- SG 556 Red Horse Squadron 307 RHS/SG, Kelly AFB, TX
- Chief of Aerospace Medicine, SGP 920 ASTS/SGP, USAFR Patrick AFB, Florida, Sept 1998- 2000
- Command all Aeromedical personnel and resources for the 920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, (ASTS)
- Report directly to the Commander concerning all medical issues with the 920th Combat Rescue Group
- Evaluation of all physicians in the ASTS
- Maintain a level of physical and mental readiness to deploy for Combat Rescue or Aeromedical Staging duties
- USAF Active Duty - Major, July 1996 - July 1998
- Flight Surgeon, 45th Medical Group ADMS/SGPF
- FAA Certified Aeromedical Examiner (A.M.E.) providing Class 2 And Class 3 Medical Certificates
- Provide primary and emergency care for flying And space operations personnel and their dependents
- Provide emergency response and medical care during in-flight operations
- Perform duties of Flight Surgeon and crew member during sorties with the 41st, 71st, And 301st rescue squadrons
- Provide medical training and supervision of Pararescue Jumpers (PJ's)
- Emergency medical care to NASA astronauts and support staff in the event of a Space Shuttle Contingency
- Assist Department of Defense Manned Space flight Support Office (DDMS)
- Planning and coordinating medical support for NASA Space Shuttle launches and landings
- Providing support for over 15 Space Shuttle Launches and 4 Mode VIII Exercises
- Emergency Medicine Attending Physician, Operation Sea Signal, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 1995
- Provided primary and emergency medical care to active duty and Cuban/Haitian refugees
- Including advanced cardiac life support, and advanced trauma life support
- Family Practice Team Chief, Medicine Attending Physician, Patrick AFB, Florida, 1994-1996
- Supervision and evaluation of physicians and physicians’ assistants on primary care team
- Provided primary medical care to active duty personnel, retirees, and dependents
- Performed Emergency Room duties including advanced cardiac life support and advanced trauma life support
- Performed and instructed in minor surgery clinic
- AF Institute of Technology/Spohn-Memorial Hospital, 1991-1994
- Residency Training in Family Practice
- Emergency Medicine Attending Physician, Spohn-Memorial Hospital, Corpus Christi, Texas. 1992-1994
- Bee County Regional Medical Center, Beeville, Texas
- Alice Physician’s And Surgeon’s Hospital, Alice, Texas
- Memorial Medical Center, Refugio, Texas
- Provided primary and emergency medical care to patients in Trauma Level II And III settings
Additional Education
- Recipient of AMA’s Physician Recognition Award for continuing education sequentially, 1996-2002
- Advanced Undersea And Hyperbaric Medicine Chamber operation course, 1997
- Clinical Hyperbaric Medicine course, 1998
- AAFP Sports Medicine course, 1997
- Principles of Manual Medicine (Osteopathic Manipulation) course, 1997
- Global Medicine (world wide field medicine) course for U.S. Flight Surgeons, 1996
- SA/ Dept. Of Defense (Space Operations) Flight Surgeon training course, 1995
- Combat Casualty Care Course with ATLS, Camp Bullis, TX, 1994
- Aerospace Medicine Primary Flight Surgeon course, Brooks AFB, TX, 1989
Additional Activities
- Volunteer Physician at Mission Arlington, 2002
- Volunteer Diver at Texas State Aquarium, 2000
- Gorman High School Team Physician (Volunteer)
- Catholic Religious Education Teacher (CCD), 1997-2000
- Civil Air Patrol Senior Member and Flight Surgeon, 1997-1998
- Boy Scout Leader, 1997-1998
Professional Interests
- Community involvement in medicine
- Graduate and undergraduate medical education
- Pain management
- Preventative medicine
- Home remedies, field, rural and wilderness medicine
- Sports, diving and flight medicine
Personal Interests
- My best friend and wife — Sondra Jones Brudnak
- HORSES and other animals
- Languages and cultures
- Scuba Divemaster
- Handball
- Song writing
- Building guitars and banjos
- Playing music with a local group called "Dr. Dan & the Band-Aids"
- Bad Jokes……or good ones too
Here When You Need Us.
Phone Contacts
Phone: 254-734-4254
Fax: 254-734-4355
Fax: 254-734-4355
Mailing Address
PO Box 417
Gorman, TX 76454
Gorman, TX 76454
Location
115 South Kent
Gorman, TX 76454
Gorman, TX 76454
Directions to the Clinic
Gorman is on TX Hwy.6 — about 19 miles southeast of I-20, Exit 340. The clinic is about four blocks southwest of the blinking traffic light on Hwy. 6.