Building Community Through Movement
As a local cardiologist specializing in cardiovascular disease, David Sabgir, MD, knows the risk factors that contribute to the deadly disease—and what steps to take to prevent it, including regular exercise. Early in his practice, Dr. Sabgir talked with his patients about the many benefits of an active lifestyle and felt that he was connecting with them in a way that would help patients improve their health. Yet despite these conversations, he began to realize that many of his patients weren’t incorporating exercise into their routines.
In 2005, wanting to do more to help his patients outside of a clinical setting and encourage them to be more active, Dr. Sabgir invited his patients to join him and his family for a Saturday morning walk at Sharon Woods Metro Park. To his surprise, 101 patients and community members showed up, energized and ready to move.
"That day was truly magical—it was incredible," said Dr. Sabgir. "I realized this needed to be part of the way I and other doctors practice medicine."
PICTURED: David Sabgir, MD, Founder and CEO of Walk with a Doc.
After witnessing such a positive response, Dr. Sabgir knew he was onto something: an idea that could inspire communities through movement and conversation. He founded the nonprofit Walk with a Doc and began reaching out to other doctors and healthcare providers to organize walking groups throughout the community. Although the idea took time to gain traction, it eventually caught the attention of healthcare professionals—locally and nationally—who were eager to start Walk with a Doc chapters of their own.
Today, Walk with a Doc, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in April, has grown into a global movement, with more than 600 local chapters in communities across the world. Open to people of all ages and levels of physical health, Walk with a Doc chapters host walking groups that are led by doctors, healthcare providers, or medical students. During each walk, participants learn more about a specific health topic, such as heart health, diabetes, cancer, dementia, nutrition, healthy aging, and more.
"When it comes to our health, social connection is arguably right up there with the importance of physical activity, if not more so."
DR. DAVID SABGIR, PICTURED, FOUNDER AND CEO OF WALK WITH A DOC
Beyond the health education and physical benefits that participants receive at Walk with a Doc events, Dr. Sabgir said that the group walks also promote social connection—between healthcare providers and patients, and between community members. This, he explains, can be just as important to patients’ overall health and well-being as regular exercise.
"We’re dealing with an epidemic of loneliness that was really exacerbated by the pandemic," explained Dr. Sabgir. "When it comes to our health, social connection is arguably right up there with the importance of physical activity, if not more so."
PICTURED: Community members join a local Walk with a Doc walk event at Highbanks Metro Park on Saturday, March 20, 2025.
One way the organization works to expand its outreach and impact is through innovative community partnerships, including here in central Ohio. Walk with a Doc began a partnership with the City of Columbus in 2013 to organize neighborhood walking clubs in health-vulnerable areas. The partnership, which now includes a collaboration with OhioHealth and YMCA of Central Ohio, allows Walk with a Doc to serve communities where opportunities for physical activity are often limited.
In 2021, to help provide long-term financial stability to the organization and its programs, Walk with a Doc established the Walk with a Doc Fund, an Organization Endowment Fund at The Columbus Foundation. As Dr. Sabgir shared, the fund has been vital to supporting the organization’s ongoing presence in the community.
After two decades, Dr. Sabgir looks back with an immense sense of gratitude. His hope is that hundreds more chapters will start in the coming years, so that the organization can transform even more lives.
"We hear so many stories from all over the world about how lives have been changed through these walks," said Dr. Sabgir. "That is something that we’re beyond grateful for and that we don’t take lightly. It’s an absolute gift."
Community members who are interested in joining a local Walk with a Doc program can visit www.walkwithadoc.org to learn more.