Mac Thurston, MD

McKennan (Mac) J. Thurston, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician and also a board-certified sports medicine specialist who has a great appreciation for athletics, pediatrics, geriatrics, and everything in between. He is located at our East Layton on the main floor, west wing.

“Family medicine allows for longitudinal relationships which develop a long-lasting trust and rapport with patients, allowing you to treat a wide variety of patients and pathologies,” Thurston said.

Dr. Thurston joined Tanner Clinic following a residency in family medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and most recently completed a sports medicine fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. A native of Morgan, Utah, he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He earned his M.D. at the Universidad Central del Caribe in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where he learned medicine in both the Spanish and English languages. He graduated magna cum laude and was honored to be introduced into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society upon completion of his M.D.

During his residency, Dr. Thurston served his patients and the community. As a volunteer, he donated his time to a charity clinic in rural Minnesota providing women’s health services. He worked with local schools giving health education classes to students of all ages. He also gained experience working in urgent care and emergency medicine throughout Southeastern Minnesota. Dr. Thurston was named chief resident of his graduating class and voted Resident Teacher of the Year by his peers.

His passion for musculoskeletal medicine is rooted in his deep love of sports in general. It allows him to treat elite and recreational athletes alike, providing care that allows them to keep enjoying what they love doing. Of particular interest are pediatric athlete overuse injuries which Dr. Thurston believes can be minimized with “early sport diversification and specialization in a particular sport of interest later in adolescence.” Concussion diagnosis and management is another area of concern and he says, “If symptoms aren’t recognized early and treatment is not started, traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have a huge impact not only in the short-term but long-term irreversible effects could be detrimental for these athletes.”

After serving an LDS church mission to Phoenix, Arizona, “Dr. Mac” married his high school sweetheart, and the two attended Northwestern State University in Louisiana where his wife played college volleyball. Upon their return to Utah, they settled in their hometown of Morgan to raise their five children and enjoy country life.

Besides all sports, Dr. Thurston also enjoys spending time with his family outdoors, hiking, and working on the family farm.

Dr. Thurston is fluent in Spanish.