Fall 2018 Commencement Speaker
Paul S. Saenz, D.O. (B.A. ’79)
Paul S. Saenz, D.O., earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from St. Mary’s University in 1979, and then his medical education from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth. He completed family practice training in Phoenix, followed by a sports medicine fellowship in Seattle. He returned to 
San Antonio in 1988 and established himself as the city’s first primary care sports medicine specialist.
Saenz is the founding partner of Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio, which is recognized as the pre-eminent provider of orthopedic and athletic medicine services. Saenz is board certified in both Family Practice and Sports Medicine and is an Associate Clinical Professor at UT Health San Antonio and the University of North Texas Health Science Center. He also is an adjunct faculty member of the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Saenz serves as team physician for the NBA San Antonio Spurs, the San Antonio Missions Double A Baseball Club, St. Mary’s University and several San Antonio area high schools. He was appointed to the medical staff for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and for the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City. He served as team physician for USA Pentathlon at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
In 2010, Saenz was selected as a St. Mary’s University Distinguished Alumnus and voted as one of Texas’ “Top Docs” by Texas Monthly magazine. In 2012, he served as team physician for USA Track and Field at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, and was also appointed National Team Physician for USA Basketball. In that role, he accompanied the gold-medal-winning team as they participated in pre-Olympic competitions in Manchester, England, and Barcelona, Spain.
In August 2015, Saenz was inducted into the National Hispanic Heritage Hall of Honor for his record of achievement and excellence in the area of Athletics and Education. Saenz remains active in the education of medical professionals by speaking regionally and nationally on a variety of sports medicine topics.