Tony Adkins

Tony Adkins is a Physician Assistant (PA) for pediatric neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He is also known as the "Dancing Doctor" who racks up millions of views on his videos all while providing a smile and a dance for his littlest patients. A compilation of his videos went wildly viral on Twitter in 2018, and since then he's appeared in various articles and spotlights, including "Good Morning America." He has since become an internationally recognized provider that continues to connect with patients and families through his unique philosophy. With his combined 2 million followers across all social media platforms, he strives to uplift and empower healthcare providers to think outside set boxes and to deliver exceptional care to their patients.

Adkins grew up in South LA, raised by a single mom with two older brothers who were both gang members. Growing up surrounded by violence on the streets he lived in as a young boy, Adkins knew he wanted something better for himself. Yet, he struggled in school, initially being placed in remedial classes. It wasn’t until after he graduated high school and spent time serving in the Army that he decided he wanted to work in healthcare with children. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in neurosciences and a Master’s from Loma Linda University in global health and epidemiology, then went on to earn his Master’s degree from the University of Washington in health sciences to become a PA.

Adkins has found that a positive attitude and a little bit of fun that comes with dancing has made all of the difference for him in his life, and it’s that type of positivity he hopes to bring to his patients, no matter what their individual circumstances may be. He credits dance for saving him from some of his worst times, even keeping him out of jail or a death sentence while growing up. And today, his dancing has become so popular that some of his patients and their families even pre-schedule a dancing session with him during his time on the floor.