Derek McClune

Derek McClune is an OMS-II at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine – Southern Utah, where he is part of the Rural and Wilderness Medicine Track. Originally from Wenatchee, Washington—the Apple Capital of the World—he earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at Brigham Young University, where he competed in wrestling and rugby. His background in athletics and physical therapy has fueled a longstanding interest in musculoskeletal medicine and injury recovery. Derek aspires to a career in orthopedic surgery, with a focus on restoring function and optimizing performance through both surgical and preventative strategies.
He is fluent in Spanish following a two-year mission in Bolivia and is the founder of Road to Wellness, a project aimed at promoting evidence-based, lifestyle-driven health optimization. Outside of medicine, Derek enjoys playing sports—especially basketball, pickleball, and futsal—along with backpacking, rock climbing, and mountain biking. He also loves reading and cherishes time with his wife and dog.

This project originated from a growing curiosity about unexplained cases of spontaneous osteonecrosis (SON), a condition characterized by bone death without trauma or obvious external cause. While traditional risk factors include corticosteroids and alcohol, recent research points to gut microbiome dysregulation as a possible contributor. Our team explored the hypothesis that gut dysbiosis—particularly involving Staphylococcus aureus overgrowth—may impair immune regulation, reduce nutrient absorption, and heighten systemic inflammation, all of which could compromise bone integrity. S. aureus may further contribute by invading bone tissue, suppressing osteoblastic activity, and promoting inflammatory damage. This proposed pathogenic triad offers a novel lens on SON pathogenesis and supports future investigation into gut-targeted therapies as a potential preventive or therapeutic strategy

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