SDSU alumnus dedicated to promoting fellow athletes with disabilities and improving healthcare

At 17 years old, double San Diego State University alumnus Peter Phillips was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune condition that can lead to paralysis. An avid surfer, sailor, skier and judoka who planned to move to Colorado to pursue a law career, Phillips’ time in the hospital put him on an entirely new path.

“I graduated from high school early to take a year off and do some traveling,” he said. “About halfway into that year, I wound up in the hospital and when I left after eight and a half months, I was in a wheelchair.”

Phillips enrolled at SDSU, trading icy and snowy conditions for a sunny, wheelchair-friendly campus. He began studying microbiology, inspired by his own treatment experience to pursue a career in health care where he could help other patients.

Adjusting to the newness of college and life using a wheelchair, Phillips said despite feeling the “normal freshman jitters” in his first semester at SDSU, he was met with a welcoming campus environment. He got involved in the Disabled Student Services (today called Student Disability Services) office led by disability rights advocate Elizabeth “Betty” Bacon. There, he met other students with disabilities who shared his passion for athletics and together they began organizing practices and competitions for a range of sports.

Phillips participated in swimming, table tennis and track and field, competing in the 1977 California State Games held at SDSU, during which he got third place in the 100 yard dash. Finding this community, which preceded the university’s Adapted Athletics program, provided Phillips an outlet for getting back into sports, which he said “was a huge boost to me, and was great at helping me develop physically.”

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Hope through health care

After graduating from the College of Sciences in 1983, Phillips went on to obtain an MBA from what was then the College of Business Administration in 1994. During his undergraduate and graduate education, he conducted research at Scripps Clinic and worked at Rady Children’s Hospital.

Phillips said it was “amazingly rewarding” returning to the clinical setting and having an impact in a place that marked a turning point in his own life and career. “It was a huge intrinsic satisfaction knowing that I was able to help so many children to improve their health,” he said.

The rest of his career was spent in health care, working for military treatment facilities including Balboa Naval Medical Center, as well as for the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services department and medical device company ResMed.

Phillips credits his SDSU education for setting him up for success and is excited to see all the ways the university is currently advancing its STEM research and teaching capabilities, particularly in the life sciences. 

For other students aspiring to STEM careers, he says “you cannot go wrong with a degree in the sciences,” especially considering the many biotech and health care opportunities in San Diego and beyond. He reminds students with disabilities in particular that school “gives you hope about the future,” offering the knowledge and experiences that will take you to new heights you may not have previously imagined.

Steering Ahead

Phillips’ love for athletics has continued throughout his life. As a third generation sailor, he never let his condition quench his spirit for the sea, just as he always found a way to continue competing in sports.

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“I had my own boat and grew up sailing on family boats all my life,” he said. “But as my legs became less functional, it became more challenging to get around. For several years, I wasn't sailing at all and then a friend told me about his nephew volunteering with Challenged Sailors.”

The volunteer-run organization offers free sailing training, racing and recreational experiences tailored to people with a broad spectrum of cognitive and physical disabilities. With a fleet of eleven boats, Challenged Sailors sails every Friday and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. year-round, and they may add an additional sailing day on Sundays since slots fill up so quickly.

Phillips joined Challenged Sailors in 2018 and became president of the group in 2022. He emphasized the importance of all the volunteers and donors who have enabled the organization to change the lives of so many people over the past 10 years.

Phillips is, of course, a huge Aztec athletics fan as well. A football season ticket holder for over  30 years, he said he will “absolutely” be at the Homecoming game this year.

“We don't miss any home games unless we're out of town,” he said. “And we have four seats, so we always bring friends and spread the word of the SDSU gospel. Go, Aztecs!”