Dr. Douglas Carlson ’81

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Dr. Douglas Carlson Named Chair of Pediatrics

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine alumnus Douglas Carlson, M.D., has been named professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics.
Among his many honors, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and received an Award for Clinical Excellence from the Society of Hospital Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Senior Fellow of Pediatrics Hospital Medicine.
Carlson earned his bachelor’s degree at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington (1981) and his medical degree at SIU (1984). He completed a pediatrics residency at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis (1987).  He is currently board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. His numerous presentations, book chapters and research publications focus on a variety of pediatric conditions, from child abuse and emergency care to procedural sedation and pediatric hospital medicine. A native of Decatur, he and his wife, Kate, have two children Erik, 24 and Emily, 11.

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About Robert Poynton

After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1980 with a BFA in Drama, Bobby decided to leave the security of his suburban Chicago home and head to Hollywood to seek his fame and fortune as an actor. With $500, a beat up sports car and his Dad's gas credit card in hand, he began his journey to pursue his dream. Over the years the acting roles were there for the taking but the "fame and fortune" Bobby had sought proved to be elusive. Work on such shows as Days of Our Lives, Jake and the Fatman, Life Goes On, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Sentinel, Touched by an Angel, Viper, Promised Land and Walker: Texas Ranger as well as numerous theatrical credits all served to keep the dream alive, but were never enough. Then the opportunity came to audition for an "international recording group" seeking an attractive male vocalist with a tenor voice, falsetto, and at least 6 feet tall. Well, the tenor voice used to be there when he was in college, so he figured he would wear boots for the height and hope the room was dark for the rest. The result was the 6 year stint as a member of The Lettermen. Bobby recorded 6 albums with The Lettermen, performed in excess of 1000 concerts around the world and most importantly came to the realization that the "fame and fortune" he had so fervently sought was nowhere near as important or rewarding as the "fame" he had in his own family as a big brother or the "fortune of the heart" he receives daily from his wife Beth, son Robert V, and daughter Callie at their home in Illinois. In 2001, Bobby began touring the country again. This time with the classic group The Diamonds, rock and roll pioneers who recorded the 50’s anthems “The Stroll” and "Little Darlin". In 2002, the soundtrack for "The Adventures Of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina," an animated film, included Bobby's duet with Jennifer Love Hewitt. In 2010, Bobby was delighted to be invited to take the stage for a night with the legendary group, The Vogues. In 2011, the door to a return to The Lettermen opened and Bobby walked back though. He considers his return to The Lettermen a true honor and looks forward to many years recreating the magic on stage and in the recording studio with his partners Tony Butala (founding member) & Donovan Tea.

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