Dr. Carlson earned his medical degree at the University of Miami, and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Oregon. He completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His undergraduate studies were in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois where he won a National Science Foundation Scholarship, renewed twice, to pursue graduate work at Stanford University. After receiving a PhD, he did research in lasers and phonon-photon interactions, publishing 19 papers and giving 9 presentations at National and International scientific meetings. Dr. Carlson is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Dr. Carlson is currently the Director of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at Southlake Clinic. He has been on staff at Valley Medical Center since 1980 and has served as Chief of the Department of Internal Medicine, then Vice President and subsequently President of the Medical Staff of Valley Medical Center. He has been a clinical instructor in the University of Washington affiliated Residency program at Valley Medical Center since 1990. Dr. Carlson and his wife love living in the Puget Sound Region where they enjoy downhill and backcountry skiing, hiking and bikin