Curry Health Network Welcomes New General Surgeon

GOLD BEACH, OR (August 4, 2016) - Curry Health Network announced today that Jessica R. Carlson, M.D. has joined the Network's team of healthcare providers. A General Surgeon, Carlson has joined Dr. Glenn Levine in seeing patients at Curry Medical Practice on the hospital campus in Gold Beach as well as at Curry Medical Center in Brookings.

"We're very pleased to introduce and welcome Dr. Carlson," said CEO Ginny Razo. "She is a wonderful addition to our medical staff and her education and experience will allow Curry Health Network to offer more types of surgeries than were previously available."

The new procedures that Dr. Carlson will offer include breast and reconstructive surgery, upper endoscopy, hand surgery and abdominoplasty. Other procedures she performs include colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, skin cancer and skin lesion removal, burns, simple and complex hernia repairs, colon, gallbladder, thyroid, appendix, and small intestine surgeries. She will perform surgeries at both Curry General Hospital and Rush Surgery Center in Brookings.

Carlson is not new to Oregon. "I grew up in Redmond and spent much of my adult life in Portland," she said. "My family and I would often visit the Oregon coast, including Gold Beach."

Dr. Carlson also obtained a great deal of her education in Oregon. She earned a BSci in Biology during her time at the Honors College at Portland State University, was awarded a research internship in Washington DC and worked at the Naval Medical Research Center and the National Institutes of Health. She also completed a MSci degree in neurophysiology at Portland State University. Carlson then earned her Medical Degree at OHSU.

Razo said that Dr. Carlson's general surgical training at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY has prepared her well to practice medicine in Curry County. "The program at Bassett specializes in training doctors to become rural general surgeons and emphasizes broad-based training that includes general surgery and other specialty surgeries."

There is also much to admire about Carlson's personal initiative and background, according to the CEO. "She is a classic high-performer. She was class president all four years at OHSU while getting her medical degree, she was an elected member of the OHSU alumni association committee, she performed research that was published in a national surgical journal and was on several committees - all while attending med school." Razo paused briefly, and then added, "The accomplishments don't stop there. During her residency she was one of ten board members on a national surgical education committee, and she enjoys volunteering."

During her time at Bassett Medical Center, Dr. Carlson was awarded the Golden Stethoscope and Cupola Annual teaching awards due to her contribution to nursing and medical student education.

When asked what she would most like the people of Curry County to know about how she practices medicine, Dr. Carlson answered, "I am passionate about listening to patients, and improving their well-being and quality of life through preventive and surgical medicine."

"Curry Health Network is very fortunate to have successfully recruited such an accomplished surgeon," said Razo, "and Dr. Carlson is just as pleased to join our community as we are to welcome her."

Carlson says this is a wonderful time to become a part of Curry Health Network, "especially with the building of the new hospital, and the entire Network working as a team to bring better healthcare to our county".

"Building a future and laying down roots in Gold Beach is a dream come true," she said. "The community is warm and inviting and I am so excited to be a part of it."