Our Providers

Dr. R. Lynn Carlson, MD:

Since the age of three, Dr. R. Lynn Carlson has spent the majority of his life in Alaska. He spent his summers fishing on his family’s beach set-net site and, after school and sports in the winter he and his brothers would weld aluminum fishing boats with his father to sell to other fishermen. He always enjoyed science, and pursued his medical education at the University of Washington. All through medical school and residency, Dr. Carlson helped to fund his education by captaining his fishing boat, the “Connie Jeanne”, during the salmon run each year in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Dr. Carlson completed his residency in Emergency Medicine in Pennsylvania. Soon after he finished, he and his family moved back to the Kenai and he started practicing medicine in his home town. Dr. Carlson has a passion for preventive medicine and focuses on keeping you healthy as well as treating your immediate illness. He is also Emergency Medicine Board Certified.  With his experience, he plays a big part in our urgent care portion of the clinic.

Dr. Carlson has been in practice at the MediCenter for 18 years and enjoys the friendships he has gained with those whom he has served and looks forward to meeting and serving others as well.

Dr. Samuel Schurig DO :

Dr. Samuel Schurig has been with the MediCenter for over a year. He is a long time Alaskan, having come to the state in 1983 with the Air Force. He transferred to the Air National Guard in 1986, and because of his love for the state he opened a private practice in Eagle River. He loves the outdoors and spending time with his family, which is partly why he understands the importance of his role in practicing Family and Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Schurig loves taking care of families and their medical needs. He also takes a special interest in diabetes and the metabolic problems which accompany it. As an Osteopath, Dr. Schurig has a great deal of experience with bone and joint problems and Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy. He also is very skilled in removing unwanted moles, cysts, warts and lipomas.

William Crawford PA-C:

William Crawford grew up in Kentucky and has always had a love for the outdoors. He loves fishing, hunting, photography, physical exercise, and most of all, spending time with his wife. He loves working with people, and his talent for doing so shows it clearly. He graduated from the US Army Physician Assistant Course in 1994 and completed his Emergency Medicine Residency in July of 1999. Since then he has held several positions, thoroughly training other Physician Assistants and treating patients of all kinds. He dedicated 23 years of his life serving his country in the Army in numerous places and conditions.

He has a passion for excellence in his care and is very friendly with his patients. Bill has an incredible talent working with children, and usually, instead of them leaving the office crying and terrified, they leave laughing. He fits Dr. Carlson’s and the MediCenter’s ideals to go above and beyond the normal patient standard of care and make sure we are doing all we can do to help our patients get better. Nothing is more satisfying to him than to work himself “out of a job” by speedily helping his patients recover from whatever ailment they have.

Bill has been in Alaska with his wife, “Pam”, and their white lab “Boo” for a little over nine months and they enjoy it very much. They love the Kenai Peninsula and they have felt very welcomed by the people in our community and look forward to serving you for a very long time.

GEMMA SMITH, MSN, FNP-C:

Do you need a female care provider? Come meet Gemma Smith, our newest provider at the MediCenter! Gemma Smith has been helping women and children on the peninsula for years at the Kenai Public Health Center and has recently finished additional schooling and training to serve you in her new capacity as your primary female care and small children health provider in the Kenai area. Before her additional schooling and training, Gemma has had years of experience in female care and small children’s health and her knowledge base on the matter is extensive. Gemma is a champion for women and children and is completely dedicated to your becoming and staying independently healthy and happy. Although her special interest is in women’s health and childcare, she thoroughly enjoys taking care of the whole family, so, men, you don’t have to worry about finding someone else, but if you feel the need to, we have several other providers to choose from at the MediCenter. If you would like to make an appointment with Gemma Smith, please call (907) 283-9118 today! MediCenter, your place for female care, children’s health, and comprehensive family care on the peninsula.

Dr. Corey Johnson, MD:

Dr. Johnson was certified by the American board of Phlebology (ABPH) in July 2008. This was the charter class for the ABPH making Dr Johnson one of only 248 physicians nationwide to be granted this credential as a specialist in Phlebology. To become board certified an applicant must complete the requisite training and experience qualifications, meet the continuing medical education requisites, and pass a stringent certification examination. Dr Johnson, who is also board-certified in Family Medicine, received specialty training in Phlebology in 2006 in North Carolina working with Dr Ty Bell and Dr Laura Ellis. Dr. Ellis is a published author and pioneer in the field who also sits on the editorial advisory board of Vein Therapy News.

The field of Phlebology is relatively new, receiving status as an independent specialty by the American Medical Association in 2005. Consequently, formal residency training programs have not yet been created by medical schools or universities and board certification was not offered until the exam became available in May of 2008. The recent explosion in interest in Phlebology by physicians and patients has been in large part due to advances in ultrasound diagnosis and laser therapy–which have dramatically simplified and improved the results of treatment of varicose vein disease.

Leon Richard, MS in Physical Therapy:

Leon Richard, MSPT is now actively heading up our new Physical Therapy Department. Leon Richard earned his Masters of Science in Physical Therapy with Honors from Husson College in Maine. Through many of his life experiences in firefighting, law enforcement, weightlifting, martial arts and many other strenuous physical activities, Leon gained an appreciation for the human body and a passion for thoroughly understanding how it works.   We are proud to state that there are many patients and providers that would willingly give excellent testimonials on the success he and his patients have had together in improving their physical lives. Being that he works in the health industry, he is a firm believer in working himself out of a job. If he doesn’t feel that you are improving with his services, he’ll be the first to bring it up and suggest a change. Leon is results oriented when it comes to your health and at the same time gentle enough to help ensure a comfortable, fast recovery.