Fans of the television show Cold Case may recognize the face of John Paulson, DO. 

As a member of the Tulsa Police Department Forensic Laboratory, Paulson helped crack an old serial killer case and was interviewed for the Cold Case show, reruns of which still show today.

Or maybe you recognize Paulson from the Texas County Memorial Hospital emergency department-where he's worked off and on since last spring.

Today, Paulson is the newest physician to join the medical staff ranks at the hospital.  His face is the one you will see working full-time as a family medicine physician in the TCMH Medical Complex in Houston. 

Paulson is known for his energetic attitude.  He expressed excitement for providing healthcare services in Texas County.

"I want to be able to see whoever needs to be seen," Paulson said.  He has known since he was recruited by TCMH over a year ago that there was a great need for additional healthcare providers in Texas County.

A common refrain among many physicians--Paulson "always wanted to be a doctor".  He grew up in Tulsa, OK, and he had a grandmother with rheumatoid arthritis that spent a lot of time seeking help for her condition.  He wanted to be someone that could help people like his grandmother.

Paulson pursued a bachelor's degree in physiology and a Master's degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University.  He began his time in public service working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"I worked my way down the ladder," Paulson quipped, going from the FBI to the New Mexico State Police to back home at the Tulsa Police Department, working in forensics the entire time.  Paulson was well on his way to solid career as a forensic scientist.

However, his service in the police department wasn't fulfilling his desire to be a physician.

Paulson began doctoral training in chemistry while in New Mexico, and in Oklahoma he decided to continue to pursue additional training in medicine from the Oklahoma State University Center of Health Sciences in Tulsa where he obtained a PhD in biomedical sciences and completed osteopathic medical school.

The Cox Family Medicine Residency program in Springfield was Paulson's first choice for a residency program.

"I knew I wanted to live in a small town," Paulson said about his future interests after medical school.  Paulson explained that rural America provides good opportunities to hunt and to fish and to live a slower pace of life.  He also believed that as a physician in a small town, he could "really make a difference".

"In the Cox Family Medicine program, you learn the full scope of medicine," Paulson explained.  "They teach you how to be a small town doctor."

At a lunch for the Cox residents in December 2008, Paulson met Wes Murray, TCMH chief executive officer, and Joleen Senter Durham, TCMH director of physician recruiting.  Paulson was interested in doing a month long rural rotation in endoscopy, which TCMH could provide an opportunity for him to do.

"What kind of red tape do I have to go through?" Paulson asked Murray and Durham. 

Many larger hospitals did not have physicians that are interested in working with family medicine residents that want to learn how to do colonoscopy.

"We are the red tape," Durham said, "And you just got through it."

In February 2009, Paulson spent a month at TCMH working with Dr. Charles Mueller in the surgery department and Dr. Charlie Rasmussen in his clinic doing obstetrics.

During his time at TCMH, Paulson brought his wife, Crissy, up for a weekend, and they did a formal site visit at the hospital, looking at a full-time opportunity with TCMH.

Paulson explained that he wasn't too far into his rotation at TCMH before he knew that he wanted to work full-time at TCMH.

"The people at the hospital and in the community treated me phenomenally," Paulson said.  He noticed that people within Houston worked together-from business owners to city officials to hospital personnel. 

"Everyone was working in concert with one another," Paulson said.  "The people that are here in this community are proud to be here and want to be here."

Perhaps most importantly, Paulson found, "People here still appreciate healthcare."

In April 2009, Murray and Durham met with the Paulson's to finalize a contract with the hospital.  Even though John Paulson was ready to start working at TCMH that day, he still had over a year of residency left to complete.

In December, John and Crissy purchased the Houston School building trades home. 

Paulson continued to do occasional work in the hospital's emergency department, and he did his final month of residency doing more endoscopy training at TCMH. 

Fast forward to the present--the wait is finally over.  Paulson is a small town doctor, complete with his name on the door and a corner office overlooking the town's main highway.

Paulson's medical philosophy is a simple one:  "Bodies are meant to heal themselves," Paulson explained, "I am the temporary agent here to help ease my patient's pain, suffering and worry."

Paulson believes in the osteopathic practice of treating the whole person, and as a Christian, he also believes that faith can heal people as well as traditional medicine.

"I use a team approach with my patients," Paulson said.  "I work with the patient to find medical answers that work for the patient."

Paulson wants to partner with his patients in helping them find what it takes to live well each day.

In addition to colonoscopies, Paulson has also received specialized training in sports medicine, wound care and dermatology.  He does stress testing, electrocardiograms and pulmonary function tests.  Hospice care is also very important to him.

Paulson is going to try to fit in as many new patients as possible when he starts seeing patients full-time on July 26 at the TCMH Medical Complex in Houston.

"I have heard many people say that it's hard to get in to see a doctor here, so I'm going to try to squeeze in as many people as possible," Paulson explained.

He wants to fit in the sick patients-especially sick children-right away. 

"I'll try to get new patients in quickly for immediate illnesses, and we can set up a future appointment for me to learn all about their complete medical history," Paulson said.

As a family medicine physician, Paulson sees patients of all ages from birth to end of life.  His practice covers the full scope of patient care from basic well child exams to managing patients in the hospital's intensive care unit.

 Paulson hopes to establish the traditional small town doctor practice seeing entire families and helping them through major and minor health issues as well as providing a guide for living a healthy and better life for his patients.

When you don't see Paulson in the clinic or hospital, you can look for him in the woods hunting deer or turkey, in a blind hunting ducks or fishing on a stream.  He and Crissy are expecting their first child in November, and they are settling into their new home in Houston.

To make an appointment with Paulson, contact the TCMH Medical Complex at 417/967-5435.