Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Paul W. Stevenson, MD
Dr. Paul W. Stevenson, MD, son of Henry and Cyndi Stevenson, was born and raised in Northeast Florida. He graduated Allen D. Nease High School, having attended during Tim Tebow's time. "Next," he explains "I journeyed to Gainesville in time to watch Tim Tebow lead the Gators to a national championship during my sophomore year, and would go on to spend the next 14 years of my life living in Gainesville. During my time, I obtained an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering and a medical doctorate from the University of Florida College of Medicine. By the end of June 2021, I had completed an internal medicine residency and a pulmonary and critical care fellowship--right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Things were different during the pandemic, and jobs for newly trained pulmonary and critical physicians were no exception. Returning to St. Johns County to practice was Dr. Stevenson's plan, but at the time, jobs for his profession were not readily available in the uncertainty of the pandemic. In time, he discovered the career of the traveling doctor or "locum tenens" physician. This allowed him to live in St. Johns county even though the job he was looking for wasn't available. Since then, he has traveled and worked in a number of states including North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and, of course, Florida.
Since September 2023, Dr. Stevenson has spent his time between assignments volunteering at Wildflower Healthcare, helping the team provide pulmonary clinic services as well as urgent care. He says, "The work is tremendously fulfilling and working with the staff is top notch--frankly the best clinic experience I have ever had. But taking care of the patients, sharing what I know about medicine ('doctor,' by the way, comes from the Latin docere meaning to teach), doing pure medicine while serving my community, that is what I really love."
In his spare time Dr. Stevenson takes care of a poodle puppy named Daisy. "When I can," he shares, "I go running with the Ancient City Road Runners or just run on the beach with Daisy. I am an avid reader (and audiobook enthusiast) and do my best to stay informed by reading the newspaper most days. I enjoy surfing at the beach and getting out into nature at the state and local parks. I have been known to go out the St. Johns Golf Club and pretend to play golf, too."
