BY KAREN BOSSICK

Two new doctors will be serving the Wood River Valley in the new year.

• Dr. Joel Carlson will bring 23 yeas of experience to St. Luke’s Clinic-OB/GYN in Ketchum.

  Carlson relocated to the valley nine years ago but has been commuting to Pocatello to practice. He has been helping with on-call and clinic coverage at St. Luke’s Wood River for a little over a year and is happy to make the transition to full time.

  He specializes in low and high-risk obstetrics, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, hysterectomies and surgery for stress urinary incontinence.

  He is skilled in robotics, having performed 2,000 robotic procedures. He also served as chair of the Surgical Robotics Committee at Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.

  He and his family enjoy Sun Valley’s hiking, biking, skiing, golfing, flyfishing and the arts. And they volunteer as foster parents for Mountain Humane.

  Carlson will join Dr. Rhonda Robbins and Nurse Practitioner Jenny Stireman at St. Luke’s Clinic-OB/GYN in the Physician’s Office Annex next to the hospital. Call 208-726-8600 to make an appointment or visit https://www.stlukesonline.org

• Dr. Chris Bodle recently joined the St. Luke’s Wood River Emergency Department. Originally from Indiana, he completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Emory University, a private research university founded in 1836 in Atlanta, Ga. He worked in Atlanta and in Boise before moving to Sun Valley.

Bodle and his wife Amy enjoy trail running and hiking, accompanied by their two huskies who love rolling in the snow, as well

“I have enjoyed working within the well-resourced St Luke’s Health System while living in a smaller town with endless outdoor opportunities,” he said. “We feel fortunate to be welcomed by the Wood River community.”