Charles "Allen" Proulx PA

I believe in empowering patients to take control of their health. For instance, if I have a patient recently diagnosed with diabetes, I begin treatment by explaining that they are far more important in controlling their diabetes than I am. I cannot prescribe medications more powerful than the decisions the patient makes in their diet and exercise. This is true for all major diagnoses in primary care.

I attended physician assistant school through the Interservice Physician Assistant Program which is accredited by the University of Nebraska. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant studies in 2000 and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies with a specialty of family practice in 2002.

I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. My grandfather served in the Army and my uncle served as a medic during World War II. Two weeks after high school graduation, I left to attend Army basic training and served 21 years on active duty. I was stationed in Germany for six years and served one tour in Iraq in 2003 during the initial invasion and subsequent sustainment year. I retired in San Antonio, Texas, and went into family practice for the following 15 years.

I am proud of my military service and my biggest contribution to military medicine was developing the Tactical Combat Medical Course, which the surgeon general made mandatory for all providers deploying to combat. I was one of three original physician assistants to design and implement the training. The course focused on battlefield trauma and interventions that would sustain the casualty during transport for definitive care. During my time there, I served as the program manager and trained over 2,000 providers.

My wife is originally from Sauk City, Wisconsin, and we decided to relocate there in 2020, which allowed us to be closer to family. After our move, my initial thought was to retire from family practice. However, my positive experience with personal enrollment at the VA in Madison and an excellent appointment with my provider in Baraboo changed my mind. During this visit, my provider asked what I did as a profession, and I told him I was a physician assistant. He asked if I was looking for work, and while originally, I said no, the seed had been planted. Soon, I realized that working for the VA would be like an extension of what I did for most of my life.

I like to spend free time with my wife, as well as visiting my daughter and three grandchildren in Nuremberg, Germany. I was a lifetime runner until 2020 when a bad knee put an end to that pastime. I still enjoy staying active in my home gym and with outdoor activities like hiking and fishing. I also speak German (diminishing over time) and medical Spanish to some degree.