“The specialty of family medicine allows physicians to treat a wider variety of problems than other specialties,” explains Dr. Verlin Houck.  “When caring for patients, I see acute and chronic problems involving all organ systems for patients of all age groups.” Dr. Houck earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at Memorial Hospital of South Bend. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine. But his education didn’t end there. “After office hours, I always read medical literature at least two hours every day to keep up on recent developments.” This dedication to knowledge shapes his practice. “I try to stay up-to-date on the latest evidence-based treatments. If there is no evidence that shows a treatment works, I usually do not recommend it.” Dr. Houck is a proponent of prevention when it comes to health conditions. “Prevention is the best medicine,” he says. “This includes immunizations, blood tests and other screening procedures and tests for diseases and various disorders.” This lens on health helps Dr. Houck deliver exceptional care. His philosophy? “Provide treatment for patients which will allow them to be healthier or live longer. There is usually more than one option to fix a problem.” In His Own Words What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? Surveyor’s assistant. I learned geometry and trigonometry at a young age. If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased), who would it be and why? My wife. No explanation needed. Do you have any pets? Cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and sometimes rabbits. What are your hobbies, interests? Swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, walking, cutting wood, carpentry, oil painting, gardening, reading, going to medical conferences, astronomy, particle physics and others. What is something most people don’t know about you? I was the #1 student in the department in calculus at Indiana University in Bloomington. I always “broke the curve” in any science course that I took requiring mathematics.