Dr. Bob and Dr. Terry Douglass to deliver fall commencement addresses

Dr. Robert Overholt, known across much of Tennessee as “Dr. Bob,” will deliver Carson-Newman’s fall commencement address to undergraduates at 2 p.m. Friday, December 14, in Holt Field House. Dr. Terry Douglass will address those receiving graduate degrees at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 13, at Jefferson City’s First Baptist Church.

“We are certainly honored to have these two highly esteemed individuals to address our graduates,” said Carson-Newman President Randall O’Brien. “We seek to instill in our students the importance of being servant leaders. Both Drs. Overholt and Douglass are beautiful examples of this. They have devoted careers to helping others, and in the process, have become outstanding leaders who inspire a new generation of graduates.”

Overholt will address some 70 undergraduate students during the Friday ceremony. He has been in private practice since 1970 and is a renowned expert on medical and health issues. In addition to “The Dr. Bob Show,” which airs on public televisions from the Plateau to the North Carolina border, he regularly discusses medical topics on Knoxville’s WBIR TV10.

Overholt is a longtime C-N supporter who was honorary chair for its For Such a Time as This campaign. His wife, Carol, has served as trustee of C-N for several years.

Certified by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, Overholt has maintained an active role in medical research and is a fellow with the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis. He then completed a three-year internal medicine residency followed by his allergy fellowship at the University of Michigan.

Douglass serves as president of ProVision Healthcare, LLC and ProVision Trust, Inc. He is also chair of the Board of ProVision Foundation, and CEO of ProNova Solutions, LLC. During his career he has served on multiple boards, as well as president and CEO of CTI Molecular Imaging, where he helped develop and commercialize positron emission tomography (PET) technology, including the development of PET cyclotron technology, and PET radiopharmaceutical delivery. He has been a strong supporter of the University of Tennessee and UT Medical Center’s Biomedical Research Center. He is currently leading the development of a world-class comprehensive cancer care program located at the East Tennessee Healthcare Center at Dowell Springs in Knoxville, which will include a proton therapy center. Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation that treats various forms of cancer.

Douglass graduated with his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee.

Receptions for graduates and families will follow each ceremony.