Carole, a native of Peoria, Illinois, has wanted to work in the medical field almost all of her life.

"I wanted to take care of others and give them the tools to make good health care decisions," Carole said. "This has been a dream of mine since age 5."

She pursued family medicine as her specialty because she likes the variety of patients and needs with which she works, and she likes the opportunity to care for patients from infants to mature adults. She believes there is always something new to learn in the field of medicine.

"There is medical science that goes into caring for patients, but the important piece, for me, is the art of medicine," Carole said. "Each patient is an individual who requires care for their needs in a specific way so they understand and follow their plan to improve their life."

Carole is married to a husband, who "keeps our busy lives together," and the couple has two "fun, active, busy boys," who play a lot of sports. She enjoys baking, shopping, traveling and crafting. She also volunteers at her church.