Dr. Luke
Pogue, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Dr. Luke
Pogue, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics
1989 Southern High School Graduate
This is the fourteenth in a series about doctors in the medical field who graduated in The Quill area schools.
Luke's dad is Dr. Robert Pogue of Stronghurst.
Luke was born April 22, 1971. His family moved to Stronghurst when he was ten.
"I liked being close to my Grandma Lillian and Grandpa Mac Pogue, and I enjoyed being in a small town where everyone was so friendly.
"I have great memories of growing up with guys like Lonnie and Rodney Brent, Tim Anderson, and Jeremy Simmons, and many others.
"I enjoyed fishing at my grandparents' farm, and I played a lot of baseball and basketball in the summertime.
"I was fortunate to have very good coaches like Leroy Hammond and Mike Schmitz, and probably more importantly excellent teachers in both junior high and high school.
"Although we didn't have all the advanced placement classes that some of my college classmates from larger high schools had, the education I got in the basic subjects of math, science, history, and English from teachers like Frances Blasi, Frank Salter, Dale Buss, and Phil Geiser prepared me very well and put me on equal footing with my peers from bigger schools once I got to college..
"After I graduated from Southern High School in 1989, I attended Knox College, where I majored in biology and was involved in basketball, theatre, the college radio station, and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.
"It wasn't until after my sophomore year at Knox that I decided to become pre-med. Before that I hadn't really given medicine much thought as a career.
"Two main factors influenced me to pursue a career in medicine. First, at about that time I became a Christian, committing my life to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.
"I had grown up going to church, but my faith didn't become my own until I was 20 years old. After that, I started to think about how my life could serve God through serving others, which I realized I could do through using my gifts in the sciences as a doctor.
"Second, my dad's work certainly influenced me at some level to become a doctor, although he never pushed me toward medicine; if anything, he had generally pointed out the disadvantages of being a doctor.
"It wasn't until I started to express interest in medicine that he told me that he really liked his work and couldn't imagine doing anything else for a living.
"I didn't get accepted to medical school in my first attempt; this was sobering, and I retook the entrance exams (MCAT), took some graduate level biology courses, and worked as a parking valet and a waiter for a while in Chicago.
"Then I was accepted to Rush Medical College in Chicago, where I attended from 1994 to 1998.
"My favorite clinical rotations were Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, so I decided to apply for a combined residency including both Adult Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.
"While living in Chicago I met Colleen Dougherty at Loop Christian Ministries, our church at that time, and we dated through most of my time in medical school, getting married four months after I graduated from medical school.
"I was accepted into an Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency in Peoria, where I have trained for the last four years.
"I've been happy with my training overall, and I like my work. I really like taking care of patients and developing relationships with them over time.
"I also like the fact that I'll never stop learning; I am amazed at how computers and the Internet have revolutionized medical information, and I like trying to make sure the treatments I recommend have solid evidence in the literature supporting their effectiveness.
"I have greatly enjoyed reading about other doctors from the area.
"I have a lot of respect for doctors in the generation ahead of me.
"It seems that they have better training in physical examination skills and bedside manner, which have been somewhat lost recently amidst all the technology and science available today.
"My training has also been quite challenging in terms of the demanding schedule; spending 80-plus hours and one or two nights in the hospital per week has taken its toll on me, as well as my wife.
"But Colleen has been very supportive of me and understanding throughout my training.
"On December 19, 2001, we were blessed with a daughter, Clara Rose, who has been a true joy to us both.
"Colleen was working in the video industry as an editor until Clara was born; now she is enjoying being a full-time mom.
"I am looking forward to finishing residency at the end of June, 2002, after which we will move to Bloomington where I will join a private practice.
"It will be nice to work less hours and sleep at home every night. Colleen grew up in Chicago, where her family remains, so Bloomington will be a nice "middle ground," in terms of both proximity to family and size of the community.
"My main hobby is playing the banjo. The first songs I wrote for the banjo were written while mowing the Stronghurst Park in the summers of 1994 and 1995.
"I enjoyed playing music with Bob Carmean and Charles Coonce at nursing homes; and Bill Carnes, Gary Gibb, and I used to jam at Bill's house pretty regularly.
"Over the last year, I've been able to play with a bluegrass group both informally and for small audiences at retirement centers.
"Clara seems to already like bluegrass music; some of her biggest grins happen when she hears or sees the banjo.
"Colleen and I enjoy hiking and reading as well.
"Occasionally I still play basketball at the YMCA, but I haven't had much time to play since I started medical school."