Luke A. Carlson, MD
Board-Certified Interventional Radiologist
Founder and Medical Director, Beacon IR Clinic
Many patients come to Beacon IR Clinic after months or even years of living with pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue, limited mobility, or other symptoms that have gradually taken over their lives. Some have been told that major surgery is their only option. Others have never been told that a minimally invasive treatment may be available.
Luke A. Carlson, MD, founded Beacon IR Clinic to ensure that patients have the opportunity to understand all of their reasonable options before making an important healthcare decision.
Dr. Carlson is a fellowship-trained Interventional Radiologist who has been performing image-guided procedures since 2004. He is board-certified by the American Board of Radiology in Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology and has treated thousands of patients throughout more than two decades of practice.
Interventional Radiology uses advanced imaging to treat medical conditions from inside the body through very small incisions. For appropriately selected patients, these procedures may offer an alternative to traditional surgery, often with less pain, shorter recovery times, and a faster return to work, family, and everyday activities.
Dr. Carlson’s practice includes minimally invasive treatments for women’s health conditions, vascular disease, men’s health concerns, and selected causes of chronic pain. His experience includes treatments for uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, pelvic venous disorders, varicoceles, peripheral arterial disease, venous insufficiency, hemorrhoidal disease, prostate enlargement, and other conditions that can significantly affect comfort, independence, and quality of life.
An Honest Evaluation of Every Reasonable Option
Dr. Carlson does not believe that every patient needs a procedure.
His responsibility is to listen carefully, understand how a condition is affecting the patient’s life, review the available medical information and imaging, and determine whether a minimally invasive treatment may be appropriate. Sometimes that means recommending a procedure. Sometimes it means recommending another course of care.
Either way, patients deserve an honest answer centered on what is best for them.
An evaluation at Beacon IR Clinic does not commit a patient to treatment. It provides an opportunity to better understand the diagnosis, discuss the risks and benefits of available options, and make a well-informed decision without feeling rushed or pressured.
Before undergoing major surgery, accepting that symptoms must simply be endured, or assuming that nothing more can be done, patients deserve the opportunity to learn whether a less invasive option exists.
Why Dr. Carlson Founded Beacon IR Clinic
After caring for patients in a variety of medical settings, Dr. Carlson founded Beacon IR Clinic to create the kind of practice he believed patients deserved.
He wanted to build a place where patients are not treated as diagnoses, procedures, or numbers on a schedule. Every person who enters the clinic has a story, relationships, responsibilities, hopes, dreams, and goals for the future. Those things matter when deciding how best to care for someone.
At Beacon IR Clinic, patients are given the time to be heard, to ask questions, and to understand their options. The bottom line is not simply how many procedures are performed. It is whether the team has delivered the best care it can to each individual patient.
Dr. Carlson believes that success should not be measured only by what appears on an imaging study. It should also be measured by whether a patient can return to work, enjoy time with family, regain independence, participate in meaningful activities, and live with greater comfort and confidence.
Education and Training
Dr. Carlson earned his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
He completed an Internal Medicine internship at the University of California, San Francisco–Fresno, followed by a Diagnostic Radiology residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center. He then completed fellowship training in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Credentials
- Medical Degree: Loma Linda University School of Medicine
- Internal Medicine Internship: University of California, San Francisco–Fresno
- Diagnostic Radiology Residency: Loma Linda University Medical Center
- Vascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship: Baylor University Medical Center
- Board Certification: Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology, American Board of Radiology
Teaching and Academic Contributions
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Carlson has helped train future physicians. While practicing at the Dallas VA Medical Center, he taught radiology residents from UT Southwestern Medical Center during their Interventional Radiology rotations.
Dr. Carlson has also contributed to research and academic work involving vascular interventions, radiation safety, liver cancer, and image-guided treatments for chronic pain. He has presented research at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s annual scientific meeting and has been an author on studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
His involvement in teaching and research reflects a commitment to continued learning and to advancing the safe, effective use of minimally invasive medicine.
Beyond Medicine
Dr. Carlson’s interest in science and the natural world began long before medical school. He studied environmental biology as an undergraduate and trained as a wildlife biologist. He continues to enjoy spending time outdoors, staying active, and observing wildlife.
Outside of medicine, his greatest joy is spending time with his wife, Kathy, their children, and their grandchildren. Family has shaped the way he understands health and quality of life. He knows that when one person suffers, the effects are often felt throughout the family—and when someone regains health, mobility, and independence, those closest to that person benefit as well.
Dr. Carlson and Kathy are actively involved in their local church. Together, they also lead a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping couples build, strengthen, and restore their marriages. Their work reflects a shared belief that healthy relationships can transform individuals, families, and future generations.
These experiences influence the way Dr. Carlson cares for his patients. He understands that health is not simply about test results or medical procedures. It is about helping people remain present for the relationships, responsibilities, and purposes that give their lives meaning.
A Thoughtful First Step
Patients do not need to know whether they need a procedure before coming to Beacon IR Clinic. That is what the evaluation is designed to help determine.
The first step is simply to understand the condition, review the available options, and have an honest conversation with an experienced Interventional Radiologist.
At Beacon IR Clinic, patients will find a physician who listens carefully, explains clearly, and is genuinely committed to helping them live their best possible lives.
Before making a major healthcare decision, make sure you know all your options.
Call Beacon IR Clinic
Call to request an in-person consultation, or a virtual consultation if you live outside the region, and discuss whether an IR approach may be appropriate for your case.