Dr. Olson grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated with Highest Honors from the nation’s foremost prep school, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1973, with awards in writing, science, music, and American history.

From 1973-1979, he attended the Six-Year Honors Program in Medical Education at Northwestern University in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and graduated with a BS and an MD. He then completed his first year of family practice residency at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, became a licensed physician, and began practicing family medicine in Colorado in 1980 at the age of 25.

With an interest in having a broader impact upon the way health care is delivered, Dr. Olson enrolled in the Executive MBA program at the University of Colorado in Denver in 1986 and graduated with an MBA in 1988. He continued practicing urgent care and family medicine in the Denver area until 1990, when he took a position as a Medical Director at a large multispecialty clinic in the Los Angeles area. Over the next year and a half he moved up through the organization, and in 1991 was recruited to Corpus Christi, Texas, by Humana Health Plans.

For nine years, Dr. Olson oversaw health care delivery processes for almost 100,000 people in Corpus Christi. In 2000, he had an opportunity to move to his home town of Cleveland, where he worked as a Senior VP for a health care company and married Shirley! Together, they took care of his elderly mother in their home. After a pair of corporate downsizings, David’s job in Cleveland was eliminated and, during a trip to Colorado for a wedding in 2003, David and Shirley fell in love with the town of Ouray and decided to move here in 2004.

The Olsons spent their first two years here working in real estate and putting sweat equity into their home. David also became involved in local music and theater projects, while Shirley also cared for David’s mom at home. After working temporary assignments in Montrose and in California throughout 2008, he and Shirley found their ideal practice location at 824 Main St. and began the build-out of their offices for Ouray Family Medicine in December.

David and Shirley have five children between them, and one grandchild, as well as two dogs and two cats! Dr. Olson’s other interests include travel, music (piano, trumpet, voice, conducting), acting, automobile racing, restoration and repair, dogs, writing, flying, boating, hiking, skiing, bicycling, motorcycling, snowmobiling, carpentry, woodworking, plumbing, snow plowing, and electrical and electronics. He has been called “a true Renaissance Man.”

Education:

Phillips Exeter Academy, 1973, Highest Honors.
Northwestern University Medical School, Six-Year Honors Program, BS, MD, 1979.
Saint Joseph Hospital, Denver, Family Practice Residency PGY1, 1980.
University of Colorado, Denver, MBA, 1988.
Emory University, Graduate Studies in Public Health, 2000.
Medical Certifications:

American Board of Medical Specialties: American Board of Preventive Medicine, Board Certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine.
American and Colorado Academy of Family Physicians, Sustaining Member.
American College of Physician Executives, Life Member.
American Board of Quality and Utilization Review Physicians, Past Member.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Certified in 2008.