Doctor raising awareness about young people and the effects of alcohol and drugs

Dr. William Watson truly loves being medical director of trauma and a staff general surgeon at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

The doctor’s duties at the hospital have found him on the life-saving end of the operating table and conducting routine procedures that improve quality of life.

But Watson can easily point out a part of his job that he dislikes.

“The absolute worst part is calling a parent at two in the morning, saying your son or daughter has been in a car accident,” he said.

Now in his fourth year at Advocate Condell, Watson – who also is a staff general surgeon at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital – has seen a distressing number of young adults end up in the operating room because of poor decisions they have made involving drugs or alcohol.

In Lake County, many young people get mixed up in illegal substances because they have access to money and too much time on their hands, Watson said, adding that the results of such combinations can be devastating. That’s why he has stepped up to educate parents, students and others about the effects of drugs and alcohol on adolescents and what can be done to prevent young people from making poor decisions.

“This is my community,” Watson said. “I live here. I want my wife safe, and I want my kids safe ... . Education helps. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

It was shortly after the doctor started working in Lake County that he became exceedingly concerned with how many children, teens and young adults were ending up in the hospital after using illegal substances.

After connecting with other individuals and organizations concerned with the problem, he created a presentation highlighting how drugs and alcohol negatively impact the adolescent brain and body. He then took that presentation to local schools and community forums and began educating others about what he has seen first-hand in the operating room.

“What caught my attention was not just the statistics but really how [substance abuse] impacts the adolescent brain,” said Beth Carlson, a social worker at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, where Watson and other community members have spoken during the school’s now-mandatory sophomore parent night. “It was new information to me the first year, and it was new to the parents ... some of the things from the hospital that he talks about, you have this reaction where both parents and students, you see this look on their face, like, ‘I never really thought that could happen.’”

Watson does include a number of startling images in his presentations, such as X-rays of broken bones and photos of wrecked vehicles that were driven by intoxicated young people.

The issues and images he presents often are subjects he personally has dealt with, which tends to strike a chord with those listening to him speak.

“He brings it to life,” said Karen Smith, director of organizational and community development for Nicasa, a Round Lake-based organization that works to prevent and treat substance abuse in Lake County. “He sees it first-hand, and he can speak to a group about the medical aspects as a physician and how these drugs and alcohol are affecting the body and the brain.”

Community members and especially parents need to realize that any young adult – no matter his or her age or social status – can start using and abusing illegal substances, Watson said.

Just simple awareness can be the key to preventing a family tragedy, he added.

"It's not just North Chicago, Waukegan, Round Lake," he said. "It's Deerfield, Lake Forest, Libertyville – areas with very affluent families, less parental supervision. You get kids with a lot of time and money, and they're bored."

In addition to educating others about the effects of substance abuse, Watson also speaks about his career to participants in Advocate Condell’s annual Penwasciz program, which gives local juniors and seniors the opportunity to learn about an array of health-care professions.

Patti Burke, coordinator of the Penwasciz program, said Watson has a way of really connecting with those in his audience.

“I think he’s a dynamic speaker,” she said. “[During Penwasciz], he talks at the kids’ level and makes it easy for them to understand what he’s talking about.”

Noting Watson’s long work hours (the doctor often works 60 to 100 hours a week), Carlson said she finds it incredible that he is able to spare any time for public speaking at all.

“He’s a busy guy, and – to me – I think it is amazing that he does offer to do this because it is so important to him,” she said.

Though he realizes it is not likely that all young people in Lake County will stop drinking or doing drugs, Watson is confident that through his work – and the work of others – progress can be made.
"Every little bit helps," he said.

Want to learn more?

Those interested in having Dr. William Watson speak at an event can contact Advocate Condell Medical Center trauma coordinator Wendy Callan at 847-990-5016  or Wendy.Callan@advocatehealth.com.

“The chord that strikes everybody is you can tell he really cares,” Callan said of Watson’s presentations. “He’s a very personable guy.”

Getting to know ... Dr. William Watson

Occupation: Medical director of trauma and staff general surgeon at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and a staff general surgeon at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital
Age: 40
Family: Wife, Bridget; and three sons, Colin, 8, Charlie, 5 and Tommy, 4
Village of residence: Libertyville
Education: Undergrad at Texas A&M; grad school at the University of Texas; medical school at Loyola University; surgery residency at Indiana University; and fellowship at Ohio State
Hobbies: Gardening and landscaping and hanging out with the kids – Watson also helps coach his sons' soccer teams.