Dr. Peterson started medical school mid-life after a brief career as a research chemist turned small businessman for fifteen years creating one of the county’s most active automobile repair facilities. He entered public service as an elected city official for twelve years while coordinating addiction services as executive director of a local substance abuse agency through the 1970’s. Entering medical school at age thirty-five, he completed both undergraduate and graduate training in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. Until 2016 he was engaged in emergency medicine ending his practice as Medical Director of the emergency and hospitalist program at a critical care assess hospital in South Central Illinois.

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While practicing emergency medicine he simultaneously staffed a large methadone clinic in Downers Grove, Illinois for ten years. An early adopter of buprenorphine treatment, he was DATA-2000 waivered the day the medication was approved and has subsequently treated over one thousand Opioid Use Disorder patients through his private specialty clinic in Champaign, Illinois.

Since 2003 he has served on the Champaign County Board of Public Health advancing innovative harm reduction strategies in needle exchange and naloxone distribution. He is currently engaged with public health staff conducting a safe consumption site feasibility study and is serving on an advisory committee to the Champaign County Board to develop recommendations for

utilizing the County’s Opioid Settlement funding.

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Dr. Peterson is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. He is the Past President of the Illinois Society of Addiction Medicine and serves as a board member currently. He holds recognition as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.