January 2021 • DALLAS MEDICAL JOURNAL 21
opportunity to sit down with a group of
young men who were just coming out of
the Texas prison system. His goal for
being there was to find ways to improve
their access to healthcare, but he quickly
realized that having a job and safe
place to sleep overrode any concerns
about ongoing health issues. “When you
can’t find affordable housing because
landlords don’t rent to people with criminal
records, and you can’t find a job because
employers don’t hire people with criminal
records, you can’t expect someone to keep
up with their medical appointments.”
Dr. Carlo attributes his strong desire
to work collaboratively with a team to
his experiences in medical school at UT
Southwestern at Dallas. “I thankfully still
keep up with a number of great friends
from my medical school class,” Dr. Carlo
said. “I enjoyed the camaraderie that
came from sharing that experience
together and realizing that we needed one
another’s support along the way.” Prior
to medical school, Dr. Carlo received his
undergraduate and master’s degrees in
biomedical engineering at Tulane University
in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Former CEO and Executive Vice
President of DCMS Michael Darrouzet
played a big part in Dr. Carlo’s decision to
be involved in DCMS leadership positions.
The organization’s role in providing
relief during Hurricane Katrina back in
2005 impacted Dr. Carlo’s future roles
in particular. While still working at the
health department, Dr. Carlo was part of
the large local response that took place
with representatives from government,
area hospitals, nonprofits, and volunteer
physicians. “It was a true collaboration
that the medical society helped to foster,”
Dr. Carlo said. “We opened up a health
center in the parking lot of the convention
center downtown that saw over 750
patients in 24 hours. We did it without
a rehearsed plan or outside federal
resources. It really was a commitment of
a great team of people, and I was really
privileged to be a part of that group.”
Dr. Carlo continues to see this
collaboration prove to be critical during the
current COVID-19 health crisis, especially
from the DCMS. “The thing that’s great
about DCMS is how well it fosters
collaboration, and that’s why I’m really,
really happy to participate along with the
great doctors in the medical society.”
Leading a Healthcare Firm
Dr. Carlo currently serves as the CEO
at Prism Health North Texas, a position
he has held for eight years. However,
he originally started as a volunteer on
the board of directors. “When I became
involved, we were a much, much smaller
organization,” Dr. Carlo said, speaking
of what it was like to be a part of the
organization during its earlier stages.
“Back then we were a single clinic
with three physicians and two nurse
practitioners. Today we have a team of
22 physicians and mid-levels from a
wide range of specialties, operating at
Dr. Carlo leads a rally on
the U.S. Capitol urging
for sustained funding for
HIV/AIDS services.