Thank you Nina for allowing me to share my thoughts about choices with your readers. With gratitude to our patients who trust us with their skin care, especially their aesthetic skin care (products, Botox, fillers, laser, etc) (Dr.) Brad and I are spending the weekend with international experts in Dermatology and skin care. We were invited by Allergan to a VIP Summit this past weekend to view their worldwide headquarters and learn more about cutting edge skin care. This VIP Summit was comprised of Allergan leaders and a handful of physicians from the United States and Canada who they consider the top leaders in skin care. It is an amazing weekend.
Not only did I get to spend the weekend letting out my inner science nerd, but the weekend also provided me the opportunity to reflect on the choices we make in life. I have been very reflective about life choices lately. This may be for a few reasons. One is that we have two teenagers who have to make important (and not so important) life choices on their own every day. Also, this year marks my 20 year anniversary of becoming a physician and the 10 year anniversary that Johnson Dermatology has been open for business. Aside from choosing with whom to share your life, I think choosing your career path is one of the most important choices in life. I have been blessed to be able to do what I love.
I feel that I was called to be a physician and more specifically a dermatologist so there was no choice to make here. However, about 15 years ago when Brad was finishing residency, we had to choose where we were going to work, live and raise our children. He wanted to return to his hometown of Greenwood to live. I however considered a job at Amgen in California where I could do more research. I also considered staying on faculty at UAMS in Little Rock. I lastly reconsidered my original pre-Brad plan of returning to my hometown in Ohio and practicing with my mentor Dr. Bob Brodell. In the end, I/we made the right choice. We went back to Ohio while Brad completed a 2 year skin surgery and skin cancer surgery fellowship then moved to the Greater Fort Smith area to open Johnson Dermatology. Obviously, this was the best choice for me, him, and our family.
Standing in front of the vault at Allergan headquarters with Jag Dosanjh, senior VP and international superstar, I realized my life would be different if I made different choices but my life would not be better. I get to live and raise our children in the best community with my husband, his family and life long friends, as well as my parents and friends. I am blessed to go to work daily at a place that we dreamed up in our minds with a team that exceeds all of our expectations. I love that I have been given the honor of seeing some of the same patients for 10 years AND I get to see new patients daily. I love that some of the people I have been seeing for 10 years look younger and healthier now than when we met. I love that I am still involved with research and clinical trials offering cutting edge, not yet available treatments to our patients. I love that I am able to speak locally and nationally about skin. I love that I regularly work with media (nationally more than locally) about skin care. I love that we were the first to offer sculptra, voluma and now kybella to the River valley. I love that our clinic team continues to grow. I love that
some of the people who are with us now know and more than I will ever know—they make me and our clinic better. I love that all of our other providers Dr Brad, Dr Amy, Honey and of course Nina love skin almost as much as I do. I love that Shelly now manages more of the clinic. I love that Dani has excelled in her role as cosmetic coordinator; she gets almost as excited as me when a person feels better about themselves when their outer beauty finally matches their inner beauty. I could go on about each team member, instead I will say that we have an amazing team. Together we all strive for excellence in providing the most effective, efficient, empathic and empowering care. We know that every choice matters. My hope for you (me and all of us) is that not only do you make the “right” choice but that you feel good about your choices now and in the future.
I most likely wrote too much for a blog. If Nina and her skintastic bloggers however allow me, I will write again and share some of the amazing things I learned this weekend.When you are faced with a choice about your skin or skin care, please know that the JD team is wanting, willing and able to help you with your choices. When you look back on all of your life choices, I hope that you think your life might be different but not better. Stay skintastic!
Thank you Dr. Sandy for being a mentor, role model, friend and boss to me. This post was something I know my readers will enjoy. This past week we lost my Father-In-Law and it is during these difficult family times when you realize just how important the choice of career is to your life overall. How blessed am I that Dr. Sandy and the team at Johnson Dermatology wrapped their work family arms around me? The choice to work at Johnson Dermatology is one I would make over again a hundred times, one I look back on and know that my career could be different but certainly not any better.
