We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adam Schmitt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Adam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
Most of the moments that inform my career as a physician come from the years of training. In addition to all the practical knowledge that is imparted during internship, residency, and fellowship, there are many emotional, moral, and socially formative moments along the way. It may not be the most important, per se, but I keep coming back to an experience when I was an intern on the inpatient hospital service. We had a difficult patient who was making life hard for the nursing staff and providers alike. During morning rounds he complained of a recurring headache. Our attending physician asked if he normally drank coffee in the morning; the patient said he did. Without saying anything, the attending doctor went to the break room, returned with a cup of coffee, and carried it to the patient; the patient’s headache resolved and he warmed to the care team for the rest of his admission. The attending physician – the most senior member of the team – could have easily delegated that task. He could have ordered medication for the patient’s headache and moved on. He could have ignored the complaint and left it for others to deal with. Instead, he showed that no one should be above performing gestures of service, and that a simple, thoughtful act can accomplish so much. It was a vivid reminder that just being a human relating to another human – without hierarchy or judgement – can develop the trust needed to care for another person. Humanity is a shared experience and we all have our roles and stories to share.
Adam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My path to medicine and to writing children’s books had a few twist and turns. I came out of college with a degree in chemistry, but no idea what to do with it. After working in several different areas, I ended up in graduate school for public health. It was during that time that I decided to pursue medicine, realizing that it was a great way to channel my interest in science, public health, and education in a way that I could see a positive impact on people’s lives in real time.
After completing my masters in public health, I entered medical school with an interest in skin cancer, particularly melanoma. Knowing that dermatology is an extremely competitive field, I sought out a mentor who was focused not only on the treatment of skin cancer, but the epidemiologic impact of these ubiquitous diseases. I had the good fortune of finding Dr. Jeremy Bordeaux, a Mohs surgeon at Case Western/University Hospitals; one day in clinic with him and I knew that I wanted to be a Mohs surgeon. His dedication to his patients, positive outlook, immense skill in removing their skin cancer, and expertise in reconstructive surgery was inspiring. We partnered on several research projects and publications, and with his guidance I was able to match into dermatology residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. After my residency I had the great fortune to continue my training in the Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology fellowship at Mayo. I was able to work with and learn from incredible physicians along the way, and the lessons I learned there have been invaluable to my practice. I have been practicing as a Mohs surgeon in the Twin Cities for almost 5 years and it has been an extremely rewarding experience.
I come from a family full of educators, so I find myself doing a lot of teaching throughout the day, as well. I believe that if folks have at least a basic understanding the underlying issue, they will be more invested in the treatment. We talk about sun protection, common skin conditions, the structure and function of the skin, wound healing, and many more subjects. Ever since I was a resident, my patients have been commenting on how they didn’t know any of this information, and how helpful it would have been throughout their lives. That started me thinking about ways to get some of this knowledge out to a broader audience in a palatable, easy-to-understand way. As a father of two younger kids, a children’s book seemed like a great way to reach kids, parents, grandparents, teachers, and more! The first book is titled “Our Amazing Skin: How We Heal”, and I hope that it is the first in a series of books about all the truly amazing things our skin does. “How We Heal” is being published and distributed by North Star Editions and will be out August 1, 2024. It will be available for individual purchase, but we hope to also have it in libraries, doctors’ offices, and schools so that as many people as possible get exposure to this valuable information.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
For better or worse, I did not know what I wanted to do when I graduated from college. I spent several years working in political campaigns, public health, and medical devices, not to mention the odd second jobs here and there. After working and doing research in public health I decided to apply to schools of public health around the country. I was fortunate enough to be accepted at the Harvard School of Public Health. Though my intention was to pursue a Ph.D. and spend my career in that field, after just a few weeks of classes I discovered that, while the discipline is incredibly interesting and important, it was too broad for my career interests; I learned that I needed to see tangible effects of my work on a daily basis. This discovery happened to coincide with getting engaged, and my wife was in medical school at the time of our engagement. Seeing her go through training and witnessing her passion for healthcare gave me the confidence that I was making the right transition. It was a big pivot – from an anticipated life in academia to becoming a surgical subspecialist – and it added many years of education and training, but it ended up being the right move for me.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
I had the first inkling of a book idea nearly 10 years ago, but no concept of how to transform that idea into a physical book. When COVID hit, clinics closed, and activities were canceled I was left more time on my hands than anticipated. I used the opportunity to put pen to paper and make a first draft of “My Amazing Skin: How We Heal”, but I still did not know where to turn next. Fortunately, my daughter’s second grade teacher – Kamie Page – had authored several amazing children’s books with her father, NFL Hall of Famer and retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, Alan Page. She kindly put me in touch with her “book producer extraordinaire”, Aimee Jackson at Book Bridge Press. In one conversation with Aimee I could tell that she would be the ideal person to lead me through the bewildering process of creating a children’s book. Her steady hand has ushered me through the editing process (along with Lois Rainwater), finding an incredible illustrator (Michelle Simpson), preparing to self-publish, then pivoting to working with a publisher/distributor. We are continuing our partnership as we work to create the next book in the “My Amazing Skin” series.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adamschmittmd.com/
- Instagram: @dradamschmitt
- Other: https://www.dermatologyconsultants.com/our-doctors/adam-r-schmitt-m-d-m-s/
Image Credits
Jamie Stoia