BRENTWOOD, TN (November 6, 2019)
QualDerm Partners, a company that creates market-leading dermatology practice partnerships through affiliations and de novo development, announced Stephanie Howerter, DO, a board-certified dermatologist and Fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, has joined Martinsville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center.
Martinsville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center was previously known as Szulecki Dermatology. In July, practice founder Judith Szulecki, MD, announced she had partnered with The Skin Surgery Center to ensure patients in Martinsville and the surrounding communities would continue to have access to high-quality dermatology care upon her retirement. The Skin Surgery Center is a QualDerm-affiliated practice.
“We are honored to carry on Dr. Szulecki’s legacy,” says John Albertini, MD, FAAD, FACMS, of The Skin Surgery Center. “The affiliation between Martinsville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center and The Skin Surgery Center allows us to offer additional dermatology services to local patients at the highest levels of quality and professionalism.”
Based in Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center provides general dermatology and skin cancer care. In addition to Dr. Howerter, the practice’s clinical staff includes Christine Hicks, a Nurse Practitioner who has 20 years’ experience.
Dr. Howerter received her undergraduate degree from Marshall University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and also earned her master’s degree in Biomedical Science. She attended the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, earning a medical degree with honors. While in medical school, she was awarded an academic scholarship and inducted into both the Sigma Phi Academic and Service Fraternity and the esteemed Psi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society for graduating at the top of her class. Dr. Howerter completed an internship at Lewis Gale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Virginia, and a research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with an emphasis on teledermatology. She completed her residency and fellowship training in Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology at Silver Falls Dermatology in Salem, Oregon. Dr. Howerter has published articles in several dermatologic journals including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Case Reports, the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, and the Journal of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery.
As a QualDerm partner, Martinsville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center joins a growing network of 40 affiliated practices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Under the partnership agreement, QualDerm will provide the management support, guidance, and capital to expand the practice’s services and geographical reach.
Quality and physician autonomy are core elements of the QualDerm partnership model. The company utilizes regional Joint Operating Committees and a physician-led Quality Council to help guide the company’s policies and growth. These groups are made up of both physicians and business professionals and are responsible for ensuring patient care and safety standards remain at the highest levels.
“We are excited to grow QualDerm’s network of affiliated practices in Virginia, and look forward to expanding patients’ access to care,” says Bill Southwick, CEO of QualDerm. “Dr. Howerter brings significant experience and expertise that will benefit patients in the Martinsville region.”
About QualDerm Partners
QualDerm Partners helps top-tier dermatologists position their practices for sustainable growth and profitability. The company creates market-leading practice partnerships through affiliations and de novo development. QualDerm provides the management support, capital, and guidance for growth. Under QualDerm’s True PartnershipSM model, physicians are partners, not employees, and retain their own practice brand. This doctor-driven model is designed to maintain physicians’ clinical autonomy and ensure the highest-quality patient care. QualDerm offers physicians tailored partnership structures to meet their needs, as well as the option to sell their practices. For more information, visit www.QualDerm.com.
About The Skin Surgery Center
The Skin Surgery Center provides patients with exceptional skin cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, as well as general dermatology and cosmetic skin care. Founded in 2001, The Skin Surgery Center has a staff of Fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons, board-certified dermatologists and dermatopathologists, and other clinicians. It is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Based in Winston-Salem, The Skin Surgery Center has locations throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The Skin Surgery Center is a QualDerm-affiliated practice. For more information, visit www.skinsurgerycenter.net.
About Martinsville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center
Martinsville Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center, located in Martinsville, Virginia, is an affiliate practice of The Skin Surgery Center and QualDerm Partners. The practice provides general dermatology and skin cancer care to patients of all ages. The practice was founded in 1974, by Judith Szulecki, MD, and operated under the name Szulecki Dermatology for 45 years. In 2019, just prior to her retirement, Dr. Szulecki partnered with The Skin Surgery Center to ensure her patients’ continuity of care. Today, the practice’s clinical staff includes Stephanie Howerter, DO, a board-certified dermatologist and Fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, and Christine Hicks, a Nurse Practitioner. For more information, visit www.skinsurgerycenter.net/locations/martinsville-dermatology-and-skin-surgery-center/.
Contact:
Ashley Johnson
QualDerm Partners
Sr. Vice President Growth and Operations
615.250.6736
Media Contact:
Nikki Cary
6 Columns Marketing Group
615.500.2924