Dr. Andrew E. Werchniak, Carol Fritz (Office Manager) and Dr. James G. Dinulos
Today we’d like to introduce you to James G. Dinulos, MD, Paulette Dinulos and Andrew E. Werchniak, MD.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Dr. James Dinulos: “I suffered from psoriasis when I was a child and I know what having this condition feels like—it can profoundly affect your daily life and affect your overall sense of wellbeing.”
“Because of this, I became interested in the science of the skin. My journey started at the University of Washington for training, then moved on to Dartmouth, where after a period of time, I became Chief of Dermatology. During this time, I co-authored with Dr. Thomas Habif multiple textbooks that are used around the world to train clinicians in dermatology. In 2014, Dr. Habif and his partner, Dr. Pringle, were sunsetting their forty-year practice in Portsmouth NH. They invited me to continue service to their patients—I was delighted by the invitation and proud to do this—Seacoast Dermatology was born.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Dr. James Dinulos: “Actually, I’ve been blessed in many ways…my wife and administrator, Paulette, brings a strong business background in healthcare to our practice, which allows me time to focus on caring for our patients and clinic operations— a dream of most doctors. That said, I can’t underestimate the challenges of opening and growing a practice—the non-stop focus and dedication—but the opportunity to serve patients in this very direct way and realizing how we can make a real local impact on people’s lives has been very rewarding.”
Paulette Dinulos, Practice Administrator, adds “In the beginning, transitioning from paper records was time-consuming, but we’re now a fully modern electronic-based practice. The Human resources aspect was also challenging. We’re in a state with very low unemployment, so finding people able to work in a highly technical specialty and a fast-paced office was challenging. We’ve been very fortunate to find talented people, many recruited through undergraduate programs at local colleges like UNH in Durham, and many distinguished universities in the Boston area. Because we regularly publish in dermatology, these graduates get clinical and academic opportunities as they pursue advanced careers in the sciences. It’s a win-win for patient care, the team members, and our practice.”
Dr. James Dinulos: “As our business grew, we wanted to add additional expertise to our team—and we’re proud to welcome Dr. Andrew Werchniak to our practice. Andrew hails from Brigham & Women’s and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute where he was the Clinical Director for the Center for Cutaneous Oncology. He’s been an invaluable addition to our team and has provided great depth to our expertise.”
Please tell us about Seacoast Dermatology.
Dr. Andrew Werchniak: “We’re dermatologists, experienced in everything skin-related. Our main focus and specialty is diagnosing and treating the many forms of skin cancer. We stress that early detection can literally save lives. We offer the latest treatments, including Mohs — an advanced surgical technique for effectively removing skin cancers. We’re most proud of our patient focus and ability to bring our skills and expertise to patients in our local community.”
Dr. Dinulos adds “We feel a big part of our success can be attributed to the trust our patients have in us. The emotional aspects of receiving a cancer diagnosis is truly life-changing. A meaningful doctor-patient relationship combined with clinical expertise truly helps produce positive results for patients and is profoundly rewarding to us. We continually encourage people to have skin checkups because an early diagnosis with proper treatment most often has successful outcomes.”
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Dr. James Dinulos: “The opportunity to serve patients locally and in such a direct way has been very rewarding. If I had to do it over I would have started the practice earlier in my career.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 330 Borthwick Avenue, Suite 303, Portsmouth, NH 03801
- Website: www.SeacoastDermNH.com
- Phone: 603-431-5205
- Email: contactus@seacoastdermnh.com
Seacoast Cancer Center 5K at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Dover, N.H.
Market Square Day 10k, Portsmouth N.H.
330 Borthwick Avenue, Portsmouth N.H.
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