Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kristine Romine.
Dr. Romine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am very fortunate to call Phoenix my hometown. I realized from a very young age of 5 that I wanted to be a doctor. Because of this early goal setting, I was constantly focused on what needed to be done in order to reach the next milestone. During high school I began getting experience in the medical field. I worked as a nurse’s assistant, unit secretary, and as a receptionist in a private physician’s office prior to attending medical school. All of these early experiences helped me immensely in my future career. Being able to really understand the importance of every member of the medical team has been invaluable. I feel it has made me a more empathetic and effective leader to have walked in the shoes of each member on my team. After medical school I returned to Phoenix and completed a residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at what used to be called Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center (now Banner Good Samaritan). I loved this experience, however, I realized in my heart, I truly had the personality of a specialist. I have the need to be the very best at whatever I do, and I don’t stop until I get the education and put in the hard work and hours to accomplish whatever goal I set my mind to. I was fortunate to be able to complete research with Dr. Albert Kligman, the inventor of Retin- a. This experience helped me to secure a highly sought after and competitive residency in Dermatology. I trained in General Dermatology and Mohs surgery in Springfield, Illinois at SIU School of Medicine. I also sought out extra training from experts in the field of aesthetic/ cosmetic Dermatology. After 5 years in private practice in beautiful East Tennessee, I had learned enough about how I wanted to run my own business and moved home to Phoenix. I had 4 children through my training and wanted them to grow up near their family, so decided that this was going to be the place to have and grow my practice. Jeff, my husband of 31 years, a Civil Engineer by training, offered to help me get started and committed 6 months until I hired an Office Manager. We started off very slowly and were very grateful for the referrals from my colleagues I had trained with. Over the past 15 years our practice has grown slowly and steadily, getting stronger every year. Jeff is now my Practice Administrator and has helped me every step of the way. We are so grateful to our patients, our team, and all those that are our ambassadors. Most of all I am so grateful to my family who has supported me through his entire adventure. Camelback Dermatology & Skin Surgery has always been a family business and we run it more like a small town business than a big city business. My brother is my CPA and one of my advisors, my niece is my Office Manager, and all of my children have worked in our office over summers and on weekend special projects. My daughter Sara is working on her Doctorate in Nursing and is my right hand RN. Our entire team treats everyone like they want to be treated
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As I reflect back on the road to my current situation I must say that it has had a few bumps and has been an enormous amount of work, however for the most part I consider myself to be very fortunate. I count myself as one of the precious few people who get to say that I have absolutely no regrets about how everything has turned out.
Please tell us about Kristine Romine MD Advanced Medical Skin Care.
Camelback Dermatology & Skin Surgery was started in 2003 and I am the Founder and CEO. As a board certified dermatologist, I practice general, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology. I am known best for doing MOH’s surgery and performing reconstructions as well as my skills with injectable fillers and neuromodulators creating beautiful and natural looking results. I specialize in MOH’s micrographic surgery and spend much of my time removing skin cancers and reconstructing after the tumor is cleared. I am fortunate to have a busy referral practice for MOH’s and enjoy this very specialized work.
I am also the founder and CEO of Kristine Romine Advanced Medical Skin Care. I specialize in cosmetic injectables, lasers, and skin care and many consider me an artist in this area. I have a very loyal following of patients who have “Partnered with me for a Lifetime of Healthy, Beautiful Skin”- I help them experience the passing of time gracefully, and combat natural aging by maintaining their skin fitness. They enhance their results by committing to use the recommended skin care and sun protection. It truly gives me great satisfaction when a patient shares that they feel more confident after I have rejuvenated them with injectable, lasers and skin care. Our team enjoys educating our patients not only on their skin conditions, but also on cosmetic treatment options as we stay head of the curve offering only the most advanced procedures and artistry.
With my 20 years of experience in the field of dermatology, I am able to share my expertise both nationally and internationally as an invited speaker. I truly love to educate and feel that the best way for the medical field to progress is through thoughtful discussion and sharing of ideas and experiences.
In fact, I feel education and giving to the next generation is so important that I have started a medical scribe program at my practice. We partner with local universities to provide critical clinical experience hours to students looking to pursue professional degrees in the medical field. So if you see a new group of young, eager assistance at our office, it is because we just “graduated” another class. Over the last few years, we have helped at least a dozen young people reach their goal of getting accepted into medical school, PA school, nursing graduate school, and even into naturopathic school. I am most proud of this achievement and feel that giving, improving others’ lives, expanding the circle of concern to include others is of utmost importance. I believe that it is this environment that sets us apart, as our entire team is made up of only the brightest and best!
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking for, etc.?
Objectively, I suppose you could say that being voted by my peers as a Top Doc for 11 years is a measure of success. Or the fact that we are very busy and patients vote by their presence and we continue to grow could count as success. However, I don’t feel that there are criteria or markers for success per se on a personal level. I feel that everyone has a personal journey and the level of personal success depends on to what extent one has been “Giving”. I really believe that the greatest success comes to those who are authentic and who give of themselves to others, putting other people’s interests first, without keeping track of what is “due” them. This is truly why I feel I have been so successful.
What were you like growing up? Personality wise, interest wise, etc.?
As a child I was very quiet, inquisitive, and introspective. I remember my father being very patient in answering my endless questions. I decided at age 5 that I was going to be a doctor. This goal was of utmost importance to me and therefore I was very studious and set my sights on participating in as many activities as possible that could help me reach my goal. My first job was as a paper carrier for several years beginning at age 11 which is when I began saving for medical school. In high school, I decided to take a risk and get involved in student government in order to feel more comfortable speaking in front of groups. It was a wonderful experience and catapulted my personal confidence. In addition to school and competing in gymnastics, I helped my parents maintain an apartment complex that we owned and lived in. As small children, my 2 brothers and I had the responsibility for cleaning the apartments when residents moved out. This experience solidified my decision to become a professional and expand my horizons. I am grateful to my parents for teaching me the value of hard work and feel it has been what has made my success achievable.
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