Working as both a summer camp counselor and a doctor in the jungle inspired Susan Boiko, MD, to become a pediatric dermatologist. Realizing that she loved working with children, Dr. Boiko entered medical school when only 10 percent of physicians were women. While working as an Air Force pediatrician, she witnessed firsthand the suffering of her patients with skin conditions and the lack of expertise in pediatric dermatology. She had found her passion.
After a dermatology residency, Dr. Boiko joined the faculty at University of Cincinnati, followed by an illustrious three-decade career in dermatology at Kaiser San Diego and as Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego.
But Dr. Boiko’s contributions go beyond her “day job.” At MAVEN, she provides consultations, teaches educational sessions, and participates in our Medicine and Humanity workshop. In addition to this work, she has consulted internationally on complicated dermatology cases in locations as far-flung as Egypt and Indonesia. She also performs skin cancer checks in local clinics and homeless outreach centers, and she mentors medical students eager for careers in dermatology.
Her altruism has now come full circle: she currently leads the new American Academy of Dermatology’s Camp Discovery branch in Southern California, where children living with chronic skin conditions can partake of the same joyous experiences as the campers of her youth.
