A graduate of the Alderson Broaddus University Physician Assistant program in West Virginia, Derek has been practicing medicine since the year 2000. Growing up on the North Shore in Beverly Massachusetts, Derek was influenced by family members in the field of medicine. “My father was a physician assistant and started practicing medicine at a time when the profession was just beginning to establish itself, back in the early 1970s,” he explains. “He clearly had a significant influence on me and my decision to pursue a career in medicine. He has been a great mentor and teacher to me throughout my career.”

Derek previously practiced for 15 years in internal medicine in Cambridge, Massachusetts which gave him the opportunity to experience the many different facets of being part of a patient’s primary care team. “Infectious disease always interested me and similarly to internal medicine, it can have a very broad scope. I became interested in travel medicine when it became integrated into our internal medicine practice back in 2004. I have traveled many times to developing countries which helps provide insight into this aspect of caregiving for me.” Over the past seven years Derek has been working in the field of travel medicine and infectious disease in the Boston area.

Derek likes to take a collaborative approach to medical care, working closely with the patient and the patient’s care team. “As a physician assistant, having the versatility to be able to provide care in various specialties within medicine is truly great. Additionally, the relationships that you develop whether with patients or colleagues, along with the care that you provide make it such a worthwhile endeavor.”

When he is not busy with patients Derek tries to remain active. He enjoys cycling, golf, hiking and skiing and is a member of the National Ski Patrol. An avid sports fan, Derek is a youth lacrosse coach in his local community. He also loves to travel with his wife and two children and is a medical provider for Agape Global Health for Haiti, a nonprofit volunteer organization. Derek has traveled to Haiti with Agape on three of their medical missions.