Atlantic Dermatology’s Dr. Kristin Smallwood Celebrates 30 Years Serving Patients in Cocoa Beach

By  //  March 3, 2022

MEDICAL PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

Atlantic Dermatology’s Dr. Kristin Smallwood, above with her husband Chuck, is celebrating 30 years serving patients in Cocoa Beach. Dr. Smallwood is a native of Cocoa Beach, graduated from Cocoa Beach High School and then attended Florida State University and the Univerity of Florida to complete her medical degree before returning to Brevard to open Atlantic Dermatology. Chuck is a physician at the Kennedy Space Center.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Thirty years ago, Cathy Rigby applied for the job of office manager at Dr. Kristin Smallwood’s office in Cocoa Beach.

“Kristin and I were each beginning new chapters in our lives,” said Rigby.

“She was starting her own dermatology practice and I was returning to my hometown of Cocoa Beach after being gone for 14 years. I found her a breath of fresh air, ready to begin her adventure of practicing dermatology in her hometown.”

Rigby wanted the job and got it.

“The story she likes to tell is that as she was in the process of interviewing me, she noticed I had a basal cell carcinoma on my forehead and felt she had to hire me so she could remove that carcinoma,” joked Rigby, who knows her previous 20 years working as an office manager probably had something to do with her being hired.

Three decades later, Dr. Smallwood and Rigby continue working together, to the delight of the patients at Atlantic Dermatology, who go by the motto of “once a patient of Dr. Smallwood’s, always a patient of Dr. Smallwood.”

Patient Jill Rock remembers Dr. Smallwood as one of her students in the English classes she taught at Cocoa Beach High.

“Kristin has always been a star,” said Rock, who has depended on Dr. Smallwood since she opened her Cocoa Beach practice.

“She has been giving me skin advice for lo these many years and I’ve always enjoyed her competence, professionalism and hands-on care. Everybody I have recommended to her feels lucky to have her as their doc, and me, too!”

Dr. Kristin Smallwood, a member of the Central Florida Dermatology Society, the Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgery, the Florida Society of Dermatology, the American Academy of Dermatology, the Florida Medical Association and the American Medical Association, is a past president of the Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery and past president of the Brevard County Medical Society.

Dr. Smallwood, a member of the Central Florida Dermatology Society, the Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgery, the Florida Society of Dermatology, the American Academy of Dermatology, the Florida Medical Association and the American Medical Association, is a past president of the Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery and past president of the Brevard County Medical Society.

A Cocoa Beach girl born and raised, she is the daughter of Fritz and Kathy Widick, who arrived in Florida during the launch of the space program.

The couple created a Florida medical dynasty, for Dr. Kristin’s brothers are physicians and her sister trained as a nurse practitioner.

Always the excellent student, Dr. Smallwood was named a National Merit Scholar at Cocoa Beach High School before she headed to Florida State University to earn a bachelor of science in biology. At FSU, she completed her first year of medicine at the school’s Program in Medical Sciences.

She is that rare being, a Seminole-Gator, since she completed her medical degree at the University of Florida.

As a senior medical student, she fell in love with dermatology. After an internal medicine internship at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, she completed her residency in dermatology at the University of Tennessee-Memphis.

Dr. Kristin Smallwood, left, with Dr. Laurette Bryan who was a Dermatologist with Brevard Skin and Cancer Center where Dr. Smallwood worked until she opened Atlantic Dermatology 30 years ago.

Her husband, Chuck, is also a physician. Their medical training complete, the Drs. Smallwood headed to their native Florida, sons Bryan and Daniel in tow. Dr. Chuck accepted a position as a physician at the Kennedy Space Center, while Dr. Kristin entered private practice.

Sherri and Dave Netterstrom are very, very glad she did.

“We are lucky to have her in our little community,” said Sherri Netterstrom.

“She’s taken great care of me and my family for many years now. I am so grateful for her expertise.”

A life-long resident of the Space Coast, Gregg Greenwald has been one of Dr. Smallwood’s patients for a quarter of a century.

“I cannot say enough about Dr. Smallwood and the amazing care I have received over a 25-year period as her patient,” said Greenwald.

“The genuine concern and thorough care gives me peace of mind knowing she is there to take care of my 62 years of working and playing in the Cocoa Beach sun. I have had quite a few procedures and her surgical skills and steady hand are second to none. I truly hope she is practicing for my next 25!”

Chip Everhart considers himself extremely fortunate to have found Dr. Smallwood in 1995 after going through several unpleasant experiences with other dermatologists.

“I have lost count of how many basal and squamous carcinomas she has treated in those past 27 years, but more importantly, through her keen eye she has detected over a dozen potentially fatal melanoma skin cancers early enough that it had not yet spread to other parts of my body,” said Everhart, who grew up surfing before sunscreen was considered important.

“If not for her skill and attention to detail, I would not be here today.”

Space Coast Daily Partner Giles Malone is also a longtime recipient of Dr. Smallwood’s expert care.

“Dr. Smallwood is a very caring and expert person who makes one feel so comfortable and safe,” said Malone. “We are blessed that this Cocoa Beach star has remained here to help her own community.”

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Feb. 28, 2022 Space Coast Daily News – Brevard County’s Best NewspaperRelated Story:
HOT OFF THE PRESS! Feb. 28, 2022 Space Coast Daily News – Brevard County’s Best Newspaper