Meet Dr. Maryam Haque of Oak City Dermatology

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Maryam Haque

Hi Dr. Maryam, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We all have a story of our lives, how we got here and the interesting, bumpy, road less travelled routes to get to our “now”, and we are still on that journey. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I thought I would be a pediatric cardiologist. It was such a specific dream, I even said it during a local newspaper interview when I was in highschool.

I loved cardiology and heart surgery probably more than anything. It was so humbling to see how the heart worked- what a miracle. I loved the procedural aspect, getting to solve problems with your hands- surgery. And then I knew I loved working with people, hearing their stories, every one of them so interesting- like a movie on the big screen. When I did my dermatology rotation as a 4th year medical student, everyday was fun. There is so much variety and academia in dermatology- from the seven plus types of neurofibromatosis, a genetic skin disease, to the advanced in melanoma therapy, I looked forward to seeing my patients every day. And that’s how I ended up in this field.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized we can help each other a lot more if we are truly honest about our struggles. You may help someone who is struggling with the same thing, because you were candid and brave enough to admit your challenges. It was really hard to put life on hold to study 24/7 and keep your head in the books to be successful in school. I really hope we give young people today the opportunity to practice better balance. I loved being an academic and learning, but it certainly came with challenges.

I wish there were an extra ten years in there during the years you were supposed to build your career and family at the same time. I was blessed enough to have wonderful family and community support, but I think that time is challenging for many if not most young women. It really does take a village to raise children, and I think we can be that community to support women. It’s also important to realize there’s no formula to success, it’s whatever you define as success for your life, and that may be different for each person and what’s best for your situation. I like to think life as not a cookie-cutter shape, but rather a moldable clay where you are striving to be your best to achieve excellence in the realms you define.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I opened Oak City Dermatology in 2022, near the end of the pandemic. It was a dream and prayer of mine for many years, and it was surreal to see it manifest. I had worked in academic medicine for some years and I wanted to be able to practice medicine in a way that I had the freedom to choose what is best for my patients- how I would want my family members treated as patients. If there was an issue with the phone tree and messages getting lost, I wanted to be able to solve it, rather than tell my patient “sorry, I can’t fix it because I can put in a request to the IT department, but they or may not listen to the doctor”.

The pandemic taught us that doctors have to be the captain of the ship for medical care. They are the ones with the medical knowledge and altruistic oaths to put patient care first. I see more and more doctors opening up their own practices and I am so proud to hear that.

I think what truly sets a practice apart from others is care. My branding designer wanted to hear my story similar to what we are doing here in this interview, and she said, your practice reminds me of “dermatology from the heart”. That was such a big compliment for me to hear, because that’s what I wish most- that my patients feel truly cared for in a genuine way- that they know I would only do my best for them.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
If there is someone who inspires you, I think the best way is to reach out and ask to shadow with them. I think most people remember being in your shoes, and want to help others in that stage.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oakcitydermatology.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oakcityderm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oakcityderm