Farewell and Thank You, Larry Robinson!

By Dr. Brazil

Well, all good things come to an end I guess. Ten years ago, Larry Robinson applied for an open Physician Assistant position at Olympic Dermatology. He was retiring from the Army as a Major, and had been providing medical care for 20 years. His last posting was JBLM, and he wanted to stay in the area. He interviewed well and obviously knew how to work well in a team committed to providing excellent medical care, and I knew from past experience that I worked well with people who had served in the military. His interview was also memorable for being the first for me where the candidate wore army camo fatigues. Hired! Fast forward ten years,
and Mr. Robinson has retired again.

The last ten years working with Larry was great. A good PA works closely and seamlessly with their supervising physician, and Larry was very easy to work with. He got along well with other providers, supervised his medical assistants with grace, and provided excellent dermatology care. One time he saw a patient with ongoing itching but no significant rash, and ordered the tests needed to discover the patient had leukemia. Itching is a very subtle clue with many causes, but he nailed it on the first visit and saved the patient’s life by quickly referring him to hematology/oncology. In any medical field there are the common diseases which you must know well, but the more uncommon diseases require an inquisitive mind and a sophisticated
differential diagnosis. Larry is a very good medical provider.

Larry will always be a good friend. We have had a few beers together over the years, caught prawns together off Vashon island, discussed Florida Gators and Oregon Ducks football, and philosophized over the vagaries of life. All of us at Olympic Dermatology will miss him, and we wish him the best of luck in his new job as superintendent of all things beach and fishing related in Florida. And I know he will always wear sunscreen.