Fremd names 2011 distinguished grad
Dr. Amy Farmer Derick, Fremd High School Class of 1994 and now a board-certified dermatologist engaged in medical and aesthetic dermatology at Derick Dermatology (in Barrington), has been named Fremd High School’s Distinguished Graduate for 2011.
Dr. Derick and her staff of 20 serve more than 16,000 patients. At Fremd, she was a four-year varsity soccer player, earning All-Conference, All-Area and All-Sectional honors. She also played volleyball.
Academically, Dr. Derick was a National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar and ranked third in her graduating class of 600 students. She also was a cheerleader, a student council member, a class officer and a Rose Arbor court attendant.
Notably, Dr. Derick was the school’s representative to Girls State in Springfield, where she was one of two girls selected (from approximately 500) to represent Illinois in Washington, D.C., and meet President Bill Clinton.
Dr. Derick’s peers voted her most intelligent, most likely to succeed and most likely to be president. She attended the University of Notre Dame, where she graduated summa cum laude in three years, an accelerated pace made possible by extra credits from Fremd’s AP classes. During college, she volunteered at a free medical clinic in South Bend, Ind.
She attended the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where she graduated in the top 10 percent of her class and received an award for the most meritorious clinical research performed by a non-doctoral student.
In medical school, she served as teaching assistant for the most challenging courses offered, Anatomy and Clinical Pathophysiology. After a one-year internship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, she completed her residency in dermatology at the University of Chicago, where she served as chief resident during her final year.
Dr. Derick has published scholarly articles in the fields of vascular surgery and dermatology. She wrote the dermatology chapter in the book “The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty,” as well as the marketing chapter in the book “Cosmetic Bootcamp Primer.”
Her pioneering research on body art has received global recognition and has been featured or discussed in The Wall Street Journal, CNN and on “The View.” Her research has broadened awareness of the demographics and risks associated with the resurgence of body art.
Dr. Derick serves as a media resource for the American Academy of Dermatology and the Women’s Dermatologic Society. In the Chicago area, Dr. Derick has performed free skin cancer screenings. She also has allowed high school students who are interested in the field of dermatology to shadow her during workdays at Derick Dermatology.
Dr. Derick was recently named to the faculty of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine as a clinical instructor, and she serves on the board of directors of the Women’s Dermatologic Society.