My new practice is dedicated to the memory of my father, Rollin M Johnson M.D. who first encouraged me to go to medical school saying “If you love your job you never work a day in your life.” He was right.

Despite the stress of medical school while having babies, it was still an exciting experience. My father, as an orthopedic surgeon, did not initially understand my choice of family practice when I began residency, but he watched my excitement as I delivered babies and then cared for those babies and their families over the ensuing years. I have never regretted becoming a family physician, as it is one of the most rewarding careers one could ever ask for. It is such a privilege to be admitted into the lives of families and to help them make meaningful changes in their lives.

My father was also the one who encouraged me to go into private practice and, ultimately, to do it again as a solo medical practice. He would have enjoyed the hard woods used in this new office and the ocean theme in the pediatric room. And, as he did at my old office, he would have come to bring us all lunch and meet my patients.

My father died unexpectedly October 16th 2004 while riding his bike in town. At his wake, a patient who we had both cared for shared a children’s book with me called “Water Bugs and Dragon Flies”. It recounts an emergent dragonfly’s experience of moving on to a new form and a new world. Although he is blissful in his new existence, he cannot go back and see his water bug friends -- they would not recognize him. Nor can he cross back into the water to show them what he has become. That visual image has helped me to reconcile the untimely death of my father as I picture him watching us from his new vantage point. This is the reason I have chosen the dragonfly to represent my new medical practice.

My father was an amazing surgeon but an even more amazing human being. He loved hearing the stories people had to tell of their lives and he continued to care for his patients even after his retirement. Rollin Johnson was a man of deep faith, a committed grandfather and member of his community. It is with great emotion that I dedicate my new practice to his memory and his contributions to the world.

Katherine J Atkinson MD June 10, 2005