I have been a patient of Dr. Robert Paltzik’s for years.
I’m a golfer and have been in the sun my whole life. Now I pay the price by establishing a close relationship with my friendly dermatologist.
I know more than I care to about keratosis, pre cancer lesions, basal cells and squamous cells. I suppose I am lucky to work next door to him at 2 Hillside Avenue because Bob Paltzik is thought to be the best dermatologist on Long Island. And that’s not just me saying this but according to Castel-Connolly’s Guide to the Best Doctors in New York.
So let us find out some more about the kindly Dr. Paltzik of North Shore Dermatology: a Division of ProHEALTH Care Associates.
Before I started this column called “Our Town” I was visiting Dr. Paltzik for my monthly checkup and I mentioned in passing that I intended to read “Our Town” to prepare for the column.
He quickly remarked “Oh yea ‘Our Town,’ great American play. Thornton Wilder won a Pulitzer for it. All about how to appreciate the little things in our lives. I liked it a lot.”
I thought to myself how in the world does he remember all that. The book may have been required reading but goodness that was many moons ago. It dawned on me just how smart this guy really was. Not only was he paying attention in school but he also understood and recalled the stuff.
So I guess education is not always wasted on the young.
When I arrive at my office each morning it’s usually about 7:30 a.m. and Dr. Paltzik’s car is already there alongside many of his patients. He starts his day at 6 a.m. so you know he has a super work ethic.
Dr. Paltzik was raised in Bayside, Queens and went to Francis Lewis High School. He went to Queens College and was Phi Beta Kappa with a 4.0. He earned his medical degree at New York University Medical School and had his residency at Yale where he was part of the Alpha Omega Alpha Club. That’s like being a part of the Navy SEALs but without the pulled muscles or black eyes.
When I came to his office early one morning to take a photo of the staff a patient of his told me “I love Dr. P. He practically saved my husband. He had a condition that no one could diagnosis. Dr. Paltzik saw him, treated him and cured him. I now refer all my friends to him. “And I told this lady that is exactly what I do too. I must have referred 20 patients to this guy. Why? Because he is fast, you do not have to wait more than five minutes in his waiting room, he is accurate about what he does, he is funny and keeps you talking as he performs surgery, and he intuitively knows how to reassure you about your condition.
“No sweat, you will be fine within a few days,” he has told me on several occasions.
I have long believed that the ultimate value of a physician is that they can authoritatively give you the reassurance that you seek when you are ill. I believe is half the cure right there.
He once told me a story how he does not like to hurt anything including bugs. If he sees one in his home his wife will scream and then he picks it up and carries it outside. Nice guy.
I asked him why he settled in Williston Park.
“This is a safe place to work, it is unchanging in a way. It’s pleasant here and centrally located as well,” he said.
I than asked him why he became a dermatologist.
He said “dermatology is an interesting field since it has some surgery, some medicine, some immunology and even some psychiatry in it. And it is nice to be able to practice and diagnosis by seeing the condition rather than having to send the patient for a battery of tests before you can tell them what is wrong.”
So you use we do have some very special people in this town of ours.
This guy is one the finest dermatologists on Long Island. He’s quick, he’s kind and he’s correct. Could you ask for anything more? I don’t think so.
And what makes it better is that he has a busy staff that smiles when you enter and who remember your name . Not bad at all.
I actually feel like I am treated like a human rather than a number there. He is old school in that way I guess.
Thank goodness. He reminds me a little of the kindly and wise Dr. Gibbs in “OurTown.” One great play indeed.
Tom Ferraro, Ph.D. is a psychologist who has lived and worked in Williston Park for the last 25 years. He can be reached for comment at drtferraro@aol.com
