Top Doctor with a Big Heart A Twin Cities household name sets himself apart with his philanthropy. CONGRATULATIONS!! Dr. Crutchfield is the only dermatologist selected as a ‘ Top Doctor for Women’ every year since the inception of the Minnesota Monthly survey. Dr. Crutchfield has also been recently recognized by The Grio, a division of NBC news, as one of the Top 100 Newsmakers Making History in the United States for 2013, and named by Minnesota Physician as 1 of the 100 most influential health care leaders in the state of Minnesota. “I want all my patients to look good and feel great with beautiful skin,” says Charles E. Crutchfield III, M.D. “When you come to Crutchfield Dermatology, the emphasis is on quality, in-depth skincare knowledge and service. That’s what really sets us apart.” A long list of awards and honors serves as evidence that Crutchfield is good at what he does. What stands out even further is his generous community outreach and support. “I realize that no one gets to where they’re at without the help of many people. And I’m in a point in my career where I can give back.” His support runs deep, especially for students, not only through scholarships and textbook donations, but also through mentorship. Dr. Crutchfield, a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School is a mentor in the University of Minnesota’s Future Doctors of America Program, where undergraduate students of color shadow Crutchfield during patient appointments. They learn the art of medicine and are introduced to a wide variety of opportunities. Dr. Crutchfield recently received the Minnesota Medical Association Foundation’s Minority Affairs Meritorious Service Award as an outstanding mentor dedicated to students within Minnesota’s Future Doctors Program. His medical students at the University of Minnesota Medical School have honored him three times as Teacher of the Year. Crutchfield’s definition of community enthusiastically includes the Minnesota Twins, and his love of baseball occasionally surfaces in his philanthropic work. During his residency, he learned that a hospice patient, and fellow baseball fan, dreamed of meeting Kirby Puckett. He arranged the meeting, and Mayo Clinic acknowledged his kindness with the Karis Humanitarian Award. When Twins player Bert Blyleven accepted a dare to eat night crawlers in exchange for a hundred dollar donation to Parkinson’s research, Crutchfield upped the ante to a thousand dollars, challenging other medical clinics to join him. His challenge raised almost $15,000 for the Parkinson’s Association of Minnesota. Crutchfield also donates to the Twins Community Fund to build ballparks for children in the inner city. “Sports give children focus and a sense of personal achievement,” he explains. “Many sports require a substantial investment, but baseball is financially accessible. You give a kid a glove, a ball, and a bat, and they are good to go.”
Remembering school days when he struggled with dyslexia himself, Crutchfield serves as a Hero Benefactor for the Reading Center; stepping in when available scholarship funds aren’t sufficient to cover the number of hopeful students. Dr. Crutchfield routinely financially supports and encourages his staff to participate in breast cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s walks. Minnesota Business Magazine recently named Crutchfield Dermatology as one of “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2013. Dr. Crutchfield has also been given the “Patriotic Employer Award” from the Minnesota National Guard for his support of our troops. He has also been awarded the “Gold Triangle Award” from the American Academy of Dermatology for promoting health-care awareness in underserved areas. Additionally, he offered free skin and scar treatments for the survivors of the tragic Minneapolis 35W bridge collapse. Dr. Crutchfield was selected as the first “Physician Health Care Hero” by Medica, Twin Cities Business and KARE11 for “Outstanding contributors to the quality of health care in Minnesota.” His philanthropy also extends to supporting Camp Discovery, a camp for children with skin diseases. For more than a decade, Crutchfield has been an active supporter and nominator, and dedicated all royalties from the dermatology textbook he co-authored to the program. Once a child is accepted into the camp, their entire experience is covered by donations. “As a child, I loved going to camp. But as a dermatologist, working with children with skin diseases, [I] see so many of them ashamed to go because they are afraid to expose themselves and be teased. Camp Discovery is a place where kids can be kids again.” Dr. Crutchfield’s efforts continue; he has established a lectureship at the University of Minnesota honoring his parents, Susan Crutchfield MD, as the youngest (at the time) and first African-American female graduate of the medical school, and Charles Crutchfield Sr. M.D. the first practicing African-American Obstetrician-Gynecologist in the Twin Cities, who has delivered almost 10,000 babies. He has also co-authored a children’s book for little leaguers extolling the virtues of being sun-safe and sun protection. Little Charles Hits a Home Run is available on Amazon. com, Kindle, Nook and iPad. Proceeds will benefit the Twins Community Fund and Camp Discovery for Children. Dr. Crutchfield is also the founding member of “Doctors For The Practice Of Safe & Ethical Aesthetic Medicine”. More information can be obtained at safeandethicaldoctors.org. His latest medical endeavor is an initiative requiring automobile, cell phone and insurance companies equip cars with mandatory technology disabling texting while driving. Visit crutchfielddermatology.com/safetexting for more information. For Dr. Crutchfield, giving back has become a way of life.
Crutchfield Dermatology • 1185 Town Centre Drive • Suite 101 • Eagan • 651-209-3600 www.CrutchfieldDermatology.com
