I first fell in love with the Boundary Waters when I was in Boy Scouts. I grew up in a suburb of Cincinnati Ohio called Mt Healthy. Our troop went canoeing in the Boundary waters every other year. I took two trips and was hooked!  Carolyn did an Outward Bound trip and also fell in love with the wilderness. After my residency when we were looking for places to live, Minnesota was top of the list. Though we settled in southern MN we began taking trips “up north” and discovered Grand Marais. We bought land in Hovland in 1992 and built a cabin there. We visited several times per year and deepened our love of this specific area. When Carolyn retired in 2011, she said “I’m moving up north, are you coming with me?”  Fortunately, SMC had an opening as I was not ready to retire. We moved here full time in 2011, and I reveled in being part of the Federally Qualified Community Health Center that is SMC. I practiced there for 11 years before I fully retired. 

Did you know at a young age that you wanted to become a physician, or what inspired you to choose that for your lifelong career?

I did not know I wanted to be a doctor growing up. I thought I’d end up in research or physics. My father convinced me to try medicine. (He was a biochemist and pharmacologist.) There was a special program leading to an MD in a little over five years and I could pursue my PhD at the same time. I found I enjoyed medicine more than research and began leaning that direction. It was really when I started my Family Practice residency that I felt I had found what I was meant to do. I loved the intellectual stimulation but also the relationships and the complexity of trying to deal with a whole person. Over the years medicine provided me with both an opportunity to serve and for personal growth. 

What is your fondest memory over the years of practicing medicine?

That is kind of a tough one! There aren’t really one or two instances. I think in general I loved delivering babies the most. Also, the long-term relationships I built up with people, getting to know their conditions and how they affected their lives. It was such a privilege to be part of people’s lives in such an intimate way. 

For those who do not know, you are running for a seat on the Board of North Shore Health.  Why are you passionate about this?

About a year into my practice here I was asked to help work on the relationship between the clinic and the hospital. This evolved into the position of medical director/ER director. I met with Kimber and the administrative staff weekly, kept the physicians abreast of changes, and worked out communication problems. I oversaw the Emergency Physicians who worked for Wapiti and managed performance problems and issues patients or staff had with the doctors. We worked out a clear process for dealing with any issues. I believe my work improved communication between administration and the clinic. During this time, I attended board meetings, including the closed sessions, and participated in strategic planning retreats. I never thought I would find this work rewarding, but I did. During my time in this position the hospital faced multiple challenges including poor coverage by Wapiti initially, the need to stop Obstetric services, the hospital remodel, and of course Covid. The latter was mostly dealt with by Kurt Farchmin, but I stayed involved as well.  The events surrounding the transition to telehealth hospitalists and the associated dismissal of Dr Dahlman were after my time but made me realize there was still work to do. I feel I am in a unique position to help address ongoing issues with collaboration, community culture, as well as what we want for the future of health care in Cook County. I believe a physician should be involved in helping craft our future direction as medicine continues to change rapidly. Learn more here: https://sites.google.com/view/milan-schmidt

Since your retirement in 2022, what have you been doing to enjoy your new life?  Any bucket list trips or activities that you have crossed off?

I have enjoyed my retirement immensely! We have done a lot of travel, in particular visiting our grand-twins in Singapore and a 10 week trip in our Scamp trailer to the Maritimes in Canada. I have enjoyed greater involvement with Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church, and of course working on my piecrust and other culinary skills. North House courses help a lot. I love getting to the YMCA, walking along Croftville Road, spending time with my dogs, and enjoying the lake. It is wonderful to take occasional trips to the city rather than the other way around! 

How would you describe living in Cook County to someone considering a move here?

The natural beauty of the area is unsurpassed. Both summer and winter have their unique charms which are best enjoyed outside. Grand Marais is a vibrant community with an exceptional amount to offer for an area of its size. The arts community is robust, there are very good restaurants and it is a very welcoming place. There are really too many events and positives to name. Listening to WTIP will give you a good feel for who we are as a community. The only downside, for some, is the isolation and distance to city amenities. For me, this is more than made up for by what we do have.