A Westminster Education Lays Strong Foundation for Dermatologist’s Career

Scott Meyers, MD, ’90 and his wife, Carol (Keeter) Meyers ’90 met at the Phi Delt house 31 years ago. They are pictured here with their children, from left, Brooke, Reid, and Lauren.

Scott Meyers, MD, ’90 ΦΔθ says his Westminster College education laid the strong foundation for his bustling practice today at the Dermatology Surgery Center in Tulsa, OK. “The breadth of education in liberal arts, writing, and science prepared me better for medical school compared to my state university options,” he explains.   

After Westminster, Meyers graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City in 1994. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1995 and a residency in Dermatology at the same institution in 1998. The Lawton, OK, native also did a fellowship in Cutaneous Oncology at Boston University in Boston, MA, in 1998. He is a fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery.

Meyers has served two terms as President of the Oklahoma State Dermatology Society and four years as a board member on the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision.

He recently reminisced about the days at Westminster that helped him find the power in his purpose in more ways than one: The College is where Meyers met his wife, Carol (Keeter) Meyers ’90, and led to a career in medicine that focuses primarily on treating skin cancers.

What was your major at Westminster? Biology, with minors in History and Philosophy. 

What made you decide to specialize in dermatology? The final two years of medical school require rotations in various fields of medicine. When I rotated through Dermatology, I knew I had found my area. Dermatology is one of the more competitive residencies, and I was fortunate enough to get one of two positions in the state of Oklahoma in 1995. While in residency, Mark Allen Everett, MD (my chairman), met with me to discuss my future. He thought that surgery fit my skill set best and suggested I specialize in Mohs surgery. Mohs surgery has the highest cure rate (99 percent) in the treatment of most skin cancers, and we have treated more than 25,000 cases.   

How did your Westminster education help you find your purpose? I was certain that I wanted to practice medicine as my career choice prior to starting college. Westminster exposed me to various fields of study and forced me to consider other options. Early U.S. history, political science, philosophy and ancient Greek civilization courses were all very interesting, and I’m glad I took them. But, I never found anything that I liked better than studying pre-medicine. It was in this way that Westminster solidified my purpose.

What is your favorite Westminster memory? Two come to mind. I really enjoyed Short Term and taking Dr. Michael Amspoker’s class, Missouri Spring Flora. Most of our time was spent outdoors, hiking along bluffs, creeks, and the countryside. We identified many plant species and studied how they fit into their ecosystems. A second best memory took place after completing Comparative Anatomy (one of the hardest courses at Westminster, in my humble opinion). My mentor, Dr. H. Warry Williams, sat down with our class after the final exam and showed us “how to make a martini.” It was pretty much just a glass of gin with a splash of vermouth. We visited for a while and enjoyed a little more time together.

Which of your achievements are you most proud of? Being selected for the Winston Churchill Scholarship changed my life. I could not have afforded such a great college without this merit-based scholarship. 

On a separate note, I completed the 100th running of the Boston Marathon in 1996.   

Would you recommend Westminster to prospective college students? Yes! Westminster sits in a beautiful setting close to the Cedar Creek region of the Mark Twain National Forest. Its campus is small, and students have great access to faculty. One of the hallmarks of a Westminster education is that it provides students with a strong knowledge base and well-rounded education. Westminster students compete well for jobs and are well prepared for graduate school, if that is the route they choose. Westminster has a very active and loyal alumni association. Alumni enjoy helping students — whether it’s with a job opening, mentorship, or internship. Students also have access to the Columns CareerLink, which offers jobs and internships to qualified students.  

What is your greatest success? My greatest success has to be my marriage to Carol and my three children. I’m constantly amazed by all of them.   

How did you and Carol meet? It turns out that Carol and I were not good money managers during our freshman year. So, while most students were at a formal at Lake of the Ozarks, we stayed on campus in Fulton. I met Carol in front of the Phi Delt house. We put what little money we had together and went to Gasper’s Restaurant for our first date. That was 31 years ago, and some of our best memories are from those days.   

What is Carol’s occupation? She is an attorney. She runs our two-physician surgery practice, a commercial real estate company, Keetco, LLC, and a residential real estate company, LNM Properties, LLC. She owns the latter two companies, and most of her management responsibilities include operations, leases, and accounting. She doesn’t practice law at this time.

What are your children’s names and ages? Lauren 18, Brooke 15, and Reid 12.   

Pictured above is the Meyers’ daughter,
Lauren, during a recent visit to Westminster.

Who was your favorite Westminster faculty member? John Langton, PhD, and Douglas Fickess, PhD. 

What was your favorite spot on campus? The pool tables at Hunter Activity Center. 

Do you have a book that you would recommend to others? The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. 

Do you have a favorite quote? More than 30 years ago, a friend at Westminster told me, “It is better to work hard than to be naturally smart.”   

What is your favorite song? TV show? Movie? My favorite song has to be “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” TV show: This Is Us. And movie: The Shawshank Redemption. 

What do you do in your free time? For the past few years, I have been working on completing “The Great Loop” which is a 6,000-mile journey around the eastern United States by water. Last summer, I spent eight days, traveling 1,600 miles from Paducah, KY, to South Florida on a pontoon boat. The JC tritoon was retrofitted with three fuel tanks to make it across the Gulf of Mexico. Crossing the Gulf solo on that pontoon had to be the most adrenaline-fueled adventure I’ve ever done. I’m working on the next leg, which will start in Sarasota and likely end around Chesapeake Bay or New York.