Dr. Milton Soderberg and Bodil Soderberg are seen in Dr. Soderberg’s office in Marquette. (Journal photo by Annie Lippert)

MARQUETTE — Dr. Milton Soderberg of Forefront Dermatology is retiring this month after a 57-year career. Soderberg has been a practicing dermatologist since 1969.

“It was really enjoyable,” said Soderberg. “I just liked working.”

Soderberg, who grew up in the Upper Peninsula, attended medical school at the University of Michigan before moving back up to Marquette to open his own practice. He joined Forefront Dermatology in 2014.

The main thing Soderberg will miss, he says, is working with people, working with his staff, and learning about innovations in medicine. Over the course of 57 years, medicine has changed considerably.

“(The most rewarding aspect) has been seeing new medications come up and being able to introduce them,” said Soderberg. “When I first started the practice we never had a treatment for herpes simplex or cold sores or shingles, and that sort of thing. That came in fairly quickly after I came in, and that’s been very useful.”

“And over time, we’ve had so many better medications for some of the common problems. Psoriasis is a common problem.” Soderberg remembers a patient early in his career who had widespread psoriasis, before effective treatments had been developed. “Now we have injectable medicines and oral medicines, too, that really help keep that problem under control very nicely,” he said. “…It’s been very gratifying to see these things coming out that are good for many people I have seen as patients.”

While Soderberg is 87 now, and his practice has spanned over a half-century, he continues to see at least four patients who he first saw during his first couple of months at his practice, back in the fall of 1969. Back then, his wife, Bodil Soderberg, would come in to be the Saturday nurse for his acne patients who could not miss school.

When he started practicing medicine, Soderberg was the only dermatologist in the entire Upper Peninsula.

“We had no idea,” said Bodil Soderberg. “We wanted to get a rental house because we weren’t even sure if there were going to be enough patients here. And wow, were there enough patients.”

“I was the only dermatologist in Northern Michigan for 10 years,” said Soderberg. “So I saw unusual cases. People had to wait quite a while to come and see me, because I was the only one around.”

Soderberg is looking forward to gardening and traveling during his retirement; he and Bodil have trips planned to Finland, Sweden and New Zealand. He is also looking forward to spending time with his three children and seven grandchildren.

“I want to thank the populace, the patients, for being reliant on my care,” said Soderberg. “I’ve always kept up. I always read, I go to (dematology) meetings, and I have journals I read all the time.”

A reception celebrating Soderberg’s retirement will be held at the Peninsula Medical Center atrium from 1-4 p.m. on June 25.