Practice History

Dermatology Associates of Northern Michigan was founded in April 1999 by Drs. Robert Charles and Roger Potter, both board certified dermatologists, after the closure of Burns Clinic Medical Center in Petoskey Michigan.  The Clinic had been in continuous operation for more than 50 years, providing multispecialty care from 150 physicians prior to its closure. 

The first dermatologist to join the Burns Clinic was Dr. William Dawson in 1964 who organized the Department of Dermatology and was the first dermatologist in Northern Michigan.  Dr. Charles joined Dr. Dawson in 1976 upon leaving active duty service in the US Navy.  Upon Dr. Dawson's retirement in the late 1980's, Dr. John Carlisle joined the Department and practiced with Dr. Charles until late 1993 when he moved to the state of Washington due to family considerations.  In early 1994, Dr. Roger Potter joined the Department of Dermatology, relocating from Gross Pointe, Michigan where he was in private practice for over 20 years. 

Dr. Murray Cotter took over the practice in 2009 upon the retirement of Drs. Charles and Potter. The practice has therefore been serving the community for almost 50 years, spanning three generations of dermatologists.