Like his Star Trek heroes, Dr. Robert Peppercorn sees a target, aims carefully and fires. He rarely misses! Dr. Peppercorn has scored bulls eyes in his professional career, personal life and role as a community activist. A perfectionist by nature, he admits though that a couple of his investments missed the mark. He also notes he never makes the same mistake twice.

Medical Career
The son of a South Florida physician, he decided in grade school to follow in his father’s footsteps. He believed his love of science and working with people were skills every doctor needs. By fifth grade he made Harvard his college goal. In high school he committed to being the best in whatever career he chose. He also expanded his career options to include becoming Walter Cronkite’s replacement or a United States Senator. His academic and community work prepared him for any of the three career pathways — medicine, politics or communications.

While in high school, he started the first newspaper recycling drive in South Florida as part of the region’s first Earth Day celebration. During 10th grade, he helped expose sewage pollution problems, and in 11th grade he began a two year project in medical research at the University of Miami Medical School. He rocketed out of high school graduating number 2 out of 600 seniors and found himself transported into some of the best medical training programs in the country: Harvard College, pre-med; Johns Hopkins Medical School; The University of Utah; the Mayo Clinic and Stanford University.

He founded Harvard’s Pre-medical Society before leaving to take advantage of an early admission program at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore. Living and working in the poverty of central Baltimore provided a tough, broad medical education. Armed with a medical degree and wanting to see more of the U.S., especially the parts with ski slopes, he headed to Salt Lake City. He studied internal medicine and during time off from the 80 hour work weeks took up the hobby of snow skiing.

The young doctor fell in love with the study of skin diseases during a dermatology rotation at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Dermatology offered an opportunity to practice medicine and surgery while utilizing modern technology and the visual arts in the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases. The field also offered the new doctor a chance to specialize in allergies, which he suffered from as a child. He completed his rigorous three-year residency in Dermatology at Stanford University.

Dr. Peppercorn was torn between joining his father’s practice in Florida or staying in California and he had to make a decision during his final year. A flyer advertising an opening in Marysville simplified the choice.

One look at the map showed him Marysville was strategically located with easy access to Sacramento, Lake Tahoe and the Bay Area. He interviewed and accepted the job. A year after joining the group practice, he opened a private practice in Yuba City.

The practice quickly grew to more than 10,000 patients from throughout northern California. Although proud of his first office, in 1985, he knew that he had to find another larger facility to service his growing patient list. With the help of local architect, Robert Estrada, he designed and built his award-winning 4,000 square foot state-of-the-art center at the corner of Shasta and Del Norte in Yuba City which was completed in 1986. The next year, the City Council of Yuba City awarded Dr. Peppercorn’s office with the Most Distinguished New Development Award.

Late in the 1980s, Dr. Peppercorn noticed a pattern of an increasing number of patients driving down to Yuba City to see him for his dermatology services. Many of these loyal patients were from the Lake Wildwood community and they actively encouraged him to come up to Nevada County to make it easier for local patients.

With the help of a local realtor, Dr. Peppercorn opened a tiny one room office at Wildwood which he shared with a dentist. The doctor was overwhelmed by the goodwill of his patients from Lake Wildwood and Grass Valley who came to see him in the small quarters. The Advanced Dermatology and Laser Center Office near the entrance to Lake Wildwood is now an ultra-modern 2,000 square foot suite that encompasses treatment for dermatology, cosmetic laser surgery, and all allergies. This professionally-staffed office is open 5 days a week.

By the year 2000, the practice continued to progress at warp speed to more than 50,000 registered patients, 15 lasers, and a new name. The medical center was renamed, the Advanced Dermatology & Laser Center of Northern California with four offices, more than 20 employees and has been recognized as an “accredited” surgical outpatient facility. Staff and equipment are consistently upgraded to meet Dr. Peppercorn’s high standards. Another Stanford trained Dermatologist, Dr. Foy Cox, joined the practice in 1990. The professional team includes two physicians’ assistants.

Like the Star Trek crew, Dr. Peppercorn’s team also uses lasers to provide state-of-the art cosmetic procedures and skin beautification procedures in his new addition which he calls, Advanced Esthetics, located across the street from his main facility. The center offers Fraxel Laser, Pixel Laser, FotoFacial, CoolTouch, wrinkle and cellulite treatments, laser hair removal and other non-invasive treatments. Laser specialists, Kim Ruccione, R.N. and Davina Moore, R.N., as well as Endermologie cellulite treatment expert, Cecilia Mendoza, and others staff the facility. The team has been expanded even more with the addition of well-known local esthetician who provide complete paramedical esthetician services with advanced facials and microdermabrasion.

The year, 2005, marked another milestone for Dr. Peppercorn and his staff with the completion of construction of the one of the largest dermatology and medical spa facilities in Northern California. Again with the assistance of local architect, Bob Estrada, and Hudspeth Construction, a 9,000 square foot addition was added to the 350 Del Norte Avenue, Yuba City Main Office. This new ultramodern medical building added multiple examination and surgery rooms, additional office space, a full-service operating room and a complete medical spa, the California Institute of Skin and Beauty (www.instituteofskin.com) The new combination facility was presented with a design award from the Yuba City Builders and Developers Association and the City of Yuba City awarded Dr. Peppercorn with the Meritorious Award for Building Design for 2006.

By 2006, the staff of the Advanced Dermatology and Laser Center of Northern California with the California Institute of Skin & Beauty has grown to more than 35.

Continuing education and advancement are high on Dr. Peppercorn’s priority list. He expanded his skills in providing the newest and safest tumescent liposuction and body sculpting techniques, studying under southern California dermatologist Jeffrey Klein, M.D., who developed the procedure. His was one of the first medical groups in U.S. to introduce the Internet which receives daily correspondence from around the world. You can check out the website at www.bestlasers.com site.


Community Life
Dr. Peppercorn began establishing himself as a member of the community as soon as the new bachelor arrived in the Yuba-Sutter Area. He volutarily served on the Boards of Directors of the Rideout Foundation, American Cancer Society, Yuba Community Colleg Foundation, and the United Way as well as serving as Chairman of CPR Saturday and President of the Yuba-Sutter-Colusa County Medical Society. He has also been proud to receive invitations to speak to more than 200 gatherings of local service clubs. Former California Governor George Deukmejian appointed Dr. Peppercorn to the State of California Medical Board as a member of the Medical Quality Committee. He is known for his support of the arts, 4-H and the FFA Junior Livestock Auction. Each year (for the past 20 years) you will see him in his baseball cap at the auction bidding on livestock raised by local students. In 2004, the Yuba-Sutter Fair Board honored Dr. Peppercorn with an award for being one of the strongest and longest supporters of the Junior Livestock Auction (4H and Future Farmers of America) in the history of the Yuba-Sutter Fair. Dr. Peppercorn was voted Best Physician in Yuba and Sutter Counties in 2004 and Voted Best Cosmetic Surgeon/Specialist in 2005. The City of Yuba City and Mayor Eric Hellberg bestowed another honor on Dr. Peppercorn in 2006. They presented him with a rare Outstanding Citizen Award for his more than 25 years of public service to the citizens of the Yuba City area. In 2007, Dr. Peppercorn was again voted The Best Physician in Yuba and Sutter Counties by readers of the local newspaper. He was also voted Best Cosmetic Specialist in Yuba and Sutter Counties in 2006 and 2007. His office received a Best of Yuba Sutter Award for both Advanced Dermatology and Laser Center and the California Institute of Skin and Beauty for 2007.

Dr. Peppercorn has not forgotten his other high school interests: communications and politics. He hasn’t taken over Walter Cronkite’s slot, but he did have his own show on the local cable station — The Medical Explorer. The show, which began in the 1980s, was the brainchild of producer Fred Kirchubel. It provides Dr. Peppercorn a venue to introduce the community to the latest medical advances at area medical facilities and new physicians. The popular TV show ran until 2006 when the Doctor decided to pursue other service activities. During the past 20 years, he has also served as anchorman for local TV election coverage as well as news magazine shows and had a great deal of fun hosting the Mini-Miss Yuba-Sutter Pageant for many years. More recently he took his interest in education and public service to become an elected official as a Franklin Elementary School District School Board Trustee (serving as President of the School Board for 2002-2003).  It’s not the U.S. Senate, but politics is no longer part of his long-term plan.


Personal Life
During the 90’s the eligible bachelor exchanged wedding vows with his wife, Judy. They celebrated the arrival of their daughter in the early 90’s, causing him to reprioritize his life. He devotes evenings and most weekends to his wife and daughter.

Dr. Peppercorn is also a businessman. He joined the Board of Directors of Gold Country National Bank shortly after its organization, and has played an integral part in making this financial institution one of the leading local banks in the Yuba-Sutter Area. He saw his role on the bank’s Board for more than 10 years as another way of contributing to the community, as well as a fascinating diversion from the intensity of his medical practice.

While Dr. Peppercorn’s life is filled with successes, he readily admits that he missed the target in a few ventures along the way. He had a dream in the 1980’s to establish a first-rate local news talk radio station and he joined with a small group of doctors in starting a small barbecue restaurant that never got off the ground. Fortunately, he feels that he has truly learned from these mistakes. The main lesson is that he now knows that he should stick to the areas that he loves the most — family, medicine, dermatology, and public service. Although firing the lasers on the Star Ship Enterprise may never come to pass, Dr. Peppercorn is never bored with his smaller medical lasers, medical practice and plans to devote his life to the priorities of his family and patients.