How U.S. Bank supported Dynasty Dermatology’s growth

Dreams of expanding her dermatology practice

Taking inspiration from her immigrant parents’ strong work ethic, Dr. Chan had big goals for growing Dynasty Dermatology and increasing the number of patients she could help.

For Dr. Chan, it’s always been about helping people and her genuine approach shines through in her interactions with patients.

“When she walks into that room with you, there’s nobody else that she’s concerned about. It’s you and how you feel,” says Danielle Dear, a Dynasty Dermatology patient who has also witnessed her father undergo Mohs surgery conducted by Dr. Chan. “She wants to make sure you’re comfortable, and that is worth its weight in gold.”

Dr. Chan’s caring approach shines through not just with patients but also with her own staff. She oversees a rotation of four to five residents from various programs each year – 40 over the past decade – and at least six former medical assistants have become RNs, PAs or MDs.

“That’s a really special relationship, to see them start as medical assistants, graduate two or three years later and then want to come back and work with us,” Dr. Chan says.

“I think having great mentors is the most important thing you could do as a young person,” she adds, “because mentors believe in you until you can fully believe in yourself, and they can encourage you to pursue dreams that are truly your own.”

Finding the right healthcare business bank

After Dr. Chan took over the clinic, it was time for the next step. She believed a surgery center would give her an opportunity to reach people like Dear and her father and meet the broader community’s needs.

“It's always been a dream of mine to build a surgery center and expand the services that we can offer to patients,” says Dr. Chan, who moved to the U.S. from Burma (now Myanmar) with her parents when she was four.

Like many entrepreneurs with big dreams, she needed a healthcare banking partner that would provide financial support and more importantly, trust her vision. By understanding her as both an individual and a practice owner, U.S. Bank did just that.

“Ground-up construction is very ambitious, especially in a community that's already developed, such as Pasadena,” Dr. Chan explains. “Needing a big loan required a company that believed in me just as much as I believed in myself.”

“Dr. Chan had a clear path of the direction she wanted to go,” says Suezan Abkarian, U.S. Bank VP, healthcare business banking, and relationship manager. “She was invested not just financially but emotionally and mentally, and you could just feel her passion.”

Dr. Chan had tried working with a different bank prior to meeting with U.S. Bank, but she felt like another number to them. Her relationship with the healthcare segment of U.S. Bank was different.

“Our personal relationship grew naturally,” says Abkarian, “both being hardworking, driven moms and extremely passionate about what we do. I think we developed mutual respect and trust for each other, and that naturally blossomed and brought us closer. I think she is not only a great person,...she’s an outstanding doctor.”

More than a healthcare practice construction loan

With the help of Abkarian and her U.S. Bank team, Dr. Chan secured a construction loan for what would become Nexus Surgery Center – and then some.

After looking at Dr. Chan’s financials, Abkarian had a good idea of other financial services that would benefit Dynasty Dermatology and Nexus Surgery Center, including treasury management, high-value card service, merchant card processing and wealth management.

Dr. Chan found the financial backing and healthcare industry knowledge she needed from the U.S. Bank team.

“If you can dream it and work hard toward that, align yourself with really good people, then you can achieve anything,” she says.