The Derm Couple

Thomas & Whitney Hocker

Our story

Two dermatologists and Mohs surgeons, trained in different places and in different ways, who share one purpose for the work in front of them.

Given much. Passing it on.

Neither of us got here alone. Teachers, mentors, colleagues, patients and family invested in us long before we could repay them. We see what we have received as a blessing to steward, so that it becomes a blessing to others.

That is the thread through our clinical work and our teaching:

  • Bring expert care where the need is great.Specialist skill should reach the communities that need it most, not only the ones that find it easiest.
  • Keep improving how people are served.Patients and the teams who care for them both deserve to feel respected, informed and looked after.
  • Teach what we learn, freely.Through The Exceptional Private Practice, Skin Trust and our videos, we share what we wish everyone had.
Black-and-white portrait of Dr. Thomas Hocker smiling, in black surgical scrubs embroidered with his name.

Thomas

Thomas L.H. Hocker, MD, MPhil

Dermatology · Dermatopathology · Mohs micrographic surgery · Reconstruction

Thomas is a Harvard and Mayo Clinic-trained, triple board-certified dermatologist, Mohs surgeon and dermatopathologist. He is board certified in dermatology, dermatopathology and Mohs micrographic surgery, so the same physician can read the tissue under the microscope, remove the cancer and plan the repair.

For him, Mohs surgery and advanced reconstruction are two equal halves of one job, with a single goal: clear the cancer, then rebuild with as much care for form and function as for the margins. His work centers on complex skin cancer surgery and on reconstructing the nose, ears, eyelids and lips.

Melanoma is a particular focus. Advanced Dermatologic Surgery currently describes performing about 300 melanoma Mohs cases a year.* Mohs is the right operation for selected melanomas, not for every one, and he treats that judgment as part of the craft.

  • Medical schoolHarvard Medical School, MD
  • Dermatology residencyMayo Clinic
  • Dermatopathology fellowshipUniversity of Michigan
  • Mohs & reconstructive fellowshipMayo Clinic

Teaching

Thomas is the founding director of dermatologic surgery at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine and University Health, where he helped build its surgical teaching for future dermatologists.

Cover of Review of Dermatology, second edition, by Ali Alikhan and Thomas L.H. Hocker.

The textbook

Review of Dermatology, 2nd edition

Co-authored with Dr. Ali Alikhan and published by Elsevier. See the book

Service

Outside his practice, Thomas volunteers as a surgeon at KC Care, bringing specialist care to patients in the Kansas City community.

* Approximate annual melanoma Mohs case volume as currently reported by Advanced Dermatologic Surgery. A practice’s own description, not an independently audited count or an outcome measure.

Dr. Whitney Hocker seated at a microscope in a bright laboratory.

Whitney

Whitney L. Hocker, DO, FAAD, FACMS

Also known as Dr. Whitney Call. Her practice lists her as Whitney L. Hocker (Call).

Dermatology · Mohs micrographic surgery · U.S. Air Force

Whitney is a double board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained Mohs micrographic surgeon. Her surgical work spans removing skin cancer with Mohs surgery and reconstructing what the cancer leaves behind.

She served eight years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. Her service included work as a general medical officer and flight commander, and from 2018 to 2021 she was Chief of Dermatology at Scott Air Force Base. Mentoring and teaching ran through those years.

  • Dermatology trainingSan Antonio Military Medical Center (SAUSHEC)
  • FellowshipMohs Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology, Dayton Skin Care, with Dr. Heidi Donnelly
  • Military serviceU.S. Air Force, 8 years active duty
  • LeadershipChief of Dermatology, Scott Air Force Base, 2018–2021

Patients and teams

Whitney pays attention to how care feels for everyone in the room. In training she worked on improvements to education and helped improve her residency’s maternity-leave policy. She brings the same instinct to practice: make the experience better for patients, and for the teams who care for them.

Today she practices with Epiphany Dermatology, which lists her at several locations.

Where we teach

Learn with us

  • For practices

    The Exceptional Private Practice

    Bringing lessons from the best companies and teams into your dermatology clinic.

    Visit the publication
  • For patients

    Skin Trust

    Free, evidence-based dermatology education.

    Visit Skin Trust
  • Sun protection tool

    Personalized Sun Shield™

    A sun-protection and SPF planning tool from Skin Trust.

    Open Sun Shield
  • Watch

    The Derm Couple on YouTube

    Conversations from Thomas and Whitney about dermatology, patient care and building an exceptional practice.

    Coming soon