Dr. Curtis Asbury, Class of 2001, is receiving the Distinguished Graduate Organization award, in the Sciences category. Asbury now owns and operates a private practice with his partner Dr. Sara Moghaddam called Delmarva Skin Specialists.

Asbury earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Duke University in 2005 and his Medical Degree from Maryland School of Medicine in 2009. After college he interned at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and worked at Stoney Brook University as a resident physician.

Since he now owns his own practice,  he offers a wide range of medical and cosmetic services and surgeries. Asbury and his work partner Sara Moghaddam were featured in Coastal Style Magazine as top doctors in the area  in 2016.

His work day is hectic: on average, he helps over 50 patients.

When Asbury is working at Delmarva Skin about two-thirds of his patients are getting skin cancer treatments or skin cancer checks. The skin cancer can be removed at the hospital, so he helps people decide treatment plans.

As a physician, Asbury enjoys, “getting to meet new people and seeing the people come to know that you can help fix their problems.”

At LHS, Asbury and his brother were always on best behavior because their mother was a librarian assistant at the high school.  Asbury was a part of the soccer team, and he was in the physics, chemistry, and ecology clubs. He also took part in Mr. Linganore his senior year, where he dressed up in drag and sang in many of the other contestants talent acts.

He finished at Linganore with a 4.0 GPA and few regrets.  He said, “I had fun, but I wish had had more fun.”

Bobby Asbury, Curtis brother, said, “He was shy in middle school, and in high school, he blossomed into the type person he was going to be as an adult. He would try to dabble into anything he could, like sports, extra curricular activities, Mr Linganore.”

“Curtis was always aiming for perfection and to make sure he did better on a drawing than his brother, Bobby,” said Mark Lastova, who was Asbury’s architectural drawing teacher. Lastova hopes that he helped Asbury learn problem solving skills and looking closely at details.

Asbury describes himself as someone who always strived for perfection and to do well in all of his classes. Looking back, he says he wished that he took more time to do the hands-on classes like small engine mechanics and welding, since he says all the math and science classes he also took again in college.

After high school he was in college for 12 years, so taking the hands-on classes instead of repeating classes is something he would have wanted to do. He also had job at Linganore Wine cellars for a while.

During his time at Duke University, Asbury felt different than the other students, many of whom had attended private school and had experienced a level of privilege unfamiliar to him. Neither of his parents went to college, so the degrees he earned were very important to him. He perceived himself as an “underdog,” but that helped to shape his goals.

Asbury said, “When you have to work for everything, you become a stronger person.”

Asbury’s advice to high school students would be not to worry about the day to day stuff because he doesn’t even remember most of whatever drama happened back them. Also, it’s not always about doing great in school. You have to be a well-rounded individual.  He believes that students should not try to be someone they’re not.

“Always work hard, always strive to be your best, and do your best,” said Asbury.

Curtis Asbury is now living in Bishopville, MD.