Expertise matters. So does being heard.

Between her first and second years of medical school, Dr. Gaul was home visiting her family when she noticed a lesion on her father that did not look right. She pushed for it to be evaluated. It was a melanoma.

He credits that diagnosis with saving his life. For her, it turned a growing interest in dermatology into a clear direction — and it is why skin cancer detection and Mohs surgery became central to her career rather than a subspecialty she happened into.

Dr. Gaul earned her undergraduate degree at St. Olaf College and spent a year serving in AmeriCorps before medical school at A.T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona.

She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Dermatology, and Mohs Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery. She completed residency training in both Internal Medicine and Dermatology through the Ohio University and Cleveland–Akron programs, followed by fellowship training in Mohs micrographic surgery. That dual foundation is part of why she treats the skin as connected to the rest of the body rather than in isolation.

Before opening Rapid City Dermatology & Mohs, she practiced dermatology and Mohs surgery in Alaska and then in South Dakota, most recently with Monument Health.

Dr. Gaul opened this practice to provide dermatologic care the way she believes it should be delivered: enough time for a real conversation, honest recommendations, and continuity with the same physician over years rather than a rotating roster of providers.

When Mohs surgery is performed here, she is the surgeon and the pathologist. When a mole is examined, she is the one examining it. When a treatment is recommended, she is the one who will explain why — and who will tell you if she thinks you do not need it.

Dr. Gaul lives in Rapid City with her family. She and her husband have three children, and most of her time outside the office belongs to them.

She enjoys travel, hiking, skiing, tennis and golf, and is currently learning piano alongside her children — which she describes as a humbling experience for everyone involved.