Rex A. Amonette was born and raised in the small town of Nashville, Arkansas which is located in the southwest part of the state. After attending Hendrix College, as a Hoerner Scholar, he graduated from medical school at the University of Arkansas. His dermatology training was completed in at the University of Tennessee in Memphis where he was encouraged by his chair, William Rosenberg, to become a Mohs surgeon. Perry Robins had developed the first formal training for Mohs surgery at New York University and Dr. Amonette became the second fellowship trained Mohs surgeon in the United States. In 1972 he started the Memphis Dermatology Clinic.
Advancing the Mohs procedure and gaining acceptance for it in the medical community became the driving force of Amonette’s career. Dr. Amonette’s calm demeanor, ability to persuade, dogged persistence, and successful outcomes in the treatment of recurrent skin cancers slowly convinced a new generation of physicians of the merits of the technique. In addition, Dr. Amonette was an early adopter of the “fresh” tissue Mohs technique which he began using early in sensitive locations, such as around the eyes. The fresh technique enabled discontinuation of the Mohs zinc chloride fixative paste which also promoted adoption of the technique.
Dr. Amonette served as president of the International Society of Dermatologic Surgery, the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS), the American Academy of Dermatology, and the American Board of Dermatology. He was awarded the AAD Gold Medal and the ACMS Fredrick E. Mohs distinguished service award.
