Congratulations to Dr. Dimmick!

Congratulations to Dr. Josh R. Dimmick, a current first year dermatology resident at UTMB, for having his original research manuscript selected as one of the top three papers submitted to the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology & Aesthetic Surgery (ASCDAS) at their 5th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas this past weekend. Dr. Dimmick's manuscript was entitled, "Barriers to ultraviolet light lip protection." Dr. Dimmick's co-authors were Mr. Tatsuo Uchida (UTMB Office of Biostatistics) and Dr. Richard Wagner (UTMB Department of Dermatology). ASCDAS awarded papers will be published by Cosmetic Dermatology.

Meeting Recap

Fadi and I would like to thank everyone who was able to come to the meeting tonight, with a special thank you to Dr. Wagner who was our guest speaker. Dr. Wagner spoke with us about the history and principles behind Mohs micrographic surgery. For anyone who was unable to make it, I have extra copies of a clinical review paper on this topic that was distributed at the meeting.
-Ashley Group

Research Training Fellowship

For anyone who may be interested, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is offering Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students. If selected, they will provide a $25,000 stipend to conduct basic, translational, or applied biomedical research. The application deadline is January 10, 2007. Please go to www.hhmi.org/medstudent for more information and an online application.

Quick Reminder

Hi Everyone,
I know most of us have been in vacation mode for the past several days, so I just wanted to send everyone a quick reminder about our DIG meeting today at 5 pm. I hope to see you all there!
-Ashley

Next DIG Meeting!!

Hey Everyone!
I would like to invite all of you to our next DIG Meeting on Monday, November 27 at 5 pm in the Dermatology Conference Room. Dr. Wagner will be speaking with us about Mohs micrographic surgery. It should be a very informative and interesting meeting, so I hope that all of you will be able to attend!! Please feel free to email Fadi or me if you have any questions.

Thank you!

-Ashley Group

October 30th meeting

We would like to thank Drs. Wagner, Kelso, and Ramirez for taking the time to speak with us today. Each one of them gave valuable insight into the Honors Research Program at UTMB. For those members that could not attend Dr. Wagner provided a copy of a paper he wrote summarizing certain aspects of the program and past participants that have had close ties with the Dermatology Dept. This paper can be found at: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/124/commentary/student/wagner.html
If there are any questions, please contact Fadi Constantine (fcconsta@utmb.edu) or Ashley Group (argroup@utmb.edu) .
Thanks again,
Fadi and Ashley

Next DIG Meeting

Hi everybody. I just wanted to let everybody know that the next DIG meeting will be on October 30th at 5pm in the Dermatology conference room. Dr. Wagner will be discussing the Honors Research program and all that it encompasses. We will also be hearing from a few current residents that have participated in honors research. All the information should be very helpful and informative to those thinking about it. For the 3rd yr students, the deadline to get your application in is only a couple of months away!
See you there,
Fadi

Congratulations On Passing the Dermatology Boards!

Congratulations to Drs. Brent Kelly and Allison Readinger, the two most recent UTMB Dermatology Residency Graduates (2006), for passing their Dermatology Boards and achieving Board Certification in Dermatology. This accomplishment marks the 6th year in a row that all of the graduating senior dermatology residents at UTMB have passed the Dermatology Boards on the first attempt.

Where have UTMB students Matched?

We thought it might be useful to put a list of programs where UTMB students have been successful matching over the past few years. Since they are receptive to taking students from our school, it is definitely worthwhile to apply to these programs and perhaps to do away rotations at them:

2006: UTMB, Texas A&M-Scott & White, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program, University of Wisconsin Program (Madison)

2005: Baylor College of Medicine, University of Colorado, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education Program (Rochester, MN)

2004: UTMB, LSU (New Orleans)

2003: UTMB (2 students)

Successful First DIG Meeting!!

I want to thank everyone for making our first DIG meeting such a success! A special thank you to Dr. Fridlington, Dr. Weaver, and Dr. Perri for attending and being so helpful with their advice. We had an excellent turnout, including 16 first, second, third, and fourth year students. If anyone has any requests for topics to be covered in future meetings this year, please feel free to email me at argroup@utmb.edu or Fadi at fcconst@utmb.edu and we will do our best to accommodate your request! Dr. Wagner, our faculty sponsor and director of the Dermatology Residency Program at UTMB will be speaking at our next meeting in about four weeks. We will send out a notification after the date has been set. I look forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting!

Sincerely,
Ashley Group

First DIG Meeting!!

Hi Everyone! I wanted to let y'all know that we will be having our first Dermatology Interest Group meeting for this year on Tuesday, September 26, at 5:00 pm in the Dermatology Conference Room (4th floor McCullough Building). Some of the Dermatology residents and Dr. Wagner will be joining us to share their insight into the field. We plan to discuss and have Q & A on how to make yourself a competitive applicant when applying to residency programs and find out more about the program here at UTMB. Please email me if you plan on attending and/or if you have any questions about the program for this year.

Ashley Group

UTMB Dermatology Residency Receives Continued Accreditation

Congratulations to the UTMB Dermatology Residency Program for receiving Continued Accreditation from the Residency Review Committee for Dermatology, effective 8/13/06. The next survey is scheduled for August 2011.

Honors Program

The Honors Research Program: Guidelines and Operating Policies (Many thanks to Dr. Simon Lewis in providing this for us)

General

The School of Medicine at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) offers an Honors Research Program in research training for medical students that augments the regular medical school curriculum and leads to the conferment of Honors in Research in a Special Field at graduation. The Honors Research Program is administered by a Steering Committee composed of five senior members of the Medical School Faculty appointed by the Dean of Medicine. The Chair of the Steering committee is the Director of the Program.

Students wishing to participate in this program can apply for entry by submitting a research proposal that has been approved by a Research Director, a full time faculty member under whom the student will perform the research. Successful completion of this project will require a substantial investment of time and intellectual effort. In some instances, the student may elect to devote a substantial amount of time (one year) to the research project. Acceptable projects will require the equivalent of at least several months of full-time effort, and students are strongly advised to enter the Program as early as possible.

Application Procedure

A complete and acceptable application to the Honors Program consists of the following:

1. A research proposal. The proposal must be typewritten, 5-12 pages in length, single spaced, including an appropriate bibliography. The general outline and style of an NIH research grant application should be utilized with the following sections, in order: (a) specific aims/objectives of the project (what is to be done; hypotheses to be tested); (b) significance, rationale, and background of the project (why the proposed work is important); preliminary data and/ or relevant experience of the applicant (this is a feasible project for which I have the required or can acquire the skills and knowledge to perform); (d) experimental design and methods to be utilized to meet the goals of the project (a description of the protocols to be used and how they will answer your aims. How many experiments? How will you validate your results; how reliable are they? Are there pitfalls, problems, alternative explanations, or conclusions? Is the amount of experimental work realistic for the time you have available?); and (e) bibliography.

2. Letter of support from Research Director. A faculty member must write a letter indicating his/her willingness to supervise the proposed project, the availability of adequate resources to support the project, and an estimate of a reasonable time frame for completing the project. The student submits this letter and the faculty ‘s CV along with the proposal to the Steering Committee.

3. Timely submission of the proposal. Successful research of high quality can be accomplished only if the work is thoughtfully planned and adequate time is allowed to perform the experiments to evaluate the results, and to communicate the findings and their significance. Students also need time to find and interact with potential mentors, to explore the literature, and to learn techniques and perform preliminary experiments. Thus, students interested in the Honors Program should begin to examine this option as early as possible. Only in rare cases and with careful written justification will applicants to the Honors Program be accepted after the end of December of the junior year.

Acceptance into the Honors Program will be determined by a majority vote of the members of the Steering Committee.

Ad Hoc Thesis Committee and Monitoring of Progress. Upon acceptance of the research proposal by the Steering Committee, the latter will appoint, with advice from the Research Director, an Ad Hoc Thesis Committee consisting of from four to five members of the faculty, as follows: The Research Director (immediate faculty supervisor of the student), who will chair this committee; at least one member of the Steering Committee; and from two to three additional faculty members expert in the area of research pursued by the student. In some cases, the Steering Committee can appoint individuals to the Ad Hoc Thesis Committee from outside UTMB.

The responsibilities of the Ad Hoc Thesis Committee shall include:

1. Monitoring the student's research activities and academic performance in general;
2. Meeting as a committee with the student at least once before the defense to evaluate research progress and to report in writing to the Steering Committee the status of the work on each of these occasions;
3. Recommending changes or additions to the experimental work, if appropriate, based upon these regular meetings;
4. Reading and evaluating the thesis; and
5. Conducting a final thesis defense and oral examination.

The Honors Thesis

Successful completion of the Honors Program requires the writing and oral defense of a thesis. No limit will be set on the length of the thesis. However, it should follow the general form of a graduate-level thesis and have qualities of originality and significance, and should represent a definitive research effort. It should have sufficient merit to be considered for publication, in an appropriate form, in a quality, peer-reviewed journal. An alternative format can be a published or accepted manuscript supplemented by an expanded Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results not included in the manuscript, and Discussion.

The final oral defense of the thesis will be conducted by the Ad Hoc Thesis Committee no later than April 1st prior to graduation. This committee will then make a recommendation to the Steering Committee of whether or not the student merits graduation with Honors in a Special Field from UTMB. If this decision is favorable, the student, thesis title, honors designation, and Research Director will be identified in the program of the graduation exercises.

Proposals should be sent to:
Simon A. Lewis, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, RT 1069
The University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Boulevard
Galveston, Texas 77555-0641
Telephone 409-772-3397
e-mail slewis@utmb.edu

Transportation to Houston

If there is anyone who would like to ride together or follow each other to the Baylor Get Together in Houston on August 10 let me know!
-Ashley

Baylor Get Together

One of the residents at Baylor is helping to organize a get-together for students applying for dermatology in the Houston area (UT Houston, Baylor and UTMB). It has a lot of good information and you will meet a lot of faculty. Please email me at typoonaw@utmb.edu or ask Ashley or Fadi to let me know if you are interested in applying for derm and want to be added to the e-vite. This list of names will go to Dr. Raimer and then to Baylor's first year derm resident Amy McClung.


Thanks!
Tas Poonawalla

2006 UTMB Department of Dermatology Awards

Medical Students Completing the UTMB Honors Research Program in Dermatology

Chad Crim (Magna Cum Laude)

Emily Fridlington (Magna Cum Laude)

Joslyn Witherspoon (Magna Cum Laude)


Medical Student Awards

Edgar B Smith Endowed Scholarship Award for Excellent Dermatology Research by a Medical Student: Emily Fridlington

Thomas B. Freese Award for Overall Excellence in Dermatology: Julie Fridlington


Senior Dermatology Resident Awards

Medical Student Teaching Award for Excellent Dermatology Teaching by a Senior Resident: Brent Kelly, MD

Dermatology Faculty Award for Excellent Dermatology Research by a Senior Dermatology Resident: Brent Kelly, MD


Faculty Dermatology Awards

Medical Student Teaching Award for Excellent Dermatology Teaching by Dermatology Faculty: Erica Kelly, MD

Dermatology Resident Award for Excellent Dermatology Faculty Teaching: Richard F. Wagner, MD

Dermatology Resident Award for Excellent Dermatology Faculty Teaching by a Community Dermatologist: Norman D. Guzick, MD

UTMB Dermatology Honors Research Program Subject of Scholarly Article

Drs. Richard Wagner (UTMB DIG faculty advisor) and Simon Lewis (Chair, UTMB Honors Research Steering Committee Coordinator) have published a detailed article about their 6 year collective experience with the UTMB Dermatology Honors Research Program in the May 2006 issue of Dermatology Online Journal. The complete article appears at http://dermatology.cdlib.org/124/commentary/student/wagner.html

Fridlington Twins Receive 2006 UTMB Dermatology Medical Student Awards

Congratulations to Julie Fridlington (right) for winning the Thomas B. Freese Award for Overall Excellence in Dermatology and to her twin sister, Emily (left) for winning the Edgar B Smith Endowed Scholarship Award for Excellent Dermatology Research by a Medical Student. Following internship, Julie will take her dermatology residency at UTMB, while Emily will do her dermatology residency at the University of Iowa. UTMB Dermatology Department Chair, Dr. Sharon Raimer, made the award presentations at Friday Journal Club.

Congratulations to Dr. Brent Kelly

An article by senior UTMB dermatology resident Dr. Brent Kelly has been featured on the cover of Archives of Dermatology for the second time in 2006 (Kelly B, Kelly E. Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum in a patient with no recognizable enzyme abnormalities. Arch Dermatol 2006;142:615-618). His co-author was Erica Kelly, a UTMB dermatology faculty. Dr. Brent Kelly was previously the senior author of an article that appeared on the cover of the January 2006 Archives of Dermatology issue (Fridlington E, MS, Colome-Grimmer M, Kelly E, Kelly B. Tzanck smear as a rapid diagnostic tool for disseminated cryptococcal infection. Arch Dermatol 2006;142:25-27).

2006 UTMB Medical Student Awards for Excellent Dermatology Teaching by a Senior Dermatology Resident and a Dermatology Faculty

Congratulations to Drs. Brent and Erica Kelly for receiving the 2006 medical student annual awards for excellent dermatology teaching by a senior dermatology resident (Dr. Brent Kelly) and a dermatology faculty (Dr. Erica Kelly). Emily Fridlington, DIG 2005-2006 Co-President (center) made the award at the weekly dermatology journal club meeting.

Congratulations to Dr. Josh Dimmick

Congratulations to incoming first year dermatology Dr. Josh Dimmick for having a clinical photograph of "Smoker's Mustache" selected as a component for the April 2006 collage cover of Resident & Staff Physician. The publication citation is: Dimmick JR, Wagner RF Jr. A patient with smoker's mustache. Res Staff Phys 52(4):23-25, 2006. This case report provides an interesting review of exogenous hair-shaft discoloration.

UTMB Dermatopathology Fellowships 2007-2008

Congratulations to Ashley W. Allison, MD and Catherine C. McNeese, MD for accepting the 2007-2008 UTMB Dermatopathology Fellowship positions. Dr. Allison received her MD from the University of Alabama (Birmingham) in 2004 and is currently completing residency in pathology at UTHSC at Houston. Dr. McNeese graduated from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston in 2000 and completed a pathology residency at the UTHSC at Houston in 2004. She is currently an Advanced Surgical Pathology Fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Research Award

Congratulations to Dr. Karan Sra for her first prize poster award at the 2006 Annual Spring Texas Dermatological Society Meeting. The poster was entitled, "Can Development of Herpes Zoster Be Predicted?" Dr. Sra is currently a first year dermatology resident at UTMB.

Fun in the Sun

DIG has been asked to attend a community event at Mood Gardens on Saturday May 13, 2006 from 2:00pm-5:00pm. The name of the event is Fun in the Sun. They are asking for information on skin care, the effects of sun on the skin, and possibly dermatology screenings. Ashley and I will be setting up a table at the event in order to help out. More volunteers would be great. If we get more people to attend, we could split up the responsibilities into shifts. Please contact Ashley (argroup@utmb.edu) or myself (fcconsta@utmb.edu) if you are interested.
-Fadi

Congratulations to 2006 NSRF Dermatology Poster Award Winner

Douglas Nguyen, a second year medical student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, was awarded the 2006 National Student Research Forum Dermatology Poster Award for his basic science research, "Microthalmia transcription factor and melanocyte stimulation hormone mediate cytotoxicity to reactive oxygen species in human melanocytes." He also received 1st Place in the National Student Research Forum Overall Poster Awards. His coauthors were Prashiela Manga and Raymond Boissy.

Miles For Melanoma

The Miles for Melanoma Walk benefiting Melanoma Cancer Research & Awareness will take place on May 20, 2006 at the UTMB track (across from the field house) at 215 Holiday Drive. It is a 3.3 mile walk with kick-off beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registration deadline is May 5, 2006. Registrations received by April 14, 2006 will ensure a free t-shirt and a Goody Bag. There is no fee to participate, however, each walker is encouraged to raise at least $50 in pledges. To register, please visit www.TheSchlip.com and click on the Miles for Melanoma Logo and follow the directions.

The UTMB Department of Dermatology will be offering free skin cancer screenings after the walk from 10 am - 1 pm at the Galveston Family Health Clinic at 3828 Avenue N in Galveston (39th and N Ave)

This event is in conjunction with the DIG and the Student Occupational Therapy Association.

Honors Thesis Results

Congratulations to Chad Crim and Emily Fridlington who were awarded Magna Cum Laude research graduation honors today for their research thesis presentations.

Chad Crim's research was entitled, "A Histopathologic Review Comparing Seborrheic Keratoses Excised by Dermatologists vs. Nondermatologists"

Emily Fridlington's research was entitled, "Cutaneous Vibrio Infections: A Review of Patients Presenting to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX, January 1996-November 2005"

March DIG Meeting

The DIG held its March meeting on March 20, 2006. New officers were elected for the 2006-2007 term. Congratulations to new co-presidents, Ashley Group and Fadi Constantine!!! Our new community outreach coordinator is Courtney Freasier!

We also discussed the upcoming community service projects including:
1) High school sun safety program: Jennifer Pike will coordinate the dates with the high schools and the DIG will hold a meeting to review the presentation prior to the date.

2) Miles for Melanoma: The DIG plans on holding a "Miles for Melanoma" walk to take place on May 20, 2006. Courtney Freasier will coordinate the site and send out announcements once plans are finalized. Members of DIG, as well as, community members will obtain pledges to go toward melanoma research. After the walk, participants will be encouraged to attend the department of dermatology's skin cancer screening. The walks are coordinated with the Schlip Foundation. For more information on Miles for Melanoma, please visit www.theschlip.com

3)AAD Skin Cancer Screening: On May 20, 2006 the DIG will participate in the AAD skin cancer screening. The screening will take place from 10 am - 1 pm. Members will assist in registering patients and distributing information on skin cancer, sun safety and sunscreen samples.

Congratulations to 3rd year dermpaths

Congratulations to Dr. Allison Readinger for accepting a dermatopathology fellowship at UT-Houston with Dr. Ron Rapini beginning July 2006!

Both of senior dermatology residents will be doing dermpath fellowships in July (Dr. B. Kelly will remain at UTMB for dermpath).

Dermatology Interview Questions 2005-2006

Interview questions compiled by UTMB Dermatology applicants 2005-2006
QUESTIONS:

Tell me about yourself.

How did you become interested in dermatology?

Tell me something unique about yourself so that I will be able to remember you later.

If you did not go into medicine, what do you think you would have done instead?

Teach me something non-medical.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?

What has been your biggest failure?

What are your strengths?

What are your weaknesses?

What can you bring to this program?

What do you like to do outside of school?

Tell me about an interesting dermatology case you have seen.

What are your plans if you do not match?

If you were not going into dermatology, what other field might you have gone into?

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

What do you want to do after residency?

Tell me about a time that you went beyond expectations for a patient.

What do you not enjoy about medicine?

Tell me about your leadership experience.

Do you have any questions?

Who in your family are you most like?

If you were a breakfast cereal, what would you be?

What is one word your friends would use to describe you?

Sum up your life in 1 sentence?

If you had to say 1 reason why people may not like you, what would it be?

If you could have lunch with one famous person, who would it be?

Favorite book/movie?

Tell me about your research?

Why did you major in __________ in college?

Describe your perfect day.

Name a time in your life when you failed and how you overcame it?

What would your mom/best friend say about you?

How do you want to be remembered?

What do you like/dislike about your own derm. program?

How do you feel about parents who make their children work in college?

What are you afraid of?

Why did you apply here in particular?

What was your favorite extra-curricular activity in medical school?

Tell me about your volunteer activities?

What types of interview questions do you not like to be asked?

If I could only ask you one question, what would you want me to ask you?

What have you liked/disliked about your other interviews?

Who is your best friend?

Are you interested in research?

Tell me your biggest challenge in medical school.

What type of leader are you?

What type of study habits do you have/ what was your formula for success in medical school?

How will you support your co-residents?

Have you had a chance to get familiar with the city?town?etc.

Describe something in my office.

What sticks out as interesting to you in my office?

Be prepared to answer questions about any information you put on your CV and Personal Statement

Dermatology interviews offered to UTMB students 2005-2006

UTMB medical students/graduates interviewed at 24 sites for a residency in Dermatology.

Dartmouth

Marshfield Clinic

Mayo, Rochester

Medical University of South Carolina

Medical College of Wisconsin

NYU

Scott and White

Southern Illinois University

St. Louis University

SUNY Buffalo

U. of Alabama, Birmingham

University of California Davis

University of California Irvine

University of Iowa

University of Missouri

University of South Florida

University of Tennessee, Memphis

University of Wisconsin, Madison

UT Houston

UTMB

UT San Antonio

U. of Wisconsin, Madison

U. of Virginia

Texas Tech

Honor's Thesis Result

Congratulations to Joslyn Witherspoon who was awarded Magna Cum Laude research graduation honors today for her honors research thesis presentation entitled

Public Health Efforts in the Prevention of Lip Cancer: Improving Awareness and Promoting Lip Protection Behavior Among the General Public

Upcoming DIG meeting reminder

The next DIG meeting will be Monday, March 20th in the Dermatology Conference Room (4.112 McCullough) at 5:00pm. We well be having officer elections.

Additionally, we will be voting for a senior dermatology resident and one dermatology faculty member for the annual medical student teaching awards. Please plan on attending.

CONGRATULATIONS to those Matched at UTMB

Julie Fridlington--UTMB
Ryan Matherne--LSU

CONGRATULATIONS to the Matches of 2006

4th year medical students from UTMB that matched:

Jennifer Pike--Scott and White
Julie Fridlington---UTMB
Emily Fridlington--University of Iowa

Former UTMB medical student:

Tasneem Poonawalla--University of Wisconsin, Madison

Honors Project Presentations

There will be 3 honors project presentations this year. All presentations will take place in the Dermatology Conference Room.

1.) Presenter: Joslyn Witherspoon, MS IV
Title: Public Health Efforts in the Prevention of Lip Cancer: Improving Awareness and Promoting Lip Protection Behavior Among the General Public
Date: March 17, 2006 3 p.m.

2.) Presenter: Chad Crim, MS IV
Title: A Histopathologic Review Comparing Seborrheic Keratoses Excised by Dermatologists vs. Nondermatologists
Date: March 24, 2006 1:30 p.m.

3.) Presenter: Emily Fridlington, MS IV
Title: Cutaneous Vibrio Infections at UTMB
Date: March 24, 2006 3 p.m.

February DIG Meeting

The third meeting of the DIG was held February 28, 2006. In attendance were 5 current members of the DIG and 2 new members along with faculty advisor Dr. Wagner. We were pleased to have 2 new members join the DIG, including Courtney Freasier who is a 5 year survivor of melanoma. Courtney shared her wonderful story of survival with the group. Topics discussed included the following:
1)Galveston County Health Fair community service project which will take place on March 4, 2006 at the Academy Sports Store from 9 am - 1 pm. The DIG will have a skin cancer and sun safety booth.
2)The High School outreach program with Ball High School and O'Connell High School will begin in April and May. Jennifer Pike, outreach chair, is coordinating the dates that the DIG can present sun safety workshops to students.
3)The AAD Skin Cancer Screening will also be taking place in May. The date is currently being finalized.
4)Other ideas that the DIG can implement in the future were also discussed. Including a possible fundraising activity to raise money for melanoma research, holding a lunch session with speaker and UTMB student Courtney Freasier about melanoma, and obtaining t-shirts for the DIG to advertise the group.
5)We are also looking for interested members to become officers for the year 2006-2007. Anyone interested in holding an office in the DIG, please contact co-presidents Emily Fridlington or Joslyn Witherspoon.

7th Annual Dermatopathology Course

The 7th annual Dermatopathology course will be held on April 29-30, 2006 on campus and conducted by Drs. Maria I. Colome-Grimmer, Daniel B. Crump, Sigurd J. Torgerson and Chris Nelson. This year there will be 143 glass microscopic slides and 70 kodachromes reviewed. Interested UTMB students are invited to attend and can register by contacting Amy Constantine at extension 2-1911.

Feb. DIG meeting

The next DIG meeting will be held Feb. 28th at 5:00 pm in the Dermatology Conference Room (4.112 John McCullough Bldg.). We plan to discuss the upcoming Galveston County Health Fair (March 4th) and election of new officers. Please plan on attending.

Dr. Kelso's Honors Program Research published

Congratulations to Dr. Becky Kelso and Dr. Wagner!

Dermatol Surg. 2006 Feb;32(2):177-83.


p75NGFR Immunostaining for the Detection of Perineural Invasion by Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Lewis Kelso R, Colome-Grimmer MI, Uchida T, Wang HQ, Wagner RF Jr.

BACKGROUND: Perineural invasion (PNI) in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) may portend a poor prognosis for patients. p75NGFR (nerve growth factor receptor) is part of a membrane receptor complex that binds nerve growth factor. Its use for detecting PNI in CSCC in comparison with S-100 immunohistochemical staining has not been explored. OBJECTIVE : To determine whether detection of PNI may be improved by staining with p75NGFR compared with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and S-100. METHODS: Thirty-four cases of CSCC were retrospectively evaluated for the presence of PNI using standard H&E, as well as S-100 and p75NGFR immunohistochemical stains. Staining intensity was correlated to the presence or absence of PNI and tumor differentiation. RESULTS: The results showed a positive correlation between staining intensity and the presence of PNI detected by p75NGFR (p = .04). Using p75NGFR allowed for the detection of seven cases of PNI not detected by H&E alone. Five of these cases were detected by S-100, with two cases seen by p75NGFR only. Six cases of PNI were detected using S-100 not seen on H&E, with one case also not seen using p75NGFR. CONCLUSION: p75NGFR immunostaining increased detection of PNI compared with H&E. p75NGFR could serve as an alternative to S-100 in the detection of PNI or as part of an immunostaining panel for PNI detection.

PMID: 16442036 [PubMed - in process]

Congratulations to Tasneem Poonawalla and Dr. Dayna Diven for their publication this month in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology!

J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Feb;54(2):324-5.
Related Articles, Links
Syphilis and the city.

UTMB DIG blog has been published in the Dermatology Online Journal

Congratulations to Tasneem Poonawalla and Dr. Richard Wagner for recent publication of an article on the UTMB DIG blog in the Dermatology Online Journal. The link is http://dermatology.cdlib.org/121/commentary/blog/wagner.html for those wishing to view the article.

January DIG Meeting

The DIG held its second meeting on 1/24/06. In attendance were Dr. Wagner, Co-presidents Joslyn Witherspoon and Emily Fridlington, Jennifer Pike, Julie Fridlington, Julie Cummings, Kristin Pogue, and Karlie Heckaman.

The first half of the meeting consisted of a resident panel. The residents that graciously conducted the Q & A session were Dr. Sra, Dr. Perri, Dr. Ramirez and Dr. Weaver. Topics discussed included research opportunities, how to prepare for the boards, the typical day of a dermatology resident, and what makes a good dermatology applicant. We would like to thank the residents for coming and sharing their insight with the DIG.

The second half of the meeting was about community service projects that the DIG will be conducting which include:
1.) The Galveston County Health Fair on March 4, 2006 on Seawall at the Academy Sports Store Parking Lot. The DIG will have a table on skin cancer and sun safety with various informational brochures and sunscreen samples.
2.) The High School Outreach Program at Ball High will most likely take place in April or May of this year. We will contact the school in order to decide what dates work best for them.
3.) AAD Skin Cancer Screening will take place in May. The DIG will assist the dermatology department with their annual skin cancer screening by registering patients and providing them with material on skin cancer.

Case report featured on cover of Archives

The cover of this month's Archives of Dermatology features a case report by our very own Emily Fridlington!

Full reference:

Tzanck Smear as a Rapid Diagnostic Tool for Disseminated Cryptococcal Infection
Emily Fridlington, MS; Maria Colome-Grimmer, MD; Erica Kelly, MD; Brent C. Kelly, MD
Arch Dermatol. 2006;142:25-27.

DIG Meeting

The UTMB DIG will be having a meeting Jan 24th at 5:00 pm in the Dermatology Department conference room. We will have a resident panel to answer questions, and we'll be discussing the up coming Galveston County Healthfair. Please plan on attending.