Two UTMB Dermatology Residents Coauthor Cutting Edge Research

DIG congratulations go out to coauthors Dr. Leslie Markle, a PGY2 UTMB dermatology resident, and Dr. M. Petitt, a PGY4 UTMB dermatology resident, for their excellent publication in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the leading dermatology publication. Dr. Brent Kelly was the first author on this research, and other UTMB coauthors were Dr. J. Vickers (currently a PGY2 dermatology resident at New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY), Dr. S. Raimer (UTMB dermatology chair) and Dr. C. McNeese, a former UTMB dermatopathology fellow. The complete citation to this article is: Kelly BC, Markle LS, Vickers JL, Petitt MS, Raimer SS, McNeese C. The imbalanced expression of matrix metalloproteinases in nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. J Am Acad Dermatol 2010;63:483-9.

Liz Carmichael Joins UTMB Dermatology Clinic

Liz Carmichael, RN, MSN, FNP-C is well known to the Galveston community through her past work in the UTMB dermatology clinic (certified as a dermatology nurse by the Dermatology Nurses Association) and more recently in the UTMB Department of Family Medicine as a certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Ms. Carmichael, who holds her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master’s degree in Nursing from UTMB’s School of Nursing, has accepted a clinical position in the UTMB Dermatology Clinic starting in September 2010. Welcome back to dermatology, Ms. Carmichael! We all missed you and are very happy to have you back!

UTMB DIG meeting on Thursday, September 2nd!

Join us for the first UTMB DIG meeting of the year! Our guest speaker will be Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Residency Director for the Department of Dermatology.

Where: Joe's Cafeteria

When: Thursday September 2, 2010 @ 5:00 PM

RSVP to Lindsey Hunter: lihunter@utmb.edu

Questions? Comments? Please email UTMBDIG@gmail.com

UTMB Welcome Weekend

The UTMB Welcome Weekend was a huge success this past Saturday at the Moody Gardens Convention Center. Many student organizations and local businesses were present to meet and greet incoming UTMB students. The UTMB Dermatology Interest Group is excited to welcome nearly 50 new blog subscribers who signed up at this event!

UTMB DIG Galveston President, Lindsey Hunter (Left), and Vice President, Rebecca Philips (Right), above at the UTMB Welcome Weekend recruiting new members.

Bug (2007) Incorporated into Film Course

Bug, a 2007 horror film about delusions of parasitosis, has become the 15th required film for DERU-4051 and DERU-4007 beginning in Period 4 (starts on September 20th). Dr. Wagner wanted to include the horror film genre in the course syllabus of required film analysis, so that the medical students would have an opportunity to understand how representative skin diseases are depicted in a variety of films.

DIG Officers' Meeting Recap, 8/19/2010

The DIG officers’ meeting was a productive one! For more information on items discussed, see below.

1.) UTMB DIG to join Facebook - Stay tuned for more information on how to join the UTMB DIG Facebook group.
2.) Community Outreach – This year, DIG will continue educating the public on the importance of sun protection and skin cancer awareness at local schools, health fairs, and other community events. We also have plans to start a psoriasis education and awareness project.
3.) UTMB Welcome Weekend – Lindsey Hunter and Rebecca Philips to promote DIG this Saturday, August 21, 2010, at the Moody Gardens Convention Center from 10:45 – 12:45 PM.
4.) Miles for Melanoma – TBA
5.) *New* Contact Dermatitis Outreach Chair – Chelsea Altinger, MS2, to help DIG with a contact dermatitis education and awareness project!
6.) Upcoming meetings - Tentatively scheduled for September 2, 2010, October 7, 2010, and November 11, 2010.

To get involved with the UTMB DIG, e-mail Lindsey Hunter at lihunter@utmb.edu.

Dermatology Film Class Goes to Monday/Thursday Schedule

DERU-4051 and DERU-4007, UTMB’s popular film class that studies movie depictions of skin diseases, will start meeting on Monday and Thursday mornings at 10 am starting Period 3 (beginning on August 23). Dr. R. Wagner, the course director, said “Many of the MS4 film students have residency interviews on Fridays, so moving the class to meetings on Mondays and Thursdays will permit more medical students to participate in the class discussions, which are integral to the class.” This class also has a teleconferencing option, so that students not on the Galveston campus may participate in class discussions by phoning into a conference call that is available for each class meeting. If students are unable to participate in class discussion, they may make up the missed class through a writing assignment that is detailed in the course syllabus.

UTMB Dermatology Volunteers Return From Camp Dermadillo

UTMB PGY4 dermatology residents, Drs. Matt Petitt and John Stephens, and MS4, Rod Mahmoudizad, recently returned from Camp Dermadillo, held in Burton, Texas for children with skin diseases. Thanks for contributing your skills this summer!

UTMB has a New Name!

The UT regents have approved a new name for The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). We will now be known as “utmb Health.” According to utmb Health President David Callendar, the historical name was confusing to the public because they did not understand what a “medical branch” was.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7151432.html

Dr. Monica Scheel’s Clinical Observation Published in Dermatology Times

Dr. Monica Scheel, UTMB Dermatology Residency Class of 1999, has been quoted about her followup care for melanoma patients in Hawaii. In the August 2010 issue of Dermatology Times (Volume 31, Number 8, page 13), Dr. Scheel advises checking vitamin D levels in patients with a history of melanoma. She has found that 50% of these patients in her solo private practice are low in vitamin D, a surprising finding due to her geography.

Annual UTMB Dermatology Residents and Faculty Survey

Pooled anonymous data from UTMB dermatology and faculty gathered through New Innovations surveys indicated that both residents and attendings alike are pleased with the current quality and direction of the UTMB dermatology residency program. The survey is administered yearly to provide anonymous resident and faculty input so that program changes may be made if needed. One faculty commented that three major strengths of training in dermatology at UTMB were: “1. Academic quality of residents and faculty; 2. Comprehensive didactic education; 3. Exceptionally strong dermatopathology, consultation dermatology, pediatric dermatology and dermatologic surgery training.”

UTMB Dermatology Discontinuing Angleton Dermatology Clinic Next Month

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike (2008), UTMB Dermatology established a satellite clinic in Angleton, Texas. Since that time, the UTMB Dermatology Clinic in Bay Colony (League City) was built, with the capacity to absorb the Angleton dermatology practice. By the end of September 2010, all of the current Angleton Clinic dermatology patients will be transferred to the Bay Colony Clinic.

DIG Members Awarded the AOA Medical Student Service Project Award

The UTMB DIG Galveston President, Lindsey Hunter, and Vice President, Rebecca Philips, were awarded $850 by the National AOA Office to continue the very successful AOA Medical Student Service Project, "Stay Shady!" This activity will be featured in The Pharos and on the AOA website later this year. The "Stay Shady!" project was initiated in 2008 by the former UTMB DIG Austin President and current PGY-1, Dr. Alison Wiesenthal.

Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved with this project during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Congratulations Matthew Dinehart

Matthew Dinehart, a Duke University undergraduate student, has published his original research about the diagnosis of skin lesions using frozen and permanent sections. He is the grandson of the late Dr. Ben Smith, former UTMB Dermatology Department Chair (1978-1999) and American Academy of Dermatology President (1989), and the son of Dr. Scott Dinehart, a former UTMB dermatology resident (Class of 1987) and UTMB SOM (Class of 1983), now practicing in Little Rock, Arkansas. The citation for this publication is: Dinehart MS, Coldiron BM, Hiatt K, Breau RL. Concordance of frozen and permanent sections for the diagnosis of skin lesions. Dermatol Surg 2010;36:1111-5.

Dr. Audra Clos Cited in MDLinx

Dr. Clos' recent article, "Therapeutic removal of amyloid deposits in cutaneous amyloidosis by localised intra-lesional injections of anti-amyloid antibodies," that was published in Experimental Dermatology was featured on MDLinx.com. Her article was assigned to the specialties of dermatology, rheumatology, and pathology. Dr. Clos is currently on the PGY1 rheumatology elective at UTMB. A link to this citation appears at http://www.mdlinx.com/rheumatology/news-article.cfm/3240008.

On the Importance of Checking and Responding to Email

No doubt that medical students are about the busiest people around! However, believe it or not, it is very important to check your email at least once a day. Many of our friends and family have abandoned email in favor of more instant electronic technologies, but important material is still sent by email. Once you receive an important email, make sure that you “close the loop” with a speedy response, even if you plan a more detailed response later. This is especially important advice during the dermatology interview season (November through February) when the ability to quickly respond to email may determine if you are able to select a preferred interview date.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Dermatology Applications from “DermMatch” (SDN)

Check out this very informative website below:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=590380