More Dermatology Programs Requesting Secondary Materials from Applicants

Several dermatology programs are now requesting supplemental materials from applicants in addition to the universal ERAS application. Given the deep academic talent in the current pool of dermatology applicants and the widespread strategy employed by applicants of applying to almost every training program, it is understandable why some programs are especially interested in understanding why an applicant may be interested in their particular residency. Some programs have unique training environments and specific institutional goals, and may be looking for the “best fit” with applicants. Although such secondary requests are still the exception, it is possible that more programs may soon ask for additional materials as well and use this information as another tool to select applicants for an interview. UTMB does not currently request supplemental information from its dermatology applicants.

206 Dermatology Residency Applicants

206 dermatology residency applicants have already submitted their complete ERAS dermatology applications for three NRMP Categorical dermatology positions. However, at UTMB, dermatology residency applications are not reviewed until the November 1st deadline.

More UTMB Branding News

From youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnYcR9ca6Ow

Don’t Worry

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 28, the UTMB Police Department will conduct a training exercise involving a simulated shooting incident in the Jamail Student Center. The building will be closed to all students, staff and personnel not involved with the exercise from 2 to 6 p.m. that day. This is a training exercise only and will not be a real emergency situation. Many other emergency agencies, including the Galveston Fire Department and Galveston EMS, will be included in the exercise.

Learning from Zombies

Dr. Steven C. Schlozman, a visiting lecturer from Harvard Medical School, will be speaking on Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 at 5:30 pm in Levin Hall. Halloween costumes are optional, but there will be prizes for the best in three categories (medical, traditional and humorous). While the focus of this lecture is on the neurologic and behavioral abnormalities of zombies, this material is also expected to be of interest to dermatologists because zombies are rarely known to have normal skin.

DIG@UTMB reaches a record number of subscribers!

The editors of the DIG@UTMB blog are happy to announce that we have reached over 125 blog subscribers. Our subscribers include current and former UTMB dermatologists, residents, and medical students, residents and practicing physicians from other institutions, as well as non-medical subscribers interested in Dermatology. If you know anyone else that is interested in Dermatology, please spread the word!

We would like to thank everyone for their continued interest and support.

If you would like to subscribe to our e-mail list, or if you have any suggestions or comments, please contact us at utmbdig@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
UTMB DIG 2010-2011 Officers

DIG@UTMB has a new look!

We've redesigned the look and feel of our blog. From the burnt orange flare to the new RSS feed, easy search feature, social sharing tools, and a little bit of UTMB history, we hope that the DIG@UTMB blog will be even more user friendly and evident of our UTMB pride!

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at utmbdig@gmail.com, or share our posts on facebook or twitter using the icons below.

JAMA Publishes Demographic Information about Dermatology Residents

As of December 2009, there were 112 ACGME dermatology residency programs with 1080 residents. There were 687 women in this group. 1024 had graduated from US medical schools, 15 from osteopathic schools, and 40 from international medical schools (page 1256). This information was extracted from the September 15, 2010 issue of JAMA (“Graduate Medical Education, 2009-2010,” Volume 304, pages 1255-1270). 764 dermatology residents were White, 203 were Asian, 62 were Hispanic and 57 were Black (page 1265).

Good Source for Dermatology Information

DIG members may be interested in the link for The American Board of Dermatology, Inc. public website (http://www.abderm.org/), especially the “Newsletter” section. Did you know that for the last academic year, there were 445 PGY2 dermatology residency positions filled?

Third MS4 Dermatology Honors Research Thesis Approved for SOM Class of 2011

Congratulations to Melissa Efron, the UTMB DIG Austin Campus President, on the UTMB Honors Research Committee’s approval of her proposal entitled, “Dermal Scatter Reduction in Human Skin as a Method to Increase Efficacy of Laser Tattoo Removal.” Ms. Efron’s dermatology faculty advisor on this research is Dr. Dayna Diven, the UT-Southwestern-Austin Dermatology Program Director and expert on laser applications in dermatology. Her ad hoc thesis committee members, in addition to Dr. Diven, are from UTMB (Drs. Simon Lewis, Sharon Raimer, and Richard Wagner).

PGY3 UTMB Dermatology Residents Win Gold Medals

Congratulations to Drs. Ashley Group and Nate Davis for their gold medal wins over the weekend at the 2nd Annual Galveston Rebirth Races! This race commemorates Galveston’s Rebirth following Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Dr. Julie Fridlington Featured in UTMB Medical School Applicant Materials

Dr. Julie Fridlington (third from the left), a June 2010 graduate from the UTMB Dermatology Residency Program now practicing in Austin, is featured in UTMB Medical School Applicant materials that are given to premedical students visiting our campus for their medical school interviews. It was great seeing you again!

Dr. Ryan Matherne Accepts UTMB Dermatology Faculty Position

Congratulations to Dr. Ryan Matherne, one of the current UTMB Dermatopathology Fellows. He accepted a Department of Dermatology faculty appointment and held his first UTMB dermatology clinic since completing the UTMB dermatology residency in June 2010. We all look forward to interacting with you in the clinic and behind the microscope!

UTMB Increases House Staff Paycheck in October 2010

Learn more about Hurricane Ike (2008) through Film

Ball High School’s acclaimed film, “Ike: The Documentary” will be shown at the Grand 1894 Opera House (2020 Postoffice Street) on Monday, September 13 at 7 pm. This showing is free to the public, and commemorates the 2nd year anniversary of Hurricane Ike.

Do I Need 250 or more on Step 1 and AOA to Match in Dermatology?

No, but obviously it helps to be a superstar student with high Step 1 scores and with grades/leadership skills that have been recognized by your medical school (AOA). Those stats will certainly be rewarded by lots of interview opportunities. However, since 50% of dermatology positions go to medical students who are not in AOA, there is still a good chance of matching if you are able to distinguish your application with excellent letters of support by faculty who know you well, and you can demonstrate that you have success in research, especially if it is dermatology related. Advanced research degrees may also be of help here, but they are not required. It is usually more important that you are able to demonstrate academic productivity through publications than having the degree itself. Of course it may take several years of work to produce a curriculum vitae that will excite the academic dermatology community. Another unique statistic of the NRMP for dermatology is that at least 10% of available dermatology positions go to those who are not MS4s. This represents the group of applicants who are in their PGY1 year when applying, in dermatology fellowships, or those who either are completing or have completed residencies/fellowships in other specialties. In many instances, this applicant pool has substantial dermatology research experience or a highly sought skill-set such as dermatopathology board certification. The good news is that dermatology programs are still very open minded about the residency selection process, and want the best applicants that they can find for the specialty.

First Year Dermatology Resident on NIH R21 Grant

The DIG congratulates PGY2 dermatology resident Dr. Mara Dacso for her collaboration on Buruli Ulcer that focuses on early diagnosis through signal processing technology. The proposal was ranked in the 6th percentile for funding.

Second Dermatology Research Honors Project Approved for SOM Class of 2011

Congratulations go out to MS4 Kehinde Ogunmakin for her Dermatology Research Honors Project entitled, “Co-morbid psychiatric dysfunction in patients with keloids using GHQ-12: a comparison to patients with psoriasis.” Her ad hoc Honors Committee faculty members are Drs. Erica Kelly (Advisor), Simon Lewis, Sharon Raimer and Richard Wagner. We are all looking forward to your thesis presentation later this academic year!

9-2 DIG Meeting Recap

We had a great turn out at yesterday's meeting! DIG would like to thank Dr. Wagner for his very informative talk about getting into a Dermatology residency and the UTMB Dermatology Residency program. Below is a summary of the items Dr. Wagner discussed, followed by a meeting summary.

Summary of Dr. Wagner's Talk:
1.) UTMB is the only school that offers and Acting Internship in Dermatology! The AI is offered the first 5 periods of 4th year, and is a really good way to get to know the Dermatology faculty and residents in addition to getting exposure to Dermatology.

2.) The UTMB Department of Dermatology has a wide variety of electives, ranging from Clinical Dermatology and Research, to Dermatopathology and Dermatology in the Cinema.

3.) Dermatology is an extremely competitive field. 4th year students who match into dermatology often have many publications, research experiences, volunteer activities, superior USMLE Step 1 scores, and 50% belong to the AOA Medical Honor Society. If you don't match the first year, work on getting things published during your intern year, then reapply. Don't give up! It is very possible to match into Dermatology the second or third time around.

4.) Consider participating in the Honors Research Program in Dermatology. The official deadline for the Honors Proposal is 12/31 of the third year, but extensions may be possible with permission from Dr. Simon Lewis.

5.) The UTMB School of Medicine allows you to participate in a 6-8 week summer research elective between 1st and 2nd year. This is a good way to gain a research mentor, compete for various research awards, and perhaps even the opportunity to get published.

6.) PA students can rotate through the Dermatology clinic too!

7.) 1st year medical students can sign up for a 4 week pre-clinical Dermatology preceptorship at the end of the year. There are only 4 spots, but you can volunteer at the clinic if you want exposure to Dermatology.

8.) St. Vincent's Free Health Clinic has a Dermatology night once per month with a UTMB Dermatology faculty member who supervises students. This is a good way to gain experience in Dermatology and serve the community.

9.) UTMB Dermatology is one of the few programs to offer a dermatologic surgery rotation to medical students, as well as telederm/prison derm to both students and residents.

10.) Remember, the Dermatology faculty are here to help!

UTMB DIG Meeting Summary:
1.) The UTMB DIG has a Facebook Group! Check it out: UTMB Dermatology Interest Group

2.) The UTMB DIG will be volunteering at the La Porte Health and Safety Fair on 9/25/2010 at La Porte Junior High, 9 – 1 PM

3.) Contact Melissa Efron (mfefron@utmb.edu), the UTMB DIG Austin President, for information on how to get involved with the UTMB DIG in Austin.

4.) The American Contact Dermatitis Society Meeting will be in Dallas, TX this year, October 14-16th. Contact Chelsea Altinger (cealting@utmb.edu) if you would like to attend.

5.) Upcoming meetings will include a "Meet the 1st year Derm Residents" session and a pig foot suturing session (this spring)

6.) DIG has openings for several committees, e-mail the officers to join or find out more information:

a.) Miles for Melanoma Committee - contact Auris (aohuen@utmb.edu) or Kenne (koogunma@utmb.edu)

b.) Stay Shady! (Sun Protection/Skin Cancer Awareness) Committee - contact Michaela (mrmarek@utmb.edu) or Kris (kbmccall@utmb.edu)

c.) Allied Health Outreach Committee - contact Lindsey (lihunter@utmb.edu)

New Research Grant Program from the Melanoma Research Foundation

In collaboration with Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA), the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) has opened up a new medical student research grant program. This program provides opportunities and funding for medical students to engage in short clinical or laboratory-based research projects focused on better understanding the biology and treatment of melanoma. Grant awards are $3000. The application process is open now and will close on October 31st. For more information about the grant program, please visit the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) website:

http://www.melanoma.org/research/mrf-medical-student-research-grant

DIG Meeting - Location Change

Please note that tonight's UTMB DIG meeting will now be held in the Dermatology Conference Room, 4.130 McCullough, at 5 PM.

Reminder: DIG Meeting Tomorrow

The UTMB DIG will have its first meeting tomorrow evening, September 2nd, at 5:00 PM in Joe's Cafeteria. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Residency Director for the Department of Dermatology. Dr. Wagner will cover topics including the residency selection process and what the UTMB Dermatology department has to offer medical students. We look forward to seeing you!

Questions? Comments? Please email UTMBDIG@gmail.com