Stay Shady! at Trinity Episcopal School

Last Wednesday, January 26th, UTMB DIG's Community Outreach Co-Chair, Michaela Marek (MS4), presented Stay Shady! at Trinity Episcopal School in Galveston. She taught over 40 Kindergarten and 1st grade students about the importance of sun safety.

The UTMB DIG would like to thank Trinity Episcopal for hosting us and for being such a wonderful audience!

Reminder: DIG Bake Sale Tomorrow!

Don't forget! The UTMB DIG is having a bake sale tomorrow (January 31st) and Tuesday (February 1st) in Joe's Cafeteria (Jamail Student Center located next to Old Red), from 11 AM to 1 PM!

Proceeds go to the UTMB DIG, whose goal is to help raise funds for melanoma research and promote sun protection awareness.

Contact Lindsey Hunter (lihunter@utmb.edu) or Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu) for more information.

We hope to see you there!

Rebecca Philips (MS3) Selected to be the 2011-2012 DIGA Sun Protection Project Co-Chair

Congratulations to UTMB DIG's Vice President, Rebecca Philips (MS3), who was recently selected to be the 2011-2012 Dermatology Interest Group Association's (DIGA) Sun Protection Project Co-Chair!

The purpose of DIGA’s Sun Protection Committee is to promote public awareness regarding the importance of sun protection in an effort to decrease the incidence of skin cancer. They provide resources and ideas to set up events and/or programs focused on increasing sun protective behaviors in both children and adults.

For more information about this organization, click on the following link: DIGA


UTMB DIG Officers who have participated in DIGA include:
Alison Wiesenthal, M.D. (Former UTMB Austin DIG President) - DIGA Community Service Director (2009-2010)
Lindsey Hunter (UTMB DIG Galveston President) - DIGA Allied Health Outreach Co-Chair (2010-2011)

UTMB Dermatology Receives “ePrescribing” Lecture

UTMB’s dermatology faculty and residents were instructed on how to use the new ePrescribing system that UTMB will launch next month.

As a part of its Meaningful Use initiative, UTMB will begin rolling out ePrescribing (eRx) to all ambulatory clinics currently using Epic in February 2011. The target audience for this initiative is clinic providers and nurses.

ePrescribing is defined as generating and transmitting permissible prescriptions electronically. This meaningful use core objective states that 40% of all prescriptions written by a provider are to be transmitted electronically. Controlled substances are excluded from this rule. Training will be held at various locations on and off campus beginning January 18th. For those unable to attend a training session in person, eLearning modules will be available by role. There will also be web meeting capabilities setup. Support and clinic Super users will be available in the clinics during the go-live phase.

Volunteers Still Needed for "Stay Shady!"

Interested in participating in the next "Stay Shady!" presentation? It's not too late to sign up!

Where: Trinity Episcopal School
When: 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 26th

Please contact Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu) as soon as possible if you are interested.

Dermatology Summer Research Opportunities for UTMB First Year Medical Students

UTMB's School of Medicine/Office of Student Affairs will again be sponsoring an 8 week dermatology research elective (Medical Student Summer Research Program) for UTMB first year medical students from May 2nd to June 24th. Participating students receive academic credit toward graduation for their research and a stipend. Interested students should contact dermatology faculty with similar research interests with their project idea. In the past, many dermatology projects that were started under the MSSRP have been presented at dermatology meetings and published. Dr. Lisa Cain (extension 2-1212) or Driana Urbina (extension 2-6063) may be contacted for additional information. This is a very good opportunity for MS1s to get dermatology exposure early.

Dermatology Times Headlines Difficulty of Obtaining Dermatology Residency

Senior Staff Correspondent for the Dermatology Times, John Jesitus, highlighted the shortage of dermatology residency positions relative to high medical student demand on the front page of the January 2011 issue of Dermatology Times. The article focused on lack of funding sources for the creation of new dermatology residency positions. According to the article, it costs between $225,000 and $300,000 to fund a dermatology resident (salary, benefits and secretarial/staff support) for the required 3 year program. If more funding sources could be found, more dermatology residency positions could be offered.

Cold Front Coming Through!

Wind chill expected to be mid 20s by late tonight and tomorrow morning in Galveston!

Bake Sale!

The UTMB DIG is having a bake sale! Proceeds go to the UTMB DIG, whose goal is to help raise funds for melanoma research and promote sun protection awareness.

Location: Joe's Cafeteria (Jamail Student Center)
Date: Monday, January 31st & Tuesday, February 1st
Time: 11 am -1 pm

Interested in donating baked goods? Contact Lindsey Hunter (lihunter@utmb.edu) or Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu).

We hope to see you there!

2011 Walk To Cure Psoriasis - Houston

The UTMB DIG is participating in the 2011 Walk to Cure Psoriasis, and we hope you'll join us in making a difference for those affected by psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis!

When: April 10, 2011
Where: Discovery Green - 1500 McKinney Street, Houston, Texas
Registration: Begins at 8:00 AM; Walk begins at 9:00 AM
Registration fee: Registration is free! All ages welcome!
Additional Information: You can participate in either the 1K (.62 mi) or 5K (3.1 mi) Walk
Purpose: To spread awareness about psoriasis, while raising money for psoriasis education, advocacy and research. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis.

It's easy to sign up! 
1) Click on the following link: Walk to Cure Psoriasis
2) Click on "Join an Existing Team." (on the right)
3) Under "Team name," enter our group name, UTMB DIG, then click "Search for a team". (at the bottom)
4) Click on "Join" to become a part of our Walking Team!

If you are interested in participating in this event, please contact Lindsey Hunter (lihunter@utmb.edu) or Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu).

We hope to see you there!

For further information about this event, contact the Houston Walk Coordinator at (877) 825-WALK (9255) or walk@psoriasis.org.

Dermatopathology Fellows Return from Hunting Trip

Dr. John Cangelosi (Dermatopathology fellow, right) and Dr. Ryan Matherne (Dermatopathology fellow and Dermatology faculty, left) recently made a hunting trip to Zapata, TX. While there, Dr. Cangelosi harvested a cull cowhorn spike buck that weighed 120lbs. Dr. Matherne harvested a mature doe and a feral hog in the same hunt. Both physicians were raised in environments that respected and appreciated wildlife, the outdoors, and the responsible management of game. They are both planning to practice in areas that will afford them the ability to continue enjoying this lifestyle.

Volunteer at the next “Stay Shady!” presentation!

The UTMB DIG is looking for volunteers for our next “Stay Shady!” presentation. We will be teaching students about sun protection and the harmful effects of sun exposure. It is always a lot of fun!

Where: Trinity Episcopal School
When: 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 26th

Please contact Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu) if you are interested.

AAD's Medical Student Diversity Scholarship Program Deadline is January 31, 2011

UTMB MS3 and MS4 medical students have been competitively selected in the past with this program that awards students $1500 to study dermatology on the UTMB campus or at another location for one month. For additional information please go to: http://www.aad.org/education/students/students.html.

Why are Step 1 Scores So Important to Dermatology Residency Programs?

An original article in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (Fening K, Vander Horst AV, Zirwas M. Correlation of USMLE Step 1 scores with performance on dermatology in-training examinations. J Am Acad Dermatol 2011;64:102-106) indirectly addresses this issue. The authors concluded that USMLE Step 1 scores were “…moderately, significantly correlated…” with the annual in-service dermatology test administered by the American Board of Dermatology. Statistically, the USMLE Step 1 score accounted about 26% of the in-service examination score variability. Of course, the other 74% of exam variability was due to other factors (“…quality of instruction, type of curriculum and motivational factors…resident work hours, family responsibilities, or personal problems…”), but 26% is still huge. The authors pointed out that the limitation of their study was a small sample size, with only 5 dermatology residency programs surveyed (86 residents with Step 1 scores ranging from 177 to 266).

Some dermatology programs may worry about accepting applicants who may not ultimately pass their board certification examination following completion of residency, because board certification examination failure reflects poorly on the training institution and may raise accreditation issues by the ACGME. These authors noted that a previous Step 1 failure will make it difficult to get dermatology interviews (2008 NRMP data cited). They also noted that only about 7% of applicants with a Step 1 Score of 220 or lower matched into a dermatology residency (2009 NRMP data).

UTMB PGY4 Dermatology Resident Accepts Procedural Fellowship

Congratulations to Dr. David Raimer, a current PGY4 UTMB dermatology resident, who has accepted a one year fellowship in Procedural Dermatology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (fellowship director, Conway Huang)! Dr. Raimer completed his undergraduate studies at Tulane University and medical school at The University of Texas Medical Branch. In previous years, and prior to the creation of ACGME Procedural Dermatology Fellowship, several other UTMB dermatology residents completed non-ACGME American College of Mohs Surgery fellowships, including Drs. Scott Dinehart (at Duke under fellowship director Sheldon Pollack, MD), Susan Dozier (at Washintgon University under fellowship director George Hruza, MD) and Mary Christian (at UCLA under fellowship director Ron Moy, MD).

Annual 2011 Dermatopathology Board Review Course Dates Announced

Dr. Brent Kelly will host UTMB’s Annual Dermatopathology Review on May 21 and 22, 2011 on the UTMB campus. Course registration materials will be available soon. All of the UTMB dermatology residents are regular participants, and they have found it to be excellent preparation for the annual practice boards and the real thing following graduation. Be sure to register early to reserve your spot!

PGY4 UTMB Dermatology Resident Receives Presidential Award

Dr. John Stephens was recently awarded The President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2010 from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. He received a certificate and a letter from The White House that was signed by President Obama.