UTMB Welcome Weekend

The UTMB Welcome Weekend Community Fair was a huge success. 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 during the event!


Thank you to the UTMB DIG Community Service Chairs, Ryan Riahi (Left) and André Pitt (Right), and Second Year Rep, Will Tausend (Middle), for recruiting new members at this event!

UTMB Family Medicine Teaching Dermatology Procedures at Primary Care Pavillion

Please see link for the upcoming teaching session for medical students on primary care procedures at the Primary Care Pavillion on September 15, 2011. http://fammed.utmb.edu/home/pcp2.aspx

DIG Poison Ivy Community Education Project Unfunded

The UTMB DIG has received news that the UTMB President’s Cabinet was unable to provide funding for their “Elusive Ivy” proposal. A number of positive comments were received, including, “Liked the student initiated program.” Thanks to our proposal author, Chelsea Altinger and Drs. Lindsey Hunter and Richard Wagner for their help.

UTMB Dermatologist, Dr. Erica Kelly, Gives Advice in Fitness Magazine

UTMB's Dr. Erica Kelly gives advice in the September 2011 Fitness Magazine article "beat-the-clock beauty". She recommends keeping a face powder with SPF in your bag to dust over your skin when it's time to reapply sunscreen.

See the full article here: beat-the-clock beauty.

UTMB’s New Hospital

UTMB President David Callender announced today the University of Texas System Board of Regents has approved a new Jennie Sealy Hospital in Galveston that is scheduled to open in 2016. The new hospital will cost $438 million. The Sealy & Smith Foundation has pledged $170 million. The Texas Legislature has approved a $150 million Tuition Revenue Bond for this purpose. UTMB will fund $118 million for construction costs, and plans to raise $100 million through philanthropy. For additional information, please see http://www.utmb.edu/president/messages/.

UTMB Dermatology Residency Alum Publishes Paper

Congratulations to Dr. Renée Y. Cobos for publishing a paper entitled “Prevalence of nasal staphylococcus aureus colonization in a dermatology practice and implications for care” in the August 2011 (Volume 8) issue of Practical Dermatology (pages 32-4, 36). The study reported that 14% of her study patients had nasal cultures that were positive for S. aureus. Topical mupirocin therapy and oral antibiotic treatment were offered to subjects with positive nasal cultures. Dr. Cobos completed her dermatology residency at UTMB in 1989. She is in private dermatology practice in Fullerton, California.

New Melanoma Drug Approved by the FDA

The FDA approved Zelboraf (vemurafenib) today for the treatment of metastatic or unresectable melanoma. The drug specifically targets tumors that express BRAF V600E gene mutation, seen in a number of patients with late-stage melanoma. This has been an exciting year in the treatment of late-stage melanoma as Zelboraf is the second of the newly approved drugs to show improvement in overall survival.

For more information see the FDA News Release.

UTMB Dermatopathology Adopts Intellipath

Intellipath is a software system designed specifically for dermatopathology. This system allows us to improve reporting of biopsies, excisions, etc. by decreasing turnaround time, creating accurate and easy to read reports, and delivery of these reports back to the clinician in a customizable, user-friendly format. For example, reports can be delivered to a referring dermatologist via e-mail, secure fax, downloading from the internet (secured site) or interfacing with electronic medical records. The system also allows the lab to keep track of specimen bottles, blocks and slides using a bar code system. It helps reduce time entering data from lab and clerical personnel. Referring physicians notice a decreased turnaround time (time from when the biopsy is received in the lab to the time the report is delivered to them). In fact, turnaround time for routine cases is 1 day!!

Don’t Miss This

Dr. Brent Kelly (left rocker in picture) and his band Zaemon will be performing at their 20^th Anniversary Reunion at The Varsity Theatre on Friday at 9 pm on September 2nd in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to kick off Labor Day Weekend. For more information, please see the band’s facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zaemon/170248179699665?sk=app_178091127385
All are welcome!

Thanks Ms. Keeswood!

Ms. Marianne Keeswood is the “go to” person in the UTMB Dermatology Department when a UTMB medical student wants to take a dermatology selective or elective course. She will check to see if there is still availability in the course, now that there is a new maximum enrollment of three students in UTMB didactic dermatology selective and elective courses. She will also be able to help students find another dermatology course to take if there is no longer availability for the student’s first choice class. Students interested in adding or dropping dermatology electives or selectives should email her with their C-Form.

Meet the 2011-2012 UTMB Dermatology Residents

http://www.utmb.edu/dermatology/residents_fellows/current_residents.html

BSHS Selective “Narratives of Skin Diseases” DERU-4012 Now Available All Periods

Dr. Wagner’s popular BSHS Selective, “Narratives of Skin Diseases” (DERU-4012) is now available during all Periods, starting with Period 3 that begins on August 22, 2011. Due to budgetary cutbacks at UTMB, the maximum student enrollment for each Period is limited to 3. For the past two years, this class was only available during Period 13.

UTMB Dermatology Increases Maximum Enrollment in History of Dermatology Class (DERU-4008)

It did not take long for the UTMB Dermatology Department to increase its maximum student enrollment from 2 to 3 students in the History of Dermatology elective (DERU-4008) for all Periods starting Period 3, which begins on August 22, 2011. However, it is unlikely that further class size increases will occur due to current budgetary issues.

The Turner Syndrome Society Houston Chapter learns how to "Stay Shady!"

The UTMB DIG would like to thank the Turner Syndrome Society Houston Chapter for inviting us to present "Stay Shady!" at their summer gathering at Moody Gardens last weekend. Families with children ages 2 to 16-years-old learned about the importance of sun protection and helpful tips to reduce skin cancer risk. After the presentation, audience members took our message to heart for a safe and fun day in the sun at Palm Beach.

UTMB DIG Officers Rebecca Philips (MS4, left), Ryan Riahi (MS4, middle) and Chelsea Altinger (MS3, right) present “Stay Shady!”

For more information about the Turner Syndrome Society Houston Chapter, visit their website: http://www.turnersupport.org/.

New UTMB Elective and Selective Changes Announced

Due to state cuts in funding for medical student education, UTMB has recently made changes in the way departments earn teaching credits for nonclinical electives and selectives during the MS3 and MS4 years. This change will have a big impact on didactic courses offered by the UTMB Department of Dermatology. Fortunately, students already registered in these courses for the current 2011-2011 academic year are not impacted by these new guidelines. However, students still hoping to add or drop some of these electives may potentially be.

The first big change that students will notice during the current academic year is that they will not be able to add any dermatology didactic electives if there are already three students enrolled in the class. That is because according to UTMB’s new guidelines, departments will only receive teaching credit for up to 3 students per course. In the future when Ms. Keeswood receives a C Form request to add a dermatology selective or elective, she will first check to see if the there are already three or more students in the class. If there are already three or more students in the class, she will not be able to approve the C Form request. In addition, students requiring C Form permission for a late drop of a class where there are 3 or less students will not be given permission to drop unless there is another student on the class waiting list who still wants to take the class.

During the next academic year, this change will probably have a greater impact on students. The maximum class enrollment for didactic dermatology electives and selectives will be limited to 3 students for each class. This will have the biggest impact on the two popular dermatology film classes (elective DERU-4007 and selective DERU-4051). About 150 students took these two classes during the past 2009-2010 academic year. Next year only 6 students per Period (3 in each section) will be permitted to register for these classes, for a maximum annual enrollment of 78 students. Students interested in taking either of these courses during the next academic year are advised to pre-register for them during the spring enrollment period. Sadly, over-enrollments will not be permitted for any elective or selective beyond the maximum enrollment permitted.

The UTMB Dermatology Department hopes to create additional courses to address anticipated medical student demand for the next academic year. The UTMB Dermatology Interest Group (DIG) blog plans to keep everyone posted as these updates become available.

Dr. Garland Anderson, UTMB Executive Vice President, Provost, and SOM Dean Resigns

Dr. Garland Anderson has announced his resignation as UTMB’s Executive Vice President, Provost and SOM Dean effective August 31, 2011. UTMB President David Callender has appointed Dr. Cary Cooper, Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences as the Interim Executive Vice President and Provost, and Dr. Don Prough, Chair of Anesthesiology, as the Interim Dean for the School of Medicine. Dr. Cooper and Ms. Donna Sollenberger, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of UTMB’s Health System will co-chair the search for a new SOM Dean. For additional information, please see http://gsbs.utmb.edu/_pdf/announcementAug04.pdf

ACGME Gravely Concerned About Proposed Medicare Cuts In Graduate Medical Education

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has published a letter detailing their grave concerns about the future of graduate medical education in the United States and its possible consequences if the proposed drastic cuts in educational funding for residents become a reality. For additional information, please see http://www.acgme.org/acWebsite/home/ACGME_Statement_on_Medicare_GME_Reimbursement.pdf

Texas Legislature Slashes $114 Million from UTMB's 2012 Budget

According to the Houston Chronicle, UTMB will be forced to let 250 employees go, including about 120 from the academic enterprise.

See the article for more information: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7661858.html.