UTMB Dermatology Residents and Faculty Rate Program Highly

The results of the 2014 resident and faculty survey for the UTMB Department of Dermatology have been released by the ACGME. 91% of UTMB’s 10 dermatology residents rated the program “very positive” (the highest rating available), while one resident rated the program as “positive.” 100% of the 8 dermatology faculty surveyed reported that the program rated “very positive.” Congratulations on achieving such outstanding ratings!

Baylor Medical School Now on Probation

In a front page leading story that probably surprised many leaders in medical education, reporter Todd Ackerman of the Houston Chronicle reported that highly ranked Baylor Medical School has been placed on probation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (Ackerman T. Baylor medical school put on probation: Accrediting body cites 14 different 'areas of concern" none in instruction. Houston Chronicle, Saturday, June 28, 2014, pages A1 and A15). Citations related to medical student education included "...timely reporting of grades and observation of students in clinical rotations; and a need for new processes providing midcourse feedback to students..." Tenure issues for faculty and criticism that "...a mechanism for faculty to contribute in decision making" were also cited. Only four other medical schools are currently on probation by the Liason Committee on Medical Education. Adverse publicity due to this drastic administrative action against Baylor Medical School could potentially reduce Baylor's competitiveness nationally for top medical school applicants, residency applicants, and new faculty. It could also impact the competitiveness of Baylor Medical School graduates for residency positions in the upcoming 2015 NRMP. According to this news report, the earliest that Baylor can be taken off probation is in 2016.

PGY4 Dr. Megan Moody Neill Awarded 2013-2014 Resident Research Award

UTMB dermatology residents are required to design and complete a dermatology scholarly project during their three years of training. Their work is typically presented to the entire dermatology department during the PGY4 (final) year of residency. Dr. Megan Moody Neill was selected by UTMB dermatology faculty for recognition of her excellent dermatology research during the 2013-2014 academic year. Her research was about the mechanisms of dermatopathology laboratory errors and the steps needed to prevent them. Congratulations Dr. Neill for your excellent academic work in the UTMB department of dermatology. Dr. Neill’s dermatology faculty supervisor on this quality improvement study was Dr. Brent Kelly.

UTMB PGY4 Dermatology Resident Presents Scholarly Project About PowerPoints in Dermatology Curriculum

Dr. Samantha Robare-Stout, a current PGY4 dermatology resident at UTMB, presented her scholarly project that focused on introducing resident created PowerPoints into the traditional dermatology textbook conferences held during the 2013-2014 academic year. Evaluation about the impact of changes in the textbook review format was associated with better scores on the recent ITE dermatology exam for the PGY3 and PGY3 dermatology residents. A survey of the dermatology residents indicated that they thought these changes had a positive impact on learning dermatology.

Resident Scholarly Project Presentation: Teaching Medical Students About Dermoscopy

Dermoscopy is rarely taught to U.S. medical students. PGY4 UTMB dermatology resident Dr. Jason Jones decided to see if he could teach UTMB medical students more about the topic. He developed an instructional lecture and gave it to interested medical students. Following the lecture, they were better able to distinguish between melanocytic tumors that required referral to a dermatologist or a diagnostic biopsy.

UTMB Dermatology Residents Recognize Faculty for Excellent Dermatology Teaching

Current UTMB dermatology residents have selected UTMB Dermatology Faculty Dr. Brent Kelly and community dermatologist Dr. M. Colome in recognition for their excellent dermatology teaching during the 2013-2014 academic year. Congratulations on your selection for this honor!

Dr. Megan Moody Neill Presents Dermatology Scholarly Project

On Friday, June 20, 2014 (the final day of her dermatology residency program at UTMB), PGY4 dermatology resident Dr. Megan Moody Neill presented her required departmental scholarly project about dermatopathology laboratory errors. She took a comprehensive quality improvement approach to characterize the types of laboratory errors identified and to make recommendiations for continuous quality improvement. Her literature review on published in this research area was comprehensive. Her faculty mentor on this project was Dr. Brent Kelly, UTMB Associate Professor of Dermatology and Director of Dermatopathology at UTMB. Dr. Moody Neill plans on private dermatology practice in Seattle, Washington.

Period 1 Availability for Period 1 UTMB Dermatology Electives and Selectives

Period 1 of the new 2014-2015 Academic Year begins on June 30, 2014 at UTMB. There is still availability for most of UTMB's clinical and didactic dermatology electives and Selectives for UTMB and visiting medical students during Period 1 (see http://www.utmb.edu/meded/electives.asp for additional information). All of the dermatology didactic electives and Selectives are also available through teleconferencing, a distance learning option that has been popular with medical students for the past several  years. Please contact the UTMB Registrar right away if you are interested in any of these courses. UTMB electives and Selectives are 4 weeks in duration and given 13 times each year (13 Periods).

UTMB Dermatology Reorganizing Clinical Dermatology Elective and Acting Internship Selective

Starting Period 1 of the 2014-2015 academic year (June 30th) UTMB’s popular Clinical Dermatology elective (DERU-4010) and Acting Internship Selective (DERU-4006) will have different curricula developed by Dr. Audra Clos, the new dermatology chief resident for medical student education. She has selected a popular dermatology textbook for these clinical rotations (Habif, 5th edition) and will supplement assigned readings and scheduled faculty lectures with American Academy of Dermatology web-based educational materials. Students will be given a clinical quiz at the beginning and end of the rotation, to evaluate what has been learned. Students will also be assigned journal articles to present at the Friday journal clubs.

Multiple First Authors in Dermatology Publications: An Oxymoron?

First authorship peer-reviewed publication in medicine and other scholarly fields is prized by authors and highly respected by other academics because of its prestige and community acknowledgement about responsibility for the reported work. First authors may eventually be rewarded for their effort by preferential selection for prestigious and competitive positions (such as medical school admissions and dermatology residencies), and on the faculty level, with promotion and tenure. Traditionally, there was usually one first author. First authorship in multiauthored should ideally identify the person most responsible for the publication. Typically the person who initiated the work, wrote the first draft and coordinated all revisions, submitted the work, responded to reviewers, corrected the proofs, etc is listed as the first author. The UTMB DIG recently became aware that a highly innovative and respected dermatology journal published an article this month with two “first authors” (seehttp://escholarship.org/uc/item/5037g18h ). Will this become a growing trend in the dermatology literature? Would it ever be possible that all the authors of a multiauthored work could be first authors? Will selection committees treat each of the multiple first authors as the first author? Or will they concluded that a multiple first author publication really does not have any first authors? Hopefully academic journals will address this concern and issue future guidelines, if they have not already done so.

UTMB Dermatology Resident Publishes Case Report About Infected Tattoo

Congratulations to Dr. Rebecca Philips, a current PGY2 UTMB dermatology resident who has just published an interesting case report about an infected tattoo in the June 2014 issue of Dermatology Online Journal (Philips R, Hunter-Ellul LA, Martin JE, Wilkerson MG. Mycobacterium fortuitum infection arising in a new tattoo. Dermatology Online Journal 2014;20:6 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bs3q0h0 ). Her UTMB coauthors on this study were Dr. Lindsey Hunter, a PGY3 UTMB dermatology resident, Dr. Julie Martin, a UTMB residency graduate now practicing in Austin, Texas and Dr. Michael Wilkerson, UTMB Professor of Dermatology.

What is the Best Way to Teach Internal Medicine Residents about Dermatology?

According to a recent study from Southwestern Medical School, internal medicine residents learn more dermatology when they are given didactic lectures and multiple choice questions while on dermatology rotations (Cayce R, Bergstresser P, Hesterman K, Condie D. Dermatology curriculum for internal medicine residents: a randomized trial. J Grad Med Educ 2014;6:296-300). This study could influence dermatology curriculum for internal medicine residents in the future, since according to the authors, “…dermatology education is a substantial weakness for many internal medicine residencies.”

Dr. Alex Holliday Accepts Dermatology Fellowship Position

Dr. Alex Holliday, a current PGY2 resident in the UTMB internal medicine program and UTMB SOM graduate, has accepted a dermatology fellowship position at the new Virginia Tech dermatology residency program in Roanoke, Virginia for the 2014-2015 academic year. Congratulations Dr. Holliday!

How did Texas Medical Students Fare in the 2014 NRMP?

The Texas Medical Association has published an analysis of the 2014 NRMP for Texas Medical Students (see http://www.texmed.org/template.aspx?id=5183#Failing for additional details). In brief, Texas could do better. 100 Texas MS4s initially failed to match, but of these 68 later found positions. Ultimately 2% of Texas’ MS4s did not match for a PGY1 position. A poll of Texas Deans’ of Student Affairs found that orthopedics, surgery, otolaryngology, dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology, and ophthalmology were the most competitive specialties for Texas medical students this year.

Dermatology Residency Review Committee Expands Resident Logs to Include Medical Management

Beginning July 1, 2014, dermatology residents in ACGME accredited programs will be required to log medical procedures and management that include patch testing and phototherapy, immunobullous and connective tissue diseases, and “high risk systemic medication management.” High risk medications exclude prednisone and isotretinoin, but include “…cyclosporine, methotrexate, acitretin, dapsone, mycophenolate mofetil, TNF antagonists, IL-12/23 antagonists, IL-17 antagonists, rituximab, thalidomide, lenalidomide, cyclophosphamide, daclizumab, ipilimumab, vemurafenib, vismodegib, and other new and emerging molecular-based therapies.” More detailed information about these new requirements may be found here:
http://www.acgme.org/acgmeweb/Portals/0/PFAssets/ProgramResources/080_Case_and_Medical_Logs_2014.pdf

Tenure Controversy Emerges At MD Anderson

The June 7, 2014 Houston Chronicle featured a front page article coauthored by reporters Todd Ackerman and Eric Berger about a faculty dispute at Houston’s premier cancer center, MD Anderson (“Cancer center in tenure dispute,” pages A1 and A13). Academic censure is possible for MD Anderson if the institution is investigated by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). It has long been known in academic circles that MD Anderson does not offer its faculty traditional tenure. Instead, it offers 7 year appointments that are usually renewed following faculty review. According to Ackerman and Berger, the current controversy arose when three faculty were given unanimous recommendations for renewal by MD Anderson’s institutional committee, but the MD Anderson President rejected the recommendations. UTMB remains on the AAUP censure list following the reduction of tenured faculty in the wake of Hurricane Ike and the resulting financial problems for the institution.

UTMB Dermatology Interest Group 2014 Awards for Excellent Dermatology Teaching

The UTMB Dermatology Interest Group (DIG) President Shelia Jalalat made its annual awards for excellent dermatology teaching to Dr. B. Gibson (UTMB faculty pictured) and
Dr. Samantha Robare-Stout (PGY4 dermatology resident) on Friday, May 30, 2014 during the weekly dermatology journal club. Congratulations on this outstanding recognition by UTMB medical students for your excellent teaching efforts throughout the year!

Dermatology Resident Elected to UTMB House Staff Leadership Committee

Congratulations to Dr. Lindsey Hunter-Ellul, a current PGY3 UTMB dermatology resident, for her recent election to the UTMB Graduate Medical Chief Resident/House Officer Association Officers Subcommittee for the upcoming 2014-2015 academic year. Dr. Hunter-Ellul was elected by the entire UTMB house staff to one of the four “members-at-large” positions.

2014 UTMB Dermatopathology Review Course a Success

2014 UTMB Dermatopathology Review Course a Success

Attendees at the Annual Dermatopathology Review Course held at UTMB on Saturday, May 31, 2014 were very pleased with course content and teachers. Dr. Brent Kelly (UTMB Associate Professor of Dermatology and Chief of UTMB Dermatopathology) co-directed the course this year, and gave lectures along with co-course director Dr. Maribel Colome (former UTMB Chief of Dermatopathology), Cris Berlingeri (UTMB Dermatology Clinical Assistant Professor), Matthew Petitt (former UTMB dermatopathology fellow), Palak Parekh (former UTMB dermatopathology fellow), and Ramone Sanchez (UTMB Dermatopathology Fellowship Director). Representative participant comments were:

“Very helpful while preparing for the boards”

“The handouts are great”

“All the speakers did an excellent job”

“The course was great and all the speakers were wonderful! Thanks for organizing it!”