Scribe Added to UTMB Dermatology Clinic in 2016

A dermatology scribe is now present in the Bay Colony UTMB faculty dermatology clinics to aid faculty and residents in their clinic visit documentation. The UTMB scribe program is currently on a trial basis to see if it will be effective for improving clinic workflow and patient care.

US Medical Educators Seek Reform

Authors K.M. Aagaard and M. Abaza recently wrote about their perceptions of the 4^th year of medical school in US (Becoming a physician: the residency application process—burdens and consequences, NEJM 373:303-305, 2016). Surprisingly, they seem to think that since 66% of MS4s taking away rotations do not match into that particular away program, it may not be a worthwhile matching strategy. Do they really think that 34% of the matching students would have really matched at that particular away rotation residency program without an audition interview? Unfortunately, they do not present statistics about these particular students that match at their own school after doing one or more away rotations. Conventional wisdom in the highly competitive world of dermatology matching is that an applicants’ best match chances are at their home program and at the away programs where they auditioned. Nothing in this article contradicts this observation. 

UTMB’s First Mohs Fellow Announced

The UTMB Department of dermatology has selected UTMB PGY4 dermatology resident Dr. Helen Malone as the first UTMB Micrographic Surgery (Mohs) and Dermatologic Oncology fellow. She will begin the one year Mohs fellowship at UTMB in July 2016, immediately following completion of dermatology residency.  Dr. Malone is currently a chief resident in the UTMB Department of Dermatology.  She began dermatology residency training at UTMB in 2013 after completing a general surgery internship year and three years of plastic surgery training at Southern Illinois University.  During her dermatology residency at UTMB, she has been actively involved in dermatology research, especially as it relates to Mohs reconstruction and dermatologic oncology.   Recent projects include three peer-reviewed publications in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology, a comprehensive review paper on applications of deepithelialized flaps and grafts in dermatologic surgery, a Mohs surgical education project designed to train UTMB dermatology and plastic surgery residents about the use of skin flaps, and a some case reports about unusual aspects of skin cancers treated at UTMB on the Mohs service.  The UTMB DIG extends its congratulations to Dr. Malone. We are eager to learn from you when we rotate on the Mohs service.

Do You Want to Present Your Dermatology Research at the Texas Dermatological Society 2016 Spring Meeting?

The annual spring meeting of the Texas Dermatological Society will be held in Houston at the Omni Hotel on April 15th and 16th. Many UTMB medical students have historically presented dermatology research as posters at this meeting. If you have been working on dermatology research, please contact the faculty or resident you have been working with about presenting a poster. Several of our DIG members have presented at this meeting before, and they are happy to share what they have learned about the process. The meeting is well-attended by many Texas dermatology chairs, program directors and other dermatology faculty, so there is a good opportunity for professional networking. Many attendees will view the posters and give you an opportunity to find out about their residency programs and away rotations with them. The deadline for this meeting is March 11, 2016.

UTMB Dermatology Approved for Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship (Mohs) for July 2016

Congratulations to the UTMB Department of Dermatology for receiving approval for a 1 year fellowship in Micrographic Surgery (Mohs) and Dermatologic Oncology from the ACGME Dermatology Residency Committee this week. If institutional funding is approved, UTMB’s first Mohs fellow will commence training in July 2016. Dr. Richard Wagner is the first UTMB Mohs fellowship director, and Dr. David Raimer will join him in providing supervision to the UTMB Mohs fellow. 

The UTMB Mohs fellowship was designed to create an exceptional educational environment for the fellow using multidisciplinary and interdepartmental strengths at UTMB, and it will expose the fellow to academic Mohs at UTMB in Galveston with Dr. Wagner and private practice Mohs with Dr. Raimer in Webster, Texas. 

Dr. Wagner completed dermatology residency at the combined Boston/Tufts University program and took his Mohs fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He also had Mohs training as a dermatology resident under Dr. Frederic Mohs in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Wagner has been performing Mohs surgery at UTMB since 1988 and has published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles in the medical literature during his dermatology career, many in the areas of skin cancer and medical education. He is a tenured Professor at UTMB and the holder of the Edgar B. Smith Professorship in Dermatology. 

Dr. Raimer graduated from UTMB’s School of Medicine and completed dermatology residency at UTMB under Dr. Wagner and the other UTMB dermatology faculty. Following dermatology residency, Dr. Raimer completed a Mohs fellowship at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

Zika Diagnosed in Texas

Zika, a mosquito-borne viral disease that presents with rash, joint pain, and muscle aches was diagnosed recently in a Houston-area patient. This virus has also been linked to microcephaly in Brazil. Although this disease has usually been restricted to visitors to endemic regions, since the two known mosquito vectors ( Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) are present on the Texas gulf coast area, it is possible that Zika could establish itself in Texas. Additional information about Zika is available from http://www.wsj.com/articles/houston-area-woman-diagnosed-with-mosquito-borne-zika-virus-1452628952

Keep this Date

UTMB Dermatology faculty, residents and medical students are very familiar with the funk rock band Zaemon that features UTMB Associate Professor of Dermatology and Dermatopathology Director, Dr. Brent Kelly. Zaemon recently performed in Baton Rouge at the Varsity Theatre last month. The band will play in Galveston this month as part of the 2016 Mardi Gras festivities on January 30 at 4:15 pm on the Budweiser Stage (2300 Strand). Tickets are available at http://www.mardigrasgalveston.com/tickets.asp See you there!

Dermatology Night at St. Vincent’s Clinic on January 7th, 2016

Join UTMB Dermatology residents and faculty for the upcoming dermatology night at St. Vincent’s Clinic. Please see the calendar link below to reserve your volunteering spot:

When: Thursday, Jan 7th, 5:30-9PM (volunteers should arrive at 5:15)
Where: St. Vincent's House, 2817 Post Office Street, Galveston, Texas 77550
Volunteer link: http://www.stvsc.org/index.php/students/