UTMB Dermatology Research Honors Project Presentation

Don’t miss your opportunity to  see the only MS4 UTMB Dermatology Research Honors Project scheduled for presentation this academic year. Uyen Ngoc Mui will present her thesis, “An evaluation of patients’ habits and knowledge regarding sunscreen and factors that influence their choice” on Friday, April 1, 2016 in the dermatology conference room at 2 pm. All DIG members are invited to attend, especially those considering future participation in the UTMB Dermatology Research Honors Program. Dr. Ashley Group is Ms. Mui’s UTMB dermatology faculty advisor for this research.

Dermatology Residency—Is it Worth Waiting and Hoping For?

As dermatology residencies become more and more competitive, very qualified applicants fail to match on their first attempt as MS4s. A few years ago it was very uncommon for MS4 applicants with Step 1 scores of 250 and higher as well as AOA membership and dermatology research not to match. No so today.

Some dermatology applicants are willing to keep applying for a dermatology residency despite initial or repeated rejections from residency programs. This can be a very difficult path for a number of reasons. It is hard to substantially improve application credentials during the PGY1 year due to clinical responsibilities. Often the preliminary or categorical PGY1 year in primary care specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics will count against the full 3 years of dermatology residency funding, preventing some dermatology programs from even considering applicants in this situation.  Family and social pressure to finish residency and “get a job” is a factor for some, especially with student loans looming. Dermatology clinical fellowships do not often guarantee admission to a dermatology residency program, and dermatology applicants may need to spend years doing this type of clinical research at different institutions until they are able to find a program that will accept them into residency.

It is becoming more common for dermatology applicants to also interview for a “backup” residency in another specialty in case they fail to match in the first cycle. Two of the ROAD specialties (“road to happiness”), radiology and anesthesiology,  remain a relatively easy match for most dermatology applicants due to more available positions. Others, anticipating the potentially delayed path into dermatology, try to match into a surgery residency where dermatology funding is not an issue as long as the resident does not stay past the PGY2 year of surgical training. It is very important for those with a career interest in dermatology to consider these issue prior to applying to dermatology residency, so they will be better able to plan their professional future if they do not match into dermatology as a MS4.

UTMB Dermatology Residency Among Most Competitive Matches at UTMB in 2016

According to statistics compiled by the UTMB Graduate Medical Education office, UTMB Dermatology matched with all of its 4 highest rank list applicants in 2016. Other departments on campus that matched exclusively with their highest ranked applicants were: urology (1) and vascular surgery (1). Overall UTMB matched for 135 new residents, with 37 from UTMB and 42 from other Texas medical schools.

Senior Care Health Fair Volunteering on Saturday, April 2nd

DIG will be participating in the Senior Care Health Fair as part of the United to Serve initiative at UTMB (a huge campus-wide initiative to get students out in the Galveston community to volunteer on April 2nd). We will be providing sun health education. Please sign up in the volunteer link below: 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R_H2bUmBom8GE-unczyoHL_UEw2ZVB-uDr08prrHZuE/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=0 

Volunteers will need to attend one of the mandatory info meetings on Monday 12-1pm (3/28) or Friday 12-1 (4/1) in room 3.204 in the SHP/SON building. 

Also, volunteers will need to sign up below for their free T-shirts:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HmMA0I4AMiyRzxxRUB48HdDxQSd9ymPAhoAakR2fmP0/viewform

Dermatology Acting Internship Still Popular at UTMB

Nine UTMB MS3s have already signed up for the dermatology acting internship (DERU-4007) during the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year when they are promoted to the final year of medical school. UTMB’s dermatology acting internship is offered during Periods 1 through 7, and has a maximum capacity for 14 students each year. It is not available during Period 13, the holiday Period. For the first time, during this upcoming academic year, the acting internship is also available for interested UTMB MS3s on a space availability basis. Please remember that a signed C Form is required from students registering for DERU-4006. For additional information about the DERU-4006, please see http://ar.utmb.edu/04-05review/bdisplay.asp?rec=499

Dr. Helen Malone to Present Scholarly Project About Skin Flap and Graft Education

Dr. Helen Malone, current UTMB PGY4 Dermatology Resident and the first UTMB Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology (Mohs) Fellow in July 2016 will present her educational research about improving skin graft and skin flap clinical education. Her presentation will be given  to the UTMB Department of Dermatology and includes rotating medical students, dermatology residents, and dermatology faculty at 8 am on Friday, March 25th in the dermatology conference room. Interested DIG members are welcome to attend.

Should Quality Improvement be Taught During Medical School?

All UTMB house staff and at least one department member of each residency program must complete training offered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Quality Improvement (QI). Should formal QI training begin earlier than residency? British medical students advocate development and implementation of a QI curriculum in their medical schools in Advances in Medical Education and Practice 2016:7, pages 171-172 (see https://www.dovepress.com/articles.php?article_id=26065 ). As first year medical students at Imperial College (London), they learned about QI during the first year. They reported, “The most beneficial aspect of this integrated module was the opportunity provided to actively participate in finding solutions for real problems in the clinical setting, of which some ideas have been formally implemented by hospitals.”

Rating Dermatology Residency Websites

Dermatology residency applicants regularly view departmental websites for program information. Some websites are not rated as highly as others. As far as Texas programs go, the following ratings were reported:

A+:         UT Southwestern
A:            Baylor (Houston)
B:            Baylor (Dallas), Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UTMB, UT Houston
C:            UT San Antonio

The full article from the March 2016 issue of Dermatology Online Journal is available at: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rx3j2dn

Cautionary Letter Published About Medical Student Research

Dermatology Online Journal co-authors Jordan V. Wang and Matthew Keller remind academic dermatology residency programs to be aware that some applicants may exaggerate their research activity. This action could potentially create an unfair advantage in the residency selection process. They advise, “…residency program directors should think twice about the possibility of research falsification until functional checkpoints can be built-in to the application process and until the inclusion of ‘submitted’ works are no longer permitted.” Their letter from the March 2016 issue of Dermatology Online Journal is available at: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/56x1t7ww

Congratulations to Kristyna Gleghorn and Lauren Williams for their selection as 2016-2017 DIGA Officers!

The UTMB DIG congratulates UTMB MS3 Kristyna Gleghorn and Lauren Williams for their recent selection as officers in the Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA) as Southern Regional Director and Residency Interview Database Director, respectively. The Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA) is a student run, non-profit corporation committed to providing volunteering, networking, and research opportunities to students interested in dermatology. Their first meeting was held at the Annual American Academy of Dermatology Conference in Washington D.C. on March 5th, 2016. A full list of 2016-2017 DIGA officers can be seen at the following website:  http://www.derminterest.org/People/CurrentOfficers.aspx

2016 UTMB Dermatopathology Resident Board Examination Review

The 16th annual UTMB Dermatopathology Resident Board Examination Review will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2016. This year’s exceptional faculty include Drs. Brent Kelly, Maria Colome, Ramon Sanchez, Alma Berlingeri, Matthew Petitt, Palak Parekh, and Anisha Pate. 150 representative glass slides and Kodachrome will be reviewed during this course. Cost is $50 for residents and fellows, and $140 for those in-practice. Breakfast and a box lunch will be served. For additional information please contact Ms. Kimberly Cooper at kjcooper@utmb.edu. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, no medical student registrations will be permitted.

Upcoming DIG Meeting on April 4th

Join the Dermatology Interest Group (DIG) for our next meeting on April 4th. Important topics for this meeting include community volunteering, melanoma walk, and words of wisdom from our senior medical student members. MSIVs, please try to attend this meeting, as we would like to hear from you and bid our farewells.

Date & time:  April 4th (Monday) at 5:15-6:15 pm
Location: Dermatology Conference Room 4.112 McCullough Building

We will also be passing out Certificates of Appreciation for our current officers and there will be New Officers Election. For a list of officer positions visit http://digutmb.blogspot.com/2009/04/officers.html

2016 NRMP UTMB Dermatology Residency Results

Congratulations to our 4 newest dermatology residents, who will begin dermatology training at UTMB on July 1, 2017 following completion of their required PGY1 year:

Julie Amthor Croley (UTMB MS4)

Adam Nguyen (UT Houston MS4)

Arathi Ramamurthi (Texas A&M MS4)

Skyler White (UTMB MS4)

Congratulations to UTMB Class of 2016 MS4s on Their Dermatology Matches!

Julie Amthor Croley (UTMB)



Skyler White (UTMB)

Photo legend: UTMB senior medical students Skyler White (left) and Julie Croley (right) after matching into the UTMB dermatology residency program on Match Day in Levin Hall

Attention UTMB MS3s—C Form Needed to Register for Dermatology Acting Internship (AI)

UTMB MS3s register online for their MS4 next week (Tuesday, March 22). Those planning to take the dermatology AI need to electronically submit their C Form to Ms. Keeswood (makeeswo@utmb.edu) for faculty signature.  She will return them to you electronically. There are only two dermatology AI positions offered during the Periods it is offered at UTMB, and they will fill in the order they are electronically received by Ms. Keeswood. Good luck getting the dermatology AI you want!

UTMB MS3 Wins Prestigious 2016 UTMB Psychiatry Award

Congratulations to UTMB MS3 Matthew L. Edwards, for receiving the 2016 Ivan Bruce Memorial Award from the UTMB Department of Psychiatry. Mr. Edwards wrote the winning essay about Morgellons Disease, a psychocutaneous disorder, during Period 13 of the current academic year when he was taking Dr. Richard Wagner’s History of Dermatology elective (DERU-4008). DERU-4008 requires that elective students write an original essay about the history of dermatology as it applies to an area of medicine that the student has interest. The Ivan Bruce Memorial Award, established in 1990, is given annually for the best manuscript about the history of psychiatry.

Up to 29% of Residents Depressed?

According to Mary Ann Moon, as reported in the March 2016 issue of Dermatology News ("Analysis finds 29% prevalence of depression in residents," Page 62), depression or depressive symptoms were present in 20.9 to 43.2 percent of residents in a meta-analysis of 54 worldwide studies. Depressed residents at UTMB should contact their program director or the institutional DIO if they are feeling depressed and want help.

Yes, Galveston is Charging for Strand Parking Again!

Readers may be aware that the City of Galveston temporarily stopped charging for parking on the Strand. However, free parking will mostly disappear again on April 4, 2016. According to a recent City of Galveston post (http://www.cityofgalveston.org/557/Downtown-Parking ):

•Parking Downtown will be enforced daily between 9 AM and 6 PM, Monday through Saturday
•Parking within Downtown is $1.50/hour with a minimum of 1 hour
•Pay by Phone transactions incur a 25 cent fee per transaction
•Improperly parked vehicles are subject to a $30 citation
•15 minute grace periods will be given

Nominations for UTMB 2016 Dermatology Faculty and Resident Awards

UTMB Dermatology Interest Group is now accepting nominations from all the MS4 members to select one of the PGY4 UTMB dermatology residents for the medical student teaching award and one dermatology faculty for the medical student teaching award. Have you had an awesome experience with a faculty or resident? Have they impacted your education and you would like to express your gratitude? Well now you can by nominating them for these teaching awards! 

Please vote on the survey link below by Wed 4/01/16 @ 10PM: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7D7SNPN 

These awards will be made by a DIG officer at an upcoming Friday dermatology journal club when the awardees are present and before the 2016 SOM graduation. 

Thanks, 
UTMB DIG Officers

Man O'Wars Appear on Galveston Beaches

Thousands of Man O'Wars ("bluebottles") have washed up on Galveston beaches over the past few days. Dermatologists are familiar with the skin injury they cause. KHOU recently reported on their current influx during the spring break period: http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2016/03/09/man-owars-washing-up-galveston-beaches/81550568/

UTMB Filled All Dermatology Match Positions

Congratulations to the UTMB Department of Dermatology for matching all 4 of the PGY2 positions it offered this year in the NRMP match. Applicants are officially notified on match day, March 18th . Good luck to all of our UTMB dermatology applicants this year! DIG members are welcome at our annual match day ceremony that starts at 11 am in Levin Hall.

Big Change Announced for the 2016 American Board of Dermatology Certification Examination!

Current PGY4 dermatology residents planning to take the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) Certification Examination (“The Boards”) this July encountered added uncertainty about exam preparation when the ABD recently announced that they were changing the content of the examination with about 4 months to go before testing. Forty new questions (“applied knowledge”) out of 285 total questions (14%) will be used to test dermatology knowledge. Fortunately for many of these test takers, they were previously exposed to this new question type during the 2015 and 2016 In-Training Examinations (ITE) given annually by the ABD.

Vote for upcoming DIG meeting date in April

DIG will be holding it's next meeting in April (date to be announced). Important topics for this meeting includes community volunteering, melanoma walk, and words of wisdom from our senior medical student members. 

Please vote below for your preferred meeting date(s):
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GJJTNTC

UTMB Releases Online Campus Carry Information

For further information, please see http://www.utmb.edu/campus-carry/

Rip Currents More Dangerous than Sharks in Galveston

Yes, the danger of drowning in Galveston due to our local rip currents is much more dangerous than a shark attack, according to researchers at Texas A&M University in Galveston (TAMUG). Galveston Daily News reporter John Wayne Ferguson’s article was front page news in the Galveston Daily News (Texas A&M study: Rip currents are more dangerous than sharks, Thursday, March 10, 2016, pages A1, A4 ).
Rip tides are often encountered when near Galveston’s jetties, so please be careful when enjoying the Gulf!

Alex Holliday, MD Publishes in New England Journal of Medicine

Congratulations to Dr. Alex Holliday, a UTMB SOM graduate and recent UTMB internal medicine house staff. Dr. Holliday's electronic publication, "Tinea Versicolor" that was published in the journal's March 10, 2016 issue in the "Images in Clinical Medicine" section, and is available at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1501201
Dr. Holliday is currently a PGY2 dermatology resident at the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia.

UTMB Presents 5 Posters, 2 Gross and Microscopic Symposium presentations, and a presentation in the Dermatology Teachers Exchange at the 2016 Annual American Academy of Dermatology Conference.

UTMB was once again well-represented by its medical students, residents and faculty at the 2016 annual American Academy of Dermatology Conference in Washington D.C. this past weekend. Authors of the UTMB presentations were:

Posters: 
- Can Valproic Acid Cause Dress? (Kristyna Gleghorn, Chinelo Ikpeama, Elizabeth Schepp, Brent Kelly)
- A Case of Pediatric Keratosis Lichenoides Chrnica (Adrian Subrt, Rebecca Philips, Megan Neill, Brent Kelly, Sharon Raimer)
- Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Invasion Through Ear Cartilage. (Julie Boisen, Brent Kelly, C. Helen Malone, Richard Wagner)
- Nodular Fasciitis Complicating A Staged Surgical Excision of Dermatfibrosarcoma Protuberans. (C. Helen Malone, Brandon Goodwin, Brent Kelly, Vincente Resto, Richard F Wagner)
- Sclerodermoid Changes and Dystrophic Calcification: A Unique Presentation of Porphyria Cutanea Tarda. (Erica Grilletta, Conner Chad, Lindsey Hunter-Ellul, Alison Lowe)

Gross and Microscopic Symposium
- A Case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (Kristyna Gleghorn, Janice Wilson, Young McMahan, Sharon Raimer)
- Necrolytic Acral Erythema: A Case Report of Extensive Disease and Rapid Improvement with Elemental Zinc Supplementation. (Julie Amthor Croley, Amber Gill, Samantha Robare-Stout, Brent Kelly)

Dermatology Teachers Exchange
- Mohs Reconstruction Surgical Educational Activity. (Julie Amthor Croley, Helen Malone, Brandon Goodwin, Eric Cole, Linda Phillips, Richard Wagner)

UTMB MS3, Kristyna Gleghorn, and MS4, Julie Croley, return from the Annual AAD Conference

The Annual American Academy of Dermatology Conference was held in Washington D.C. this past weekend (March 4-8).  UTMB MS3 Kristyna Gleghorn and MS4 Julie Croley received funding from the UTMB Student Government Association to attend. Both Julie and Kristyna were selected by a competitive process to present their research at the Gross and Microscopic Symposium. Kristyna presented a case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy at the Gross and Microscopic Symposium and a poster entitled "Can Valproic Acid Cause DRESS?". Julie Croley presented "Necrolytic Acral Erythema: A Case Report of Extensive Disease and Rapid Improvement with Elemental Zinc Supplementation" at the Gross and Microscopic Symposium and also participated in Dermatology Teachers Exchange where she presented her research on Mohs Surgical Reconstruction Education. Kristyna and Julie will present what they learned at the conference during the next UTMB DIG meeting (date TBD). 

Thank you to the UTMB Student Government Association for funding this wonderful learning experience for Kristyna, Julie, and the UTMB DIG!

Please email Kristyna Gleghorn (klglegho@utmb.edu) or Julie Croley (jaamthor@utmb.edu) with any inquiries on the topic or conference.

Kristyna Gleghorn (UTMB MSIII) and Julie Croley (UTMB MSIV) at the AAD podium after their Gross & Microscopic presentations. 

Kristyna Gleghorn (MSIII) at the podium discussing a case report of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. 

Julie Croley (MS4) at the podium discussing her reserach on Mohs Surgical Reconstruction Education. 

Stay Shady Volunteering

DIG will be hosting Stay Shady, an educational program which consists of giving a short presentation about Sun safety at local elementary and middle schools followed by making UV bracelets with the kids! Please help out and sign up for this fun activity!

Upcoming Presentations:
Tuesday, 3/8 at 2:30pm at Satori Elementary School
Friday, 3/11 at 8:30am and 10:45am at Crenshaw elementary

Sign up via
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a9zNP60xQA4VN6qqItv0Jme7LOddstNeXoYHqnmzPIU/edit?usp=sharing

Dr. Brandon Goodwin Joins UTMB Dermatology Faculty

Congratulations to Dr. Brandon Goodwin for his decision to join the UTMB dermatology faculty upon completion of his dermatopathology fellowship at UTMB in June 2016. Dr. Goodwin graduated from South Alabama School of Medicine (Mobile) and completed his PGY1 internal medicine year at Tulane (New Orleans) before coming to UTMB for dermatology residency. His innovative dermatology resident scholarly project explored the best way to teach dermatology residents about skin grafts and skin flaps, and his work was presented at the Dermatology Teachers Exchange Group and later published in a peer-reviewed journal. The UTMB DIG welcomes the newest UTMB dermatology faculty member. His addition to our faculty will bring the faculty total up to 9 dermatologists, in addition to UTMB’s 12 dermatology residents, 2 dermatopathology fellows, and 1 Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellow in July 2016.

St. Vincent’s Student Clinic Annual Benefit Concert 2016

St. Vincent’s student-run free clinic will be hosting their annual benefit concert this Thursday, Mar 3^rd at the 1894 Grand Opera House (2020 Postoffice St, Galveston, TX). Shows open at 7pm.

Tickets for purchase starts at $10 per person. See link below for more info:

http://www.stvsc.org/index.php/concert/