UTMB Micrographic Surgery Fellow Conducts Suture Workshop

Dr. Helen Malone, the current Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellow held a suturing workshop for our four new PGY2 dermatology residents this week. Participating residents were Drs. Vlad Codrea, Kyle Kaltwasser, Kristin Wolf and Katelyn Woolridge.

Another First for UTMB Dermatology

A new bimonthly academic conference for surgical dermatology textbook and journal review has been established on alternate Thursdays for the Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology fellow, dermatology residents, students, and faculty. At the first meeting, chapters from two textbooks were reviewed by the current fellow, Dr. Helen Malone. Dr. Richard Wagner, the Fellowship Director, provided supervision.

Photo Caption (left to right): UTMB MS3 Seena Mojazeb, Dr. Helen Malone, MS4 Lizzy Paniagua, PGY3 dermatology resident Dr. Adrian Subrt, and UTMB MS4 Drew Decrescenzo

2016 Medscape Residents Salary & Debt Report

According to this study, residents suffer a higher risk of depression than the general population (10% vs 6.7%) and are much more likely to consider suicide (9% vs 3.9%).

 

In addition, residents are less satisfied with their salaries than last year. They are aware that they are being paid less than non-physician midlevel hospital employees and nonmedical employees who have comparable education and experience

Skin Cancer Screenings Not Recommended!

Yes, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent group of primary care physicians and epidemiologists with federal funding, once again determined that there is currently not enough evidence to recommend skin cancer screenings. This is similar to their previous findings in 2009. This important article was published in the July 26, 2016 issue of JAMA (JAMA. 2016;316(4):429-435. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.8465. ) and is available here:http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2536643

DIG Meeting Recap from July 19th

Important Topics Covered (Q&A with DIG President & MS4, Kristyna Gleghorn)

1. The DIG blog (http://digutmb.blogspot.com/) is a great resource for medical students interested in Dermatology.

2. Overview of dermatology rotations offered at UTMB. UTMB offers the 2nd most dermatology courses/electives of any school of medicine in the US. (Clinical Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology, Dermatopathology, Acting Internship (AI) in dermatology, Dermatology Consults, Skin Diseases Depicted in Film, History of Dermatology, Skin Diseases in Modern World Literature, Dermatology Research, Skin diseases in Novels and Films, Dermatology Boot Camp, Narratives of Skin Disease) 

3. Planning for away rotations (Tip: Many away rotations only offer clinical dermatology so consider taking a different elective, such as consults/Mohs surgery/Dermatopathology, as a MS3 at UTMB to receive credit for your aways)

4. Research is highly encouraged for dermatology applicants and there are many opportunities to become involved at UTMB. The earlier you start, the better. Research opportunities: 

- Texas Dermatologic Society Fall and Spring meetings: poster presentation

- American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting: poster presentation or Gross and Microscopic Symposium (powerpoint presentation)

- American Academy of Dermatology Summer Meeting: poster presentation

- Honors Research Program (proposals due by December of third year)

- Case reports and review articles for journals (JAAD, JAMA Dermatology, JAAD Case Reports, Cutis, etc...)

5. Step-by-step process for writing a case report, review article, and getting Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for projects. 

6. The National Dermatology Interest Group Association has a number of resources for medical students who hope to pursue a career in Dermatology. Visit their website (http://www.derminterest.org/) and join their Facebook Group “Dermatology Interest Group Association” for more information.

Follow our blog to learn about upcoming events that you can participate in. Important upcoming UTMB student life, dermatology-related, and community service projects:

1. Welcome Weekend for MS1s: Information session and sign up for DIG (Saturday, August 20th). 

2. Plazapalooza: DIG will have a booth & fun game for MS1s to get to know current officers and learn how to join DIG. (Tuesday, August 23rd)

3. Stay Shady Presentations at local schools, dates TBA for this semester

4. DIG Bake Sale, date TBA

5. Texas Dermatologic Society Fall Meeting Sep 30th-Oct 1st

Our next meeting (date TBA) will feature a talk with Dr. Wagner, Dermatology Program Director and DIG's faculty advisor, about getting into Dermatology residency. Please contact Kristyna Gleghorn or Tim Allen with further questions about becoming an active member of UTMB DIG!

Kristyna Gleghorn (klglegho@utmb.edu) 

 UTMB DIG President 2016-2017

Tim Allen (tirallen2@utmb.edu)

 UTMB DIG Vice President 2016-2017

Did You Know?

A recent column in the Galveston Daily News (“Patients sometime just have to have patience,” July 19, 2016, page B4) made the unfortunate comment, “Some medical problems are more easily diagnosed and treated than others. Skin rashes for example, while annoying, do not require nearly as much of the physician’s time as do gall bladder complications.” A day spent in a typical dermatology practice easily dispels this notion that all skin rashes are always easily diagnosed. Skin rashes, like other medical conditions, can require an extensive history, a skin biopsy, blood tests, and possible imaging techniques for accurate diagnosis and management. Sometimes it takes a great deal of time to arrive at the correct diagnosis.

Help A UTMB Resident with a Poster Presentation for the Fall Texas Dermatological Society Meeting

The fall Texas Dermatological Society Meeting (Hyatt Hill Country Hotel in San Antonio, September 30^th and October 1st) is a great opportunity for UTMB medical students to assist our dermatology residents in poster preparations for the meeting as co-authors. Contact our dermatology residents about their posters for this meeting. Don’t delay because the abstract submission deadline is September 12, 2016.

UTMB Dermatology Interest Group Featured in Commentary

The UTMB Dermatology Interest Group (DIG), one of the early chapters of the national Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA), was one of eleven DIGs reviewed in the July 2016 issue of Dermatology Online Journal (DOJ) about DIGs around the USA (see http://escholarship.org/uc/item/1zm883qs#page-4 ). UTMB SOM Class of 2016 Katherine Tinkey was a co-author of this commentary. Three published articles from the UTMB Department of Dermatology about our DIG blog were cited in this work.

DIG Meeting Tuesday, July 19th

The UTMB DIG will be holding a meeting this upcoming Tuesday, July 19th at 5:15 PM in the Dermatology Conference Room (4.112 McCullough Building). Important topics for this meeting include Q&A session for dermatology rotations/reserach/etc, community volunteering, and Welcome Weekend planning. 

We hope to see you all there!

UTMB Dermatology Commemorative Plaques Relocated

The UTMB Dermatology Commemorative Plaques, one dating from 1986 (Thomas W. Freese, MD Memorial Endowment for Excellence in Dermatology that is awarded to a UTMB MS4 annually), have been relocated from the McCullough Building Dermatology Conference Room to the administrative reception area. These plaques celebrate the academic success, teaching, and research achievements of past and present UTMB medical students, residents and faculty. Our department currently makes 11 new awards each year in these categories.

UTMB Dermatology Alumni Now President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Congratulations to our UTMB dermatology resident graduate, Dr. Dan McCoy who is now the President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Dr. McCoy is no stranger to readers of the blog. He completed dermatology residency in 1997 at UTMB. He initially went into dermatology practice in Corsicana and later practiced dermatology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas where he was involved with the creation of a new dermatology residency program and a research institute. The July 2016 issue of Texas Medicine has published a profile about his career (Sorrel, AL, Physician at the helm: TMA Board of Trustees’ Dan McCoy, MD, Named President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, pages 39-46) in a not to be missed article.

Dr. Cris Berlingeri Announces Departure from UTMB Dermatology Department

The UTMB DIG was sad to learn the Dr. Cris Berlingeri is leaving UTMB for a dermatology private practice opportunity in Tyler, Texas. Dr. Berlingeri joined the UTMB dermatology faculty as a part-time Assistant Clinical Professor after completing the UTMB dermatopathology fellowship in June 2009.  You will be missed! With Dr. Berlingeri’s announcement, the UTMB Department of Dermatology will have 8 remaining faculty members.

Dr. Erica Kelly Advises About Sunburn Prevention

The Sunday, July 10, 2016 issue of the Galveston Daily News offered worthwhile advice about summer health hazards. Correspondent Marsha Canright  (How to prevent summer miseries, pages C1, C6) interviewed UTMB Clinical Associate Professor, Erica Kelly about preventing sunburn.

Dr. Erica Kelly Recognized for Cosmetic Expertise

Congratulations to Dr. Erica Kelly, a Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at UTMB. Dr. Kelly has nationally recognized expertise in cosmetic dermatology, and the Galveston Daily News readers have awarded her the 2016  “Reader’s Choice” award as the top area physician in the category of “Cosmetic Surgery” (page 21, June 2016). Dr. Kelly is actively involved in teaching UTMB dermatology residents and the procedural dermatology fellow about cosmetic dermatology procedures.

Is Grit Required for a Dermatology Career?

The concept of grit has recently been publicized in the news as a key ingredient for achieving career goals. Grit is defined as the personal quality of focused perseverance toward a long term goal. How does this concept relate to a dermatology career? Many dermatology applicants are not successful in their first attempt to match into a dermatology residency, but are ultimately successful in achieving their goal. Most successful re-applicants have grit. They are determined to have a dermatology career no matter how long it takes! How are they able to achieve success?

Long term planning is required. Once a person determines their career choice, they should think of the component steps necessary for success. The sooner the better! The plan may not proceed smoothly. The quest for a dermatology career may start as early as college.  Excellent medical school applicants with multiple admission offers may base their decision on the academic stature of the institution and its dermatology department because of the networking advantages it confers or its historically strong dermatology match statistics. First year medical students should work with faculty dermatologists on research and develop an impressive curriculum vitae for future residency applications. During medical school, if the applicant’s Step 1 score is below average for dermatology, additional gap years may be taken to improve research skills/earn a career relevant Master’s graduate degree or a Ph.D., and demonstrate high quality academic productivity with dermatology research poster presentations and publications. Joining the medical school Dermatology Interest Group and participating in community dermatology volunteer activities increases applicant visibility and opportunities for new professional contacts. Away rotations at dermatology departments that have previously accepted applicants from your school are strongly recommended. This type of action plan may not be possible for a variety of reasons. Completing another residency while doing dermatology related research may also position select applicants for an opportunity for a second residency in dermatology, but outside the military, this strategy is becoming more difficult due to current Medicare funding limits. Applicant self-knowledge is important because it may take multiple application cycles for an applicant to finally match into a dermatology residency program. Depending on applicant specifics, it may take years of work in an unaccredited clinical dermatology fellowship(s) following PGY1 in order to develop a competitive application. The emotional and economic costs can be very high, and unfortunately none of these approaches may result in a dermatology residency.

UTMB Dermatology Already Offering Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology (Mohs) Interviews During July and August 2016

Applicant registration with the San Francisco Match for ACGME approved fellowships in Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology opened last month, and UTMB is already scheduling interviews for this summer. Fellowship applicants are interviewed on either Tuesdays and Wednesday morning, first meeting with the Fellowship Director, Dr. Richard Wagner and the Fellow, Dr. Helen Malone. The applicant will have an opportunity to see the UTMB Mohs team in action for a few hours, before meeting with other departmental faculty. The interview concludes after lunch with the fellow. Fellowship applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Dr. Bernard Gibson is the UTMB Department of Dermatology Interim Chair

Congratulations to Dr. Gibson, a longtime UTMB dermatology faculty who has agreed to serve as the Chair ad interim. He follows our former Chair, Dr. Sharon Raimer who served from 2001 to 2016. Please welcome Dr. Gibson in his new departmental leadership role.

Dermatology Night At St. Vincent's on 7/7/16

Join UTMB Dermatology residents and faculty for the upcoming dermatology night (Thursday, July 7th, 2016) at St. Vincent’s Clinic. Please see the calendar link below to reserve your volunteering spot:

When: Thursday, July 7th, 5:30-8:30PM (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/