UTMB DIG Presents First Stay Shady of the Year

UTMB DIG visited Austin Middle School on Thursday 9/26/19 to teach students about skin cancer and sun safety. Special thanks to Nicholas Tahmassi (MS2) and Christina Davis (MS2) for setting up the event and volunteering to give the presentation and make UV-sensitive bracelets with the students. Nicholas and Christina are the DIG Stay Shady Chairs for the 2019-2020 year and are working to plan many more events throughout the year.  Stay tuned for future blog posts with additional opportunities to get involved with Stay Shady!

Medical Student Christina Davis in front of Austin Middle School

Bake Sale Volunteers Needed

DIG will be hosting our annual Fall Bake Sale on October 2nd from 11:00-1:00. We are still in need of volunteers to bake or bring treats. Please sign up using the link below if you are able to donate treats and/or would like to volunteer! Please contact Elise Weisert at emweiser@utmb.edu with questions. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SMRd_Bv1U1SkMHXtacpYZNE1rqM93v-grgui-TnqYqc/edit?usp=sharing

St. Vincent Health Fair 2019

UTMB DIG will be hosting a booth at the annual St. Vincent's Health Fair on Saturday, November 9th, 2019 from 9:00am to 12:00pm. The health fair is a community-wide event focused on providing health screening opportunities, health resources and health education to the underserved population in Galveston. Our booth will be focused on sun and skin care, and we will be providing participants with free samples and skincare education materials during the fair. We are looking for 2 to 4 volunteers who can create an educational poster and then help run the booth for any or all of the time between 9:00am to 12:00pm.

Please contact Michael Ryan (mpryan@utmb.edu) if you would like to be a part of this event.

St. Vincent's Student Clinic Dermatology Night 10/3/19

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

When: Thursday, October 3rd at 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://stvsc.org/index.php/students/sign-up

Imelda Part 2

What started as a dry morning in Galveston has become a very wet with more flooding.

Photo caption: Same view as yesterday, looking south on 9^th Street from the UTMB Campus toward the Gulf of Mexico

Imelda

Yes, much of Galveston was under water today. Most area school districts closed. UTMB clinics in Galveston, Bay Colony, and Stewart Road remained open for patient care. Thank you dermatology residents, faculty, and staff!

Photo caption: View looking south toward Market and 9^th Street from UTMB campus

What is the Best Practice for Swapping Dermatology Interview Dates?

Since dermatology residency programs often have limited interview dates and not all interview offers are made at the same time, what should the applicant do if already committed to interview at Program A and then receives an offer from Program B for the same interview date? The applicant may like both programs and would like to interview at both. This issue was discussed in detail at the 2019 Association of Professors of Dermatology annual meeting. There is concern that in the recent past, applicants in this situation have offered to compensate those holding the desired interview date for more than travel costs already incurred. One prestigious dermatology program in attendance indicated that they would soon update their website to prohibit this type of trading, and to insure fairness in this process, only allow rescheduling through their program coordinator.

UTMB “Physician Only/R” Dermatology Residency Position for July 2020 Receives NRMP Program Code

The UTMB Department of Dermatology has received a NRMP Program Code for the “Physician Only/R”  for one dermatology residency position that will begin on July 1, 2020. The new NRMP Program Code is 1714080R0. This position is only available to physicians who currently are in or who have completed a PGY1 year in a clinical specialty approved by the American Board of Dermatology. Since UTMB Dermatology will be listing two dermatology residency programs with different codes this year, applicants should make sure that they use the correct program code on both ERAS for applications and NRMP for ranking.

Thank you Dr. Chandler Self

Dr. Chandler Self, UTMB Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, presented her lecture, “Delusions of Parasitosis” to dermatology residents, faculty, and students on Friday, September 6, 2019. We all enjoyed learning more about this important topic.

UTMB Dermatology Publishes Research About Cutaneous Nontuberculosis Mycobacteria Infections

Congratulations to Dr. Rebecca Philips (UTMB SOM, Dermatology Residency, and Dermatopathology Fellowship) for her September 2019 JAAD article, “Cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacteria infections: A retrospective case series of 78 patients from the Texas Gulf Coast region” (J Am Acad Dermatol 2019;81:730-9). Her co-authors on this publication were Dr. Paige Hoyer (UTMB PGY2 dermatology resident), Dr. Skyler White (UTMB PGY4 dermatology resident), Dr. Katherine Tinkey, Dr. Michael Loeffelholz, Clark Anderson, Dr. Michael Wilkerson (UTMB Professor Dermatology), Dr. Bernard Gibson (UTMB Dermatology Chair ad Interim), and Dr. Brent Kelly (UTMB Professor Dermatology and Director of UTMB Dermatopathology). Congratulations to all on such an excellent article!

More on Dermatology “Research Year” Opportunities

There has been a proliferation of “Research Year” opportunities in dermatology for medical students and for those who have completed PGY1. One current source lists 74 research positions nationwide: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18DTwXT1kq3RvsbO164q1LOHPVIBkDFRvfbeUg4FhX8I/edit#gid=1571544969 with 6 in Texas. This list is dynamic, with some programs closing and new ones opening. Applicants should be aware that the “Research Year” is trending toward more than one year in duration. Committing to a “Research Year” is indicative how competitive dermatology residency has become and the determination of applicants, but unfortunately is not a guarantee for matching into a dermatology residency. 

AAD Limits Case Report Posters for the 2020 Annual Meeting

Yes, the AAD has decided to limit the number of poster case reports accepted to 100 for the 2020 AAD Meeting in Denver: “New for 2020 and beyond: Case reports will be considered however there will be a maximum of 100 case reports that will be accepted. The top 3 accepted case reports will be printed at the front of the JAAD Supplement.”

Good Luck Dr. Ashley Group

The DIG has greatly enjoyed working with you and we are very grateful for your excellent dermatology teaching. Good luck!

Dermatology Interest Group - Opening Meeting Notes – 8/29/19

The Dermatology Interest Group would like to thank everyone who came out to the opening meeting on Thursday. Below are the notes from the meeting:


Q&A with Dr. Wagner (UTMB Program Director)


General Information
-UTMB Dermatology Residency Program will have 5 spots in the match this year and looks to fill them with high achieving students who have strong research background.
-Faculty are willing to assist students with research and mentoring.
-Always follow through with research projects and set clear expectations
-Honors Research Program is a good opportunity to complete independent project.
-Many clinical electives are available for students.
-1^st years can take a 4-week elective between MS1/MS2 in dermatology.
-Dermatology electives can count for many graduation requirements.
-There are didactive courses offered that can allow ample time for interviews.
-Opportunities for Conferences: Texas Dermatological Society meetings (fall and spring) and Annual AAD meeting (spring).
-Avoid prioritizing research at the cost of grades and learning. Applicants should be able to manage academics, research, and extracurriculars.
-Find reliable upperclassmen to provide advice and mentoring.

What options are available if you don’t match:
-Must have a back-up plan.
-Delay graduation (Super-senior year, master’s degree, more away rotations).
-Other specialties in the match.
-Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Period (SOAP).
-PGY-1 Year (intern year) + Apply again or Research years.
-Research Fellowships.
-Unmatched dermatology applicants have applications and step scores much higher than the median for many other fields.

What to do as a 1^st year medical student:
-First and foremost, focus on adjusting to medical school and performing well in classes
-Attend monthly St. Vincent Dermatology Nights (1^st Thursday of the Month)
-Sign up for Dermatology Preceptorship or dermatology related research (MSSRP) between 1^st and 2^nd year
-Consider shadowing opportunities
-Consider project ideas for Honors Research Thesis

Upcoming DIG Events:

Stay Shady Presentations:
9/26/19- 8:00 - 10:30 AM
Contact: Christina Davis
cndavis@utmb.edu

DIG Fall Bake Sale
October 2^nd 11:00am - 1:00pm
Sign up link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SMRd_Bv1U1SkMHXtacpYZNE1rqM93v-grgui-TnqYqc/edit?usp=sharing
Contact: Elise Weisert
emweiser@utmb.edu

Other events this year: (Dates TBD)
-6-7 additional Stay Shady Presentations
-Spring Bake Sale
-Dermatology Procedure Workshop
-Match Panel
-Officer Elections
-Melanoma Walk
-Psoriasis Walk

-Various volunteer activities