Volunteers Needed for Dermatopathology Review Course

UTMB will be hosting a dermatopathology review course for Texas dermatology residents on April 4th 2020. The department is in need of volunteers who will act as guides to help direct attendees from the parking areas to where the sessions will be held. Volunteers will need to arrive at 7:50 am and can leave once the attendees have arrived and the conference has started. Volunteers are also welcome to stay and enjoy the complimentary breakfast. Please email Michael Ryan (mpryan@utmb.edu) to be put on the volunteer list and for more information!

March St. Vincent's Dermatology Night Cancelled

There will not be a dermatology night in March as St. Vincent's will be holding their annual benefit fundraising concert on the night of March 5th. The next dermatology night will be the first Thursday of April (4/2/2020) at 5:30pm. UTMB DIG will post a reminder for the April dermatology night in the weeks before.

Dermatology Residency Applications: Does the Personal Statement Matter?

Yes, according to a new study published in the February 2020 issue of Cutis (105:83-85). The authors found that personal statements containing a dermatologic case had a significantly positive impact on matching into a dermatology residency (p=.013), while personal statements that contained name dropping (p=.014) and religious influences (p=.002) significantly decreased chances of a dermatology match.

UTMB Dermatology Getting Ready for Match Day

The NRMP Rank List Deadline is Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 9 pm ET. Match Day is Friday, March 20, 2020. Good luck everyone!

UTMB Has Two NRMP Program Codes for 2020

This year UTMB has two NRMP Program codes:

1714080R0 (1 position, “Physician Only,” start dermatology residency in July 2020)), only applicants who have completed PGY1 by June 30, 2020 are eligible

1714080A0 (5 positions, “Advanced,” start dermatology residency in July 2021)

Please make sure that your program rank order list is sent to the correct program(s)!

Changes in Step 1 Scoring Could Impact Dermatology Residency Application Cycle

The recent decision to change graded Step 1 examination scores to Pass or Fail starting with incoming medical students (Class of 2024) may have a major impact on future dermatology applicants. Some current applicants do not finalize their decision to apply for dermatology residency positions until they receive Step 1 scores high enough to put them in a competitive position for the dermatology match. However, even with a high Step 1 score, deciding to apply for dermatology residency during the MS3 year typically had the disadvantage of relatively less dermatology research presentations/publications, volunteer work, and professional networking with home school dermatology faculty than applicants that were committed to a dermatology career as early as MS1. Now with no Step 1 score to encourage additional dermatology applicants during their third year of medical school, some may wait for Step 2 scores that will probably not be available until the beginning of their MS4. Those waiting to start dermatology research  and other dermatology interest activities during the summer before ERAS applications open may find that their applications are not as competitive as in the past when they had about a year to demonstrate strong interest in dermatology, and may benefit from delaying graduation from medical school and taking a dermatology research year to increase the competitiveness of their dermatology residency application.

Upcoming Scoring Change For USMLE Step 1

Today the Invitational Conference on USMLE Scoring (INCUS) released their decision after a months-long deliberation examining scoring methods for Step 1 of the USMLE. Step 1 will no longer have a three digit score, and will instead show only a pass/fail designation. Scoring for the other USMLE Step exams will not be changing. The exact details on how this transition will occur is not yet available; however this change will not occur any earlier than January 1st 2022. The final decision put out today by the INCUS can be read here: https://www.usmle.org/incus/#decision

UTMB DIG Hosts Dermatology Advising Meeting for Rising 4th Years

On Monday February 10th UTMB DIG met with current third year medical students planning on applying to dermatology residency. Many topics were covered including: planning 4th year classes, scheduling Step 2 CS and CK, applying for away rotations, acquiring letters of recommendation, and coming up with alternative plans in the case of a failure to match. UTMB Dermatology program director Dr. Richard Wagner was present to answer questions and provide advice as well as several current fourth year medical students who were able to speak to the process as well. Participants had a chance to ask any other questions they might have had and were put in contact with upperclassmen who could provide mentoring!

UTMB Dermatology Faculty Elected to Small Departments representative at-large to the Faculty Group Practice (FGP) Clinical Operations Committee

Congratulations Dr. Erica Kelly!

Time to Get Ready for Spring Texas Dermatological Society (TDS)

The spring TDS meeting will be held at the Renaissance Dallas Plano Legacy West on April 17-18, 2020. Applications for poster and podium presentations are being accepted through Friday, March 20^th. Abstracts and poster PDFs are due by Friday, March 27^th. The meeting registration deadline for all first authors is April 8^th. Only first author residents and fellows are eligible for poster and podium awards.

Upcoming Melanoma Walk

The UTMB Dermatology Interest Group is hosting the annual Steps Against Melanoma 5K Walk and Fun Run to help raise melanoma awareness and support melanoma research.

Date: Saturday, April 18th

Time: Registration at 7:30 AM; Walk/Run begins at 8:00 AM

Walk/Run Location: Galveston Seawall (near the Wing’s on Seawall Blvd)

Additional Info: The registration fee is only $10. Participants raising $50 or more will receive a free T-shirt.

To Register and/or Donate: https://support.aimatmelanoma.org/event/steps-against-melanoma-galveston-2020/e265060

***If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up using the following link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pk1PMuu9N13FQDtVHCBRoEQB1TTITRczsBM0WY0Ngr8/edit#gid=0

Questions? Contact Caroline Crain (cbcrain@utmb.edu) or Corley Pruneda (ccpruned@utmb.edu).

A Star is Born!

Congratulations to Dr. Kristyna Gleghorn, a current PGY3 dermatology resident at UTMB. She recently published her original research, “And the Award

Goes to: A review of the Academy Awards Winning Best Pictures featuring skin conditions” in the peer-reviewed publication, International Journal of Dermatology as an “Early View” (doi:10.1111/ijd.14795). Her coauthors are former UTMB dermatology resident, Drs. Will Tausend (private practice, Pasadena, Texas), Vail Reese (private practice, San Francisco, California), and Richard Wagner (Professor of Dermatology and Program Director, UTMB, Galveston). Her article heralds the 92^nd Academy Awards on Sunday, February 9, 2020!

DIG Suture and Dermatology Procedure Workshop Was a Great Success!

Thank you to everyone involved in making the annual Suture and Dermatology Procedure Workshop a success! The event took place on Monday 2/3/20 and was attended by 10 1st and 2nd year medical students. UTMB DIG would like to thank Dr. Richard Wagner (UTMB Dermatology Faculty and Program Director), Dr. Adam Nguyen (PGY-4 Dermatology Resident) and Dr. Frank Winsett (PGY-3 Dermatology Resident) who volunteered their time to teach the students how to perform shave and punch biopsies as well as a variety of suturing techniques. Special thanks also goes out to Michael Ryan (MS4) for organizing and coordinating the event. UTMB DIG was very pleased with the turnout and hopes that the participants learned valuable skills that they can utilize in their clinical rotations and volunteering.