DIG Members Awarded the AOA Medical Student Service Project Award

The UTMB DIG Galveston President, Lindsey Hunter, and Vice President, Rebecca Philips, were awarded $850 by the National AOA Office to continue the very successful AOA Medical Student Service Project, "Stay Shady!" This activity will be featured in The Pharos and on the AOA website later this year. The "Stay Shady!" project was initiated in 2008 by the former UTMB DIG Austin President and current PGY-1, Dr. Alison Wiesenthal.

Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved with this project during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Congratulations Matthew Dinehart

Matthew Dinehart, a Duke University undergraduate student, has published his original research about the diagnosis of skin lesions using frozen and permanent sections. He is the grandson of the late Dr. Ben Smith, former UTMB Dermatology Department Chair (1978-1999) and American Academy of Dermatology President (1989), and the son of Dr. Scott Dinehart, a former UTMB dermatology resident (Class of 1987) and UTMB SOM (Class of 1983), now practicing in Little Rock, Arkansas. The citation for this publication is: Dinehart MS, Coldiron BM, Hiatt K, Breau RL. Concordance of frozen and permanent sections for the diagnosis of skin lesions. Dermatol Surg 2010;36:1111-5.

Dr. Audra Clos Cited in MDLinx

Dr. Clos' recent article, "Therapeutic removal of amyloid deposits in cutaneous amyloidosis by localised intra-lesional injections of anti-amyloid antibodies," that was published in Experimental Dermatology was featured on MDLinx.com. Her article was assigned to the specialties of dermatology, rheumatology, and pathology. Dr. Clos is currently on the PGY1 rheumatology elective at UTMB. A link to this citation appears at http://www.mdlinx.com/rheumatology/news-article.cfm/3240008.

On the Importance of Checking and Responding to Email

No doubt that medical students are about the busiest people around! However, believe it or not, it is very important to check your email at least once a day. Many of our friends and family have abandoned email in favor of more instant electronic technologies, but important material is still sent by email. Once you receive an important email, make sure that you “close the loop” with a speedy response, even if you plan a more detailed response later. This is especially important advice during the dermatology interview season (November through February) when the ability to quickly respond to email may determine if you are able to select a preferred interview date.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Dermatology Applications from “DermMatch” (SDN)

Check out this very informative website below:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=590380

Dr. Anthony Perri on Cover of July 2010 Living

Congratulations to Dr. Perri, a 2008 UTMB Dermatology Residency Program graduate and board certified dermatologist with offices in Conroe and in The Woodlands, Texas, for his appearance on the cover of the July 2010 issue of Living, and the related cover story on pages 40 and 41 about Dr. Perri’s practice philosophy (PerriDermatology.com). Dr. Perry is quoted in the article as saying, “If an individual has a rash or a changing mole, it should not have to wait.”

UTMB Dermatology Resident Appointed to School of Medicine Alumni Committee

Congratulations to Dr. Julie Martin, a new PGY2 UTMB dermatology resident. She was just named to the UTMB School of Medicine Alumni Committee by the Office of Graduate Medical Education. A LSU (New Orleans) medical school graduate, Dr. Martin was in the UTMB General Surgery Residency for three years before taking a year fellowship in cutaneous oncology at Harvard, and then returning to UTMB for a dermatology residency.

Dr. Audra Clos Publishes Amyloidosis Research

Congratulations to UTMB PGY1 Internal Medicine resident and 2010 UTMB SOM graduate and Edgar B. Smith Graduation Award Recipient, Dr. Audra Clos. She recently published her innovative research about the treatment of amyloidosis in Experimental Dermatology. Her UTMB dermatology coauthors were Drs. Brent Kelly and Wagner.

Lecture About Hollywood Depictions of Contagious Diseases

Rice Associate Professor of English, Kirsten Ostherr, will lecture about “Going Viral: Visualizing Contagion and Pathology in Hollywood and Public Health Films, 1922-2010” on Monday, July 12th at noon in Levin Hall South Auditorium. Her lecture is supported by the Samuel G. Dunn Lectureship in Medicine and the Humanities. All are welcome to attend.

Opening for Period 2 Dermatologic Surgery (DERU-4003)

There has been an unexpected opening for DERU-4003 in Period 2 starting on July 26th. If any medical student wants to add this course, please email your C-Form to Ms. Marianne Keeswood.

Dr. Vickers First Author on UTMB Case Report

Dr. Jennifer Vickers, well known to the UTMB DIG and recent UTMB Internal Medicine PGY-1 who is currently a PGY-2 dermatology resident at New York Medical College (Valhalla, NY), was the first author on a case report about transitional cell neoplasm of the nasolacrimal duct that was published this month by the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology (J Cutan Pathol 2010;37:793-796). Her other UTMB coauthors were Drs. Matherne, Allison, Wilkerson, and Brent Kelly. The entire article is available online at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122510836/HTMLSTART.

UTMB Dermatology Announces Residency Interview Dates for 2011

The UTMB Department of Dermatology will conduct its 2011 residency interview dates on Thursday, February 10th and Friday, February 11th with approximately 30 ERAS applicants applying for three PGY-2 positions that will start in July 2012. Email invitations are typically sent via email in December. Visiting MS4 students taking one of the UTMB dermatology electives are automatically invited to interview during their rotation, and may be invited to return to Galveston for a February interview as well. MS4 UTMB students applying for dermatology residency typically receive an email invitation to interview sometime in December, and need to have their interviews completed by January 31st. UTMB students are not included in the February interviews. All interviewed applicants, regardless of the interview type, are considered for the UTMB Dermatology rank list.

Dr. Wagner Quoted in The New York Times!

Congratulations to UTMB DIG's Faculty Advisor, Dr. Richard Wagner, for being quoted in The New York Times on Monday, June 21st, which was also mentioned in yesterday's UTMB News Highlights.

"Summer means more time and tissue exposed to the single biggest cause of skin damage and cancer: ultraviolet radiation. And despite sunscreen and a dermatologists’ campaign going back to 1983, millions of Americans continue to abuse the rays that in small doses help maintain health but in larger doses can destroy it. For some, sun worship is a year-round activity. Dr. Richard F. Wagner Jr., a UTMB dermatologist, reported five years ago that as many as half of local beachgoers met the psychiatric definition of a substance abuse disorder. This year, 3.5 million new cases of superficial but often disfiguring skin cancers, and an estimated 68,720 melanomas, will be diagnosed among Americans. “As we age, the number of mutations increase and our immunity wanes,” Dr. Wagner explained — a double whammy that greatly increases the likelihood of skin cancer. "

To read The New York Times article, "When Tanning Turns Into an Addiction," click on the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/health/22brod.html

Mike Rains, MD, UTMB SOM Class of 2010 Featured in New Book about Hurricane Ike

Infinite Monster: Courage, Hope and Resurrection in the Face of One of America’s Largest Hurricanes (2010) by Leigh Jones and Rhiannon Meyers focused on Mike Rains’ experience with Hurricane Ike as a UTMB MS3. Mike evacuated from Galveston in 2008 as the hurricane approached Galveston, and its aftermath had a great impact on the education of UTMB medical students (Chapter 9, pages 166-168). Mike was also prominently featured in a recent article published by Texas Medicine about his lobbying efforts as a medical student to rebuild UTMB following Hurricane Ike’s damage to the Galveston campus. He received the 2010 Thomas B. Freese Award at graduation for his overall excellence in dermatology as a UTMB medical student and he will be starting dermatology residency in Austin at the UT Southwestern program in 2011.

Check Out the New UTMB Alumni Link!

The UTMB DIG is excited to announce its new UTMB Alumni feature! Here you can find information about UTMB Dermatology and Dermatopathology alumni, including current location, positions, publications, and more. This information can be accessed by clicking on the link under the "DIG@UTMB" section on the sidebar labeled "UTMB Alumni."

Dr. Wagner's Research Mentioned in Ladies' Home Journal

Research on sun addiction conducted by UTMB DIG's faculty advisor, Dr. Richard Wagner, was mentioned in the July 2010 Ladies' Home Journal article, "Addicted to the Sun," and today's UTMB News Highlights.

"Research conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston also appears to support the addiction theory. When dermatologist Richard Wagner, Jr., MD, and his colleagues surveyed beachgoers about their tanning habits using two substance-dependence screening tools (asking questions such as "Do you think you need to spend more and more time in the sun to maintain your tan?" and "Does your belief that tanning can cause skin cancer keep you from spending time in the sun or going to tanning beds?"), they found that anywhere from 26 to 53 percent of people met the criteria for tanning dependence."

Congratulations, Dr. Wagner!

To read more, Click Here.

UTMB Dermatology Faculty Recognize Best Chief Resident Research

Each year the UTMB Dermatology Faculty recognizes one of its PGY4 dermatology residents for the best dermatology scholarly activity performed during residency. The awardee for the 2009-2010 academic year was Dr. Ryan Matherne. Congratulations for your great academic work at UTMB! Dr. Matherne will be one of the UTMB Dermatopathology Fellows during the next academic year, so fortunately we will all have an opportunity to learn from him in the dermatology clinic and at the microscope!

UTMB Dermatology Residents Recognize Excellent Faculty Teaching

At the end of each academic year, the UTMB dermatology residents recognize a UTMB faculty dermatologist and a community dermatologist for their contributions to our teaching program. This year Drs. Cris Berlingeri (faculty) and Dr. Moise Levy (community) were recognized for their outstanding resident teaching. Congratulations to you both for this well-deserved recognition!

Important: Update your e-mail address with UTMB DIG

It's time to update our e-mail list! Have you recently graduated or have a new e-mail address? If so, don't forget to send us your updated e-mail address so that you can continue to receive the UTMB DIG e-mails.

Please e-mail your name and new e-mail address to UTMBDIG@gmail.com.

Thanks!
UTMB DIG Officers

UTMB BSHS Selective “Narratives of Skin Diseases” (DERU-4012) Increases Class Size

Last year, Dr. Richard Wagner offered “Narratives of Skin Diseases” to UTMB MS4s for the first time during Period 13. Student response was so positive about this class that this year the maximum student enrollment was recently increased from 5 to 10 medical students during Period 13. As of today, there are already 5 students preregistered for this class according to the UTMB registrar. In this course, students read books and short stories that were written by people who personally experienced nonmelanoma skin cancers, leprosy, vitiligo, and psoriasis. Since it the class is approved as a BSHS Selective, only UTMB MS4s are permitted to enroll. However, UTMB permits MS4s to take more than one BSHS Selective during the senior year, so all UTMB MS4s are able to enroll in this class if they are interested in the topic. Up to the maximum enrollment of 10, anyway!

UTMB Dermatology Film Class Sets New Enrollment Record

Two film classes, DERU-4051 (BSHS Selective) and DERU-4007 (Elective) broke their previous medical student enrollment records for the current academic year. During the 2009-10 academic year that finishes on June 25th, 114 UTMB and visiting medical students took Dr. Richard Wagner’s film course, “Skin Diseases Depicted in Cinema.” During the prior year, 58 UTMB medical students enrolled in the class.

Why is this class so popular with UTMB medical students? The subject matter is very interesting and exciting, and the class is unlike many other electives and selectives offered at UTMB because of the creative aspects that film allows in studying a wide array of skin diseases and related topics. Students in the class are able to develop a greater understanding about how media portrays disease through modern analytic deconstruction methods taught in the class to develop a critical understanding about film and other media. Dr. Wagner constantly updates reading assignments so that they stay current, and for the upcoming 2010-2011 academic year, he added a 14th required film for the class, “Good Hair: Sit Back And Relax,” a 2009 documentary that is narrated by comedian Chris Rock.

The film class is also popular because students are able to take the class even when they are away from Galveston by phoning in to class meetings where the films are discussed, and Dr. Wagner provides a method to make-up for missed classes when students are not able to attend or phone in. This “telephone option” is advantageous to UTMB medical students who were assigned to Austin or Houston clinical rotations during the MS3 year, or MS4s who must travel away from campus due to numerous residency interviews. DERU-4051 and DERU-4007 are available all 13 Periods for UTMB MS4 and MS3 medical students, and visiting medical students are also welcome to enroll. There are 30 spots available for each Period that these classes are offered.

UTMB Seniors Receive Graduation Awards

UTMB MS4s Audra Clos, Mike Rains and Marisol Albuerne (pictured left to right) received their dermatology graduation awards at the weekly dermatology journal club one day before graduation from medical school. Paul Houghtaling was also awarded but was unable to attend the dermatology departmental awards ceremony.

UTMB SOM Class of 2010 Breaks Medical Student Dermatology Research Record

Four UTMB MS4s from the Class of 2010 completed their Dermatology Honors Research Projects this academic year, according to Dr. Simon Lewis, the head of this unique UTMB academic program that is available to non-MD-PhD UTMB medical students who are interested in a substantive dermatology research experience. The success of this program typically requires significant institutional and Departmental support and resources including the Institutional Honors Committee and IRB review efforts, faculty supervision time and departmental funding for materials, statistical design and analysis, if needed. The four UTMB MS4s completing the research program this year were Audra Clos (Summa Cum Laude), Doug Heiner (Magna Cum Laude), Jarad Levin (Magna Cum Laude), and Mike Rains (Magna Cum Laude). Congratulations to all for your record-breaking accomplishments this academic year!

Jarad Levin to Graduate with Magna Cum Laude Dermatology Research Honors on Saturday

UTMB MS4, Jarad Levin, successfully defended his Dermatology Honors Thesis entitled, “Presentation of Skin Cancers in Latin Americans as Related to Their Access to Healthcare” and was awarded Magna Cum Laude graduation honors. His dermatology faculty advisor on this research project was Dr. B. Kelly. Jarad’s ad hoc honors thesis committee members were Drs. Simon Lewis, Brent Kelly, Sharon Raimer and Richard Wagner. Congratulations to Jarad for a job well done!

Last UTMB Dermatology Honors Thesis of the 2009-10 Academic Year

All are invited to attend the 4th Dermatology Honors Thesis Research Presentation of the current academic year. MS4 Jarad Levin will discuss his original research entitled “Presentation of Skin Cancers in Latin Americans as Related to Their Access to Healthcare” in the Dermatology Conference Room at noon on Thursday, June 3rd. This is the first time at UTMB there have been more than three of these medical student Honors Research presentations from the same class in our Dermatology Department since the program was initiated in 2001 by Renee Solis Snyder, MD (currently in private dermatology practice, Austin, Texas). Please come join us to learn more about this interesting topic!

UTMB Dermatology Alum Publishes Skin Advice in Triathlete Magazine

Dr. Monica Scheel (UTMB Dermatology Class of 1999) published an article entitled, “Skin Deep” in the June 2010 issue of Triathlete Magazine (pages 108-110, 112). She discussed many skin problems triathletes encounter, such as sunburn, skin cancer, blisters, saddle sores, chafing, and a variety of other topics of interest. She currently is in dermatology practice in Kona, Hawaii, and is a triathlete as well!

KHOU-TV (Ch. 11, Houston) Highlights Recent UTMB Dermatology Free Skin Cancer Screening

Channel 11 television in Houston has issued a press release about UTMB’s free skin cancer screening clinic. For the full article, please go to: http://www.khou.com/news/Skin-cancer-screening-finds-46-percent-with-cancer-or-precancerous-conditions-94802194.html.

Three potential melanomas were found, and all participants with precancers, nonmelanoma skin cancers and possible melanomas were advised to seek further medical attention.

2010 Dermatology Department Awards to UTMB Medical Students

Please join the UTMB DIG in congratulating the 2010 Graduation Award Winners from the UTMB Department of Dermatology:

-Best Original Essay for "Skin Diseases Depicted in Cinema" course: Paul M. Houghtaling ("The Evil Albino")

-Beiersdorf History of Dermatology Award: Marisol Albuerne ("Morgellons Disorder: A Syndrome or a Delusion")

-Edgar B. Smith Endowed Scholarship Award for Excellent Dermatology Research by a Medical Student: Audra Clos

-Thomas B. Freese Award for Overall Excellence in Dermatology: Michael L. Rains

The Next Step: Growing Professionally Contributing to Dermatology Knowledge

There is no doubt that you are an excellent student! You probably did well on the SAT and got into your first choice undergraduate college. You continued to excel academically and had a high undergraduate GPA, aced the MCAT, and got into medical school. During medical school you continued to do well academically and high passed/honored most of your courses, and may even have been be elected to AOA. You also scored well on the Step 1 and Step 2 exams. Your professors think you are great and you have no problem getting enthusiastic letters of recommendation. There is no doubt that you are an excellent student!

While most residency programs would be delighted to interview someone with your academic achievements, many dermatology residencies are looking for even more from applicants. This has occurred because the supply of residency positions in dermatology are much less than the current demand for them. Due to self-selection (and often times the advisement from a wise medical school Dean with recent experience in NRMP statistics from previously successful dermatology applicants from your school), most dermatology applicants have the numbers to match. However, in recent years some of them still have not been successful in obtaining a dermatology residency.

Given the oversupply of capable dermatology applicants, how do programs decide who to interview and rank highly on their match list? Different programs use different criteria. However, many programs are interested in applicants’ transition from excellent student to active contributor. Student professional development and maturation can be demonstrated in a variety of ways. One way is to engage in productive dermatology research at your medical school or through leadership roles in active volunteer student organizations that permit interaction with faculty. Not all medical students have the same research skill sets or organizational skills to engage in complex research or student leadership roles right away, but research skills and leadership, just like study skills can be developed over time if the student is motivated to do so. Try finding a dermatology resident or faculty with an “interesting case” and take the initiative to research the medical literature to see if this patient had unusual or novel aspects to their disease presentation, diagnosis, treatment or course. If you are able to become actively engaged and write up the case report with close interaction and feedback with the team members caring for the patient, you will certainly learn and at the same time develop important research skills that will help you throughout the remainder of your professional career. By going through the steps needed for poster presentation and or publication, you will be sharing your unique experience and helping other dermatologists learn. Based on your early research exposure, you may even become involved in more complicated research projects or even become the Principal Investigator of a dermatology study you initiate. Likewise, leadership roles may be learned by joining a student organization on campus and learning from more senior students. Of course your supervising dermatology faculty will see your research and leadership abilities grow and will be able to provide a more in-depth letter of recommendation that may encourage faculty from another dermatology program to put you on their interview list!

New E-mail Address for UTMB DIG

The UTMB DIG has a new e-mail address! If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at UTMBDIG@gmail.com.

Thanks,
UTMB DIG Officers

UTMB Dermatology Screens Over 100 People Today!

Earlier today, UTMB dermatologists, nurses, and medical students participated in the annual Houston Dermatological Society Skin Cancer Screening at the Bay Colony and Stewart Road Family Health clinics. Between the two locations, over 100 patients were screened for cancerous and pre-cancerous growths free of charge. Thanks to everyone who volunteered!

2010 Society for Investigative Dermatology Meeting Recap

The 2010 SID meeting in Atlanta was an intellectually stimulating and memorable experience! Attendees had the opportunity to give and receive feedback on their research, and learn about the latest in dermatology from institutions across the United States and abroad.

With over 800 research posters and back-to-back lectures and presentations, there wasn't a dull moment! The SID meeting was also a wonderful opportunity for networking. There were attendees from all areas of dermatology and cutaneous biology research communities ranging from students and residents to researchers and clinicians.

We learned about ongoing research from all around the world, including thyroid hormone regulation of human epithelial stem cells and novel treatments for basal cell carcinomas in patients with Basal Cell Carcinoma Nevus Syndrome. UTMB students, Audra Clos, MS4 (top left), and MS3s, Lindsey Hunter (top right) and Michaela Marek (bottom), are pictured with their research posters above. UTMB dermatologists, Dr. Michael Wilkerson and Dr. Matthew Petitt, were also in attendance. Michaela was also the lucky winner of a brand new Apple iPad during the BCCNS Life Support Network panel discussion!

Be sure to submit your abstracts for next year's SID meeting, which will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, May 4-7, 2011.

http://www.sidnet.org/AnnualMeeting.aspx

Help UTMB DIG Reach Out to More People!

Are you or someone you know interested in dermatology? Help us spread the word by telling people about our blog!

The UTMB DIG...
• Informs students about dermatology events at UTMB, locally, regionally, and nationally
• Increases exposure to dermatology and UTMB dermatologists
• Interacts with students in all classes interested in pursuing dermatology
• Provides information to its members about dermatology courses, opportunities to volunteer and conduct research
• Volunteer events include: sun protection awareness, skin cancer screening, Miles for Melanoma Walk, and more
• Watch the Student News and Notes for our next meeting, or check out our blog for any and all information

To join our e-mail list, e-mail your request to utmbderm@gmail.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line.

Thanks for your support!
-UTMB DIG Officers

UTMB Dermatology Alum Featured in May 2010 Issue of Texas Medicine

Dr. Susan Dozier, a UTMB SOM (1989) and Dermatology Department (1993) alumnus, and American College of Mohs Surgery Fellow practicing in Austin, Texas is featured in the May 2010 issue of Texas Medicine in a public health article entitled, “Killer tans: State, feds crack down on indoor tanning” on pages 47-51. UTMB Dermatology Chair, Dr. Sharon Raimer, is also quoted in the article and highlighted for her testimony on TMA’s behalf in favor of HB 1310.

UTMB Dermatology Residents Receive 2010 American Board of Dermatology (ABD) In-Training Exam Results

In-training dermatology resident test scores for 2010 are back, and our UTMB residents did well, with total test percentile scores ranging from 27% to 87%, compared to the same PGY level test takers in other US and Canadian programs this year. One of the UTMB residents scored 100% on the Pediatric Dermatology content area!

Houston Dermatological Society Skin Cancer Screening is this Saturday

Don't forget the annual Houston Dermatological Society Skin Cancer Screening is this Saturday, May 15th! Screenings will be held at two locations. Additional information can be found below. If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Lindsey Hunter at lihunter@utmb.edu. See you Saturday!

1.) UTMB Dermatology at Bay Colony: 10 AM - 1 PM
2785 Gulf Freeway South, Suite 165
(next to 24 Hour Fitness at I-45 and FM 646)
(281) 534-3376

2.) Stewart Road Family Health Clinic: 10 AM - 12 PM
6710 Stewart Road, Galveston, TX
(409) 744-4030

UTMB Dermatology Announces 2011 Dermatopathology Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Kim Hookim, who has accepted a UTMB Dermatopathology Fellowship for 2011. Dr. Hookim completed pathology residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine and is currently a surgical pathology fellow at UTMB. The UTMB DIG looks forward to working with you on the dermatopathology service!

Michael Rains Receives Magna Cum Laude

UTMB MS4 Michael Rains successfully presented his Dermatology Research Honors Thesis, “Preventing Ultraviolet Light Ear Injury: Ear Cancer Awareness and Protective Behaviors” and received Magna Cum Laude graduation research honors. His excellent presentation included video. His faculty advisor was Dr. Richard Wagner, and his thesis committee faculty were Drs. Simon Lewis, Sharon Raimer and Ben Raimer. Mike’s thesis was the third completed for the UTMB SOM Class of 2010, tying previous classes in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009. In July he will start Preliminary Medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Austin, Texas and remain at the same institution for dermatology residency.

Helping Dermatology Success Happen at UTMB

For many years, the UTMB Department of Dermatology has helped many of our medical students achieve their career goal of becoming a dermatologist. How does this happen? Our department is small enough for UTMB students to have access to our dermatology faculty early in their medical school years. The faculty are friendly, experienced educators who are very helpful to medical students interested in a dermatology career, and they offer a large variety of interesting dermatology courses and research opportunities. There is always lots of research going on in the department and it is one of the most active departments on campus participating in the UTMB Honors Research Project Program. The later program permits our medical students to become the Principal Investigator (PI) on their own, original dermatology research (in our experience, a difficult proposition at many other medical schools) with close faculty mentorship available throughout the process.

UTMB faculty will also “sponsor” your dermatology application when it is time to apply. Although UTMB will not be able to take all of its own medical school graduates for dermatology residency, letters of recommendation from UTMB Dermatology Faculty usually contain detailed personal knowledge about your work in clinics and research activity. These types of faculty recommendations can have a positive impact when applying to other programs. UTMB Dermatology Faculty are there to support your application, whether you get in on the first application cycle, or to provide career counseling if you have to apply several times.

DIG Members Collaborate on Published UTMB Dermatology Resident Research

UTMB Dermatology Residents participate in many research activities during their three years of training at UTMB, and all must complete a scholarly project to graduate. This often presents great opportunities for our DIG members to contribute to this research effort and learn from a dermatology resident. Many times these resident projects will be presented at state and national meetings with you listed as a coauthor, and often the scholarly project will be published in a peer-reviewed dermatology journal. In 2008, Dr. Conner Chan (current LSU dermatology resident) helped publish a resident scholarly project with Dr. Andy Perri, and in 2009 Janese Laster and Donnie Warren helped Dr. Josh Dimmick publish his original dermatology research. MS3 Michaela Marek contributed to Dr. Ryan Matherne’s 2010 publication as well. Check with the UTMB dermatology residents and see if there is a role for you in one of their ongoing research activities. Chances are great that your research interest will be welcome!