Difficult Questions at Dermatology Residency Interviews

Although still the exception, some dermatology faculty ask applicants difficult questions at interviews for residency. How many of us are still able to do calculus? One interviewer on the trail is well known for asking this type of question. Others like to see how quickly applicants can reassemble a pen. Another program asks that applicants teach staff something new, and gets a performance report back that is part of the interview evaluation. One procedural fellowship director requested that applicants send him a video of themselves performing surgery during their dermatology residency. Don't worry, UTMB does not do any of this! We know of no studies that link dermatology residency or fellowship performance to these types of questions (not even getting the calculus question correct). An article by William Poundstone about hiring at Google in December 24-25, 2011 issue of The Wall Street Journal (pages C1 and C2) provides some insight into the motivation behind these out of the ordinary questions. However, what seems to be working for Google hiring ("How would you escape from a blender?") may not work for other companies (or dermatology residency programs). Poundstone is the author of a new book, Are you Smart Enough to Work at Google? Google reportedly only hires 1 person per 130 applicants.

UTMB Dermatology Residency Alum, Andy Perri MD, Featured in “Top Docs of Houston” Video

Click here to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Ff9HcIP5A&feature=youtu.be.

Elective Version of Novels/Film Class Now Available (DERU-4017)

Good news for students interested in dermatology and the impact of written and visual media on public perceptions of skin diseases. Dr. Richard Wagner’s newest course, Skin Diseases in Novels/Films, is available as an elective (DERU-4017) starting this Monday, December 12th (Period 13). There is currently a maximum enrollment of 3 elective students each Period. This class meets with the selective section of the course, DERU-4402. The course requirements are identical for elective and selective students, but only the selective will count toward UTMB’s BSHS MS4 writing requirement for graduation. The UTMB Electives Committee will not permit students enrolled in the elective to switch into the selective once the course starts, even if the class is required for graduation.

DIG Meeting Recap: 12/6/11

We had a great DIG meeting on Tuesday and were excited to welcome several new first and second year medical students to our group!

Thank you to the UTMB Dermatology residents for providing a very informative Q&A panel at the meeting. The residents covered many topics, including their reasons for going into Dermatology, a description of the field and what they do during a typical day, types of surgeries performed by Dermatologists, a description of Dermatopathology, research advice, and ways to get involved with the UTMB Dermatology department as a medical student. Remember, the UTMB Dermatology residents and faculty are available to help!

Dr. Raimer Receives "Texas Super Doctor" Distinction by Texas Monthly magazine

Dr. Sharon Raimer, the UTMB Department of Dermatology Chair, is one of 23 UTMB physicians recently named Texas Super Doctors® by Texas Monthly magazine. Congratulations, Dr. Raimer!

Click here to see the ad featured in the December 2011 issue of Texas Monthly magazine.

Reminder: DIG Meeting Tomorrow!

Our next Dermatology Interest Group meeting is tomorrow!

Tuesday, December 6th at 5PM
4.112 McCullough, Dermatology Conference Room

We will be having a Q&A panel with some of the UTMB Dermatology residents.

See you then!

Zaemon Inducted into Louisiana Music Hall of Fame

Zaemon fans were thrilled to learn that Zaemon (UTMB's Dr. Brent Kelly, far left of the photo) was recently inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Zaemon released two cd's and was a key club band in the live music scene in Baton Rouge during the early 90's. Watch for upcoming concerts starring Zaemon and other Hall of Fame bands.

Next UTMB DIG Meeting on 12/6/11

Join us for the next UTMB Dermatology Interest Group meeting!

When: Tuesday, December 6th at 5PM
Where: 4.112 McCullough, Dermatology Conference Room

We are excited to have a panel of UTMB Dermatology residents to answer questions about getting involved in Dermatology and what it's like being a Dermatology resident. We will also discuss upcoming DIG events.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Dr. Brandon Goodwin Accepts UTMB Dermatology Residency Position for July 2012

Congratulations to Dr. Brandon Goodwin, a 2011 medical graduate of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, and a current PGY1 (Preliminary Medicine) at Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Goodwin will begin dermatology residency at UTMB in July 2012. UTMB Dermatology’s proposal for a permanent resident complement increase from 9 to 10 was approved by the Dermatology Residency Review Committee in September 2011. UTMB will still be offering three advanced dermatology residency positions for July 2013 in the upcoming NRMP.

Film Class Helps UTMB MS4 Diagnose Patient in the Emergency Room

Medical students who have taken Dr. Richard Wagner's film class (DERU-4051 or DERU-4007) gain exposure to a broad spectrum of common and uncommon skin diseases. Most students taking this course have not seen patients with many of the skin diseases studied in this class. A previous film class student recently wrote Dr. Wagner with the following comment:

"I just thought you would like to hear that I saw a case of delusional parasitosis yesterday during an ER shift. It was a textbook case and she even brought a "sample" in for us to look at. Thanks to your class I was able to recognize it!"

The film class currently studied the film Bug and its depiction of the skin disease, delusions of parasitosis.

UTMB MS4 Donnie Warren Presents Dermatology Poster

UTMB MS4 Donnie Warren presented his research about ultraviolet radiation hand injury prevention at UTMB's 15th Forum on Aging Poster Session. His UTMB coauthors were MS4 Ryan Riahi, MS3 Jason Hobbs, Dr. Daniel Freedman (Office of Biostatistics), and Dr. Richard Wagner (UTMB Department of Dermatology). Their poster was titled, “Preventing ultraviolet radiation hand injury: hand cancer awareness and protective behaviors.” The research presented is part of Donnie Warren’s UTMB Dermatology Honors Research Program. This meeting, sponsored by The Sealy Center on Aging and Research Services each fall, is a major research event on the UTMB campus. Through 2010, there have been 915 poster presentations given at this conference (249 by students).

Two Former UTMB Dermatology Medical Students and Residents Publish Case Report

Drs. Julie Fridlington and Dayna Diven, two former UTMB medical students and dermatology residents (Dr. Diven was also UTMB Dermatology Faculty before becoming the UT Southwestern (Austin) Dermatology Program Director), have published a case report in the November 2011 issue of Dermatology Online Journal (Fridlington JL, Tripple JW, Reichenberg JS, Hall CS, Diven DG. Acute methotrexate toxicity seen as plaque psoriasis ulceration and necrosis: A diagnostic clue. Dermatology Online Journal 2011; 17(11):2 http://dermatology.cdlib.org/1711/2_csr/2_11-00218/article.html. Dr. Fridlington is in private dermatology practice (Austin).

Dr. Julie Jackson Publishes UTMB Dermatology Honors Research in JAAD

The UTMB DIG has learned that Dr. Julie Jackson, a current Chief Dermatology Resident at UCLA (and Dermatopathology Fellow there during the next academic year), has published the results of her UTMB Dermatology Honors Research Thesis. Her research was published in the November 15, 2011 Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (“JAAD”) online. The print version will be published at a later date. The citation is: Jackson JE, Kelly B, Petitt M, Uchida T, Wagner RF Jr. Predictive value of margins in diagnostic biopsies of nonmelanoma skin cancers. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2011.09.027. Dr. Petitt completed dermatology residency at UTMB in June 2011 and had previously completed pathology residency (New Mexico) and dermatopathology fellowship (UTMB). Mr. Uchida is with the UTMB Office of Biostatistics, and Drs. B. Kelly and Richard Wagner are UTMB Dermatology Department faculty.

DIG Members Present Dermatology Research at Annual UTMB Geriatrics Conference

Several of our DIG members are presenting their epidemiologic research poster at the Annual UTMB Geriatrics Conference this week (Warren D, Riahi R, Hobbs J, Freedman D, Wagner R. Preventing ultraviolet radiation hand injury: hand cancer awareness and protective behaviors). This research is part of UTMB MS4 Donnie Warren’s dermatology honors research program. The meeting is being held from 5 pm to 7 pm in Levin Hall on Thursday, November 17th. Please stop by to see the posters and enjoy the refreshments!

UTMB Dermatology Resident Invited to 2012 Dermatology Foundation Clinical Symposia

Dr. Ashley Group, a PGY4 dermatology resident at UTMB, has been awarded an educational grant by the Dermatology Foundation to attend their annual Clinical Symposia (“Advances in Dermatology”). The meeting will be held in Naples, Florida during February 2012. Congratulations, Dr. Group!

10/25/11 DIG Meeting Recap

We had a great turnout for Tuesday’s meeting! The DIG would like to thank Dr. Wagner for his very informative talk about getting into a Dermatology residency. Below is a summary of the items Dr. Wagner discussed, followed by a meeting summary.

Summary of Dr. Wagner's Talk:

1.) Dermatology is an extremely competitive field. Applicants who match into dermatology often have many publications, research experiences, volunteer activities, superior USMLE Step 1 scores, and approximately 50% belong to the AOA Medical Honor Society.

2.) Research is highly encouraged for dermatology applicants and there are many opportunities to get involved in research at UTMB, both within and outside of the dermatology department. The key is to develop a project that matches your interests. There are diverse interests represented in the UTMB dermatology department that you can pursue, such as topics in general adult and pediatric dermatology, dermatopathology, dermatologic surgery and cosmetic dermatology. Alternatively, you could develop a project with a basic science faculty or in a different department and apply your research to skin disease!

3.) It is never too early to start a research project – you can even start during your first year. The UTMB School of Medicine allows you to participate in a summer research elective between 1st and 2nd year. This is a good way to gain a research mentor, compete for various research awards, and perhaps even have the opportunity to get published. You can also participate in the Honors Research Program in Dermatology. The official deadline for the Honors Proposal is 12/31 of the third year, but extensions may be possible with permission from Dr. Simon Lewis. This research is typically completed and presented by April of the fourth year.

4.) If you don't match the first year, don’t give up! It is very possible to match into Dermatology the second or third time around. There are a number of Dermatology research fellowships in the country that you can pursue after your intern year. Productive research with publications and the opportunity to become an expert on a particular topic of interest will add to your application. There are also alternative routes to becoming a dermatologist. For example, a pathologist who has completed a dermatopathology fellowship or a pediatrician may be attractive applicants to certain programs.

5.) The American Board of Dermatology requires a total of four years of postgraduate training. The first year must include 12 months of clinical training in a broad-based program, such as internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine, emergency medicine, or a transitional year. The next three years include full-time training as a resident in a dermatology residency program. Some dermatology programs have a combined intern year and residency; however, most dermatology training programs are unattached to the intern year and therefore require a separate application process.

6.) There are a number of fellowships that you can pursue after a dermatology residency, such as Pediatric Dermatology, Dermatopathology, Procedural Dermatology and Immunodermatology.

7.) Remember, the Dermatology faculty and residents are here to help!

UTMB DIG Meeting Summary:

1.) Meet the 2011-2012 Officers!
President: Rebecca Philips
Vice President: Chelsea Altinger
Community Outreach Chairs: André Pitt and Ryan Riahi
Aim for a Cure Melanoma Walk Chairs: Karan Patel and Donnie Warren
Contact Dermatitis Chair: Sheila Jalalat
Fundraising Chair: Ryan Riahi
Second Year Representative: Will Tausend

2.) The DIG blog (http://digutmb.blogspot.com) is a great resource for medical students interested in Dermatology. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive individual blog posts to your email, contact Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu).

3.) The DIG has a Facebook Group! Search for us: “UTMB Dermatology Interest Group.”

4.) We look forward to community outreach projects, fundraising events and our annual AIM for a Cure Melanoma Walk this year. Follow our blog to learn about upcoming events that you can participate in.

5.) Want to help with DIG events this year? E-mail the officers to join a committee or find out how you can help:
a.) AIM for a Cure Melanoma Walk Committee - contact Donnie (dbwarren@utmb.edu) or Karan (kaapatel@utmb.edu).
b.) Stay Shady! (Sun Protection/Skin Cancer Awareness) Committee - contact Ryan (rrriahi@utmb.edu) or Andre (rapitt@utmb.edu).
c.) Contact Dermatitis Outreach Committee - contact Sheila (szjalala@utmb.edu).
d.) Fundraising Committee – contact Ryan (rrriahi@utmb.edu).

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 (www.derminterest.org) and join their Facebook Group “Dermatology Interest Group Association” for more information.

UTMB Dermatology Residency Application Deadline Looming

The last day for dermatology applicants to submit their application for a categorical dermatology residency position at UTMB that starts in July 2013, is on Tuesday, November 1st. The UTMB Department of Dermatology plans on offering three residency positions in the current NRMP. Only complete applications submitted through ERAS will be considered. In previous years, UTMB MS4 applicants and current UTMB house staff automatically received interview invitations. The remaining applicants usually are notified in early December about interviews that are scheduled for February 2nd and 3rd of next year.

Reminder: DIG Meeting Tomorrow!

Join us for the first UTMB DIG meeting of the year tomorrow evening, October 25th, at 5:00 PM in the dermatology conference room (4.112 McCullough Building). Our guest speaker will be Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Dermatology Residency Program Director. We look forward to seeing you!

Questions? Please email Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu).

USC Medical Student Publishes Dermatology Handbook

Congratulations to Misha Heller, a medical student at Keck School of Medicine (University of Southern California), for her new book, Contemporary Diagnosis and Management in Psychodermatology, that was published by Handbooks in Health Care Company this year. Her co-author is Dr. John Koo, an acknowledged expert in psychodermatology at UCSF.

2010-2011 UTMB Dermatopathology Fellows Pass Boards

Congratulations to Drs. Ryan Matherne and John Cangelosi for passing their recent board certification examination in dermatopathology!

Are MD/PhD Applicants Favored for Dermatology Residencies?

According to the October 2011 issue of Skin and Allergy News (Volume 42, Number 10), U.S. dermatology residencies during 2004-2007 had the greatest percentage (5.8%) of MD/PhD residents(page 10). This was more than three times higher than the average percentage of MD/PhDs in other residency probrams.

First DIG Meeting of the Year!

Join us for a Q&A Session with Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Department of Dermatology Residency Program Director.

Where: Dermatology conference room, 4.112 McCullough Building

When: Tuesday, October 25th at 5PM

Questions? Contact Rebecca Philips (rcphilip@utmb.edu).

Predictors of Resident Performance

It would be nice to predict which dermatology applicants will excel in residency and make selections on that basis. The authors of a recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (Harfmann KL, Zirwas MJ. Can performance in medical school predict performance in residency? A compilation and review of correlative studies. J Am Acad Dermatol 2011;65:1010-1022) reviewed the literature and concluded that no one factor is predictive. Of course, examinations taken in residency had strongest correlation with exams taken during medical school, clinical performance and membership in AOA. Resident evaluations by supervisors correlated most strongly with medical school, interview, and clinical grades.

Dr. Richard Wagner Lectures to UTMB Plastic Surgeons about Media

Dr. Wagner, the UTMB Edgar B. Smith Professor of Dermatology, was invited to give the UTMB Division of Plastic Surgery a lecture this week about Media and Perceptions of Appearance. The lecture was attended by the UTMB Plastic Surgery Faculty and Residents. Dr. Wagner teaches several popular didactic courses at UTMB about media depictions of skin diseases. UTMB PGY3 Plastic Surgery Residents have a required one month clinical rotation on the Mohs Service with Dr. Wagner and the rotating Dermatology Resident each year.

New Dermatology BSHS Selective Offered: “Skin Diseases In Novel/Films”

Dermatology's new BSHS Selective, DERU 4402 (specific topic: "Skin Diseases in Novels/Films"), will offer 3 students each Period the opportunity to study 4 primary novels: Dear John (melanoma), The Da Vinci Code (albinism), The First Wives Club (aging skin), The English Patient (burn), and their derivative films. This sounds like a very interesting class!

American Board of Dermatology 2011 Certification Examination Pass Rates

The American Board of Dermatology reported that of the 391 first time examinees for the 2011 Certifying Examination, 6.2% failed.

Where do Dermatology Residents Practice?

A study from the September 2011 issue of Archives of Dermatology addresses this question (Resneck JS Jr, Kostecki J. An analysis of dermatologist migration patterns after residency training. Arch Dermatol 2011;147:1065-1070). UTMB is specifically cited (page 1067) as one of only 4 US dermatology residency programs (along with Mayo Clinic, Texas Tech and the University of Iowa) that had less than 15% of their residents practicing within a 100 mile radius. This compares to 43% of dermatologists nationally who practice within 100 miles of their residency training program.

Dr. Mara Dacso Publishes Research on Leprosy

Congratulations to UTMB PGY3 dermatology resident, Mara Dacso MD, MS, for her publication in the October 2011 issue of the Southern Medical Journal (Dacso MM, Jacobson RR, Scollard DM, Stryjewska BM, Prestigiacoma JF. Evaluation of multi-drug therapy for leprosy in the United States using daily rifampin. Southern Med J 2011;101(10):689-694). Dr. Dacso collaborated with researchers at The National Hansen’s Disease Program in Baton Rouge, LA for her Dermatology Research Honors Program thesis while she was a medical student at UTMB.

Dr. Erica Kelly on Cover of Coast Magazine

The October 2011 issue of Coast Magazine (Galveston Daily News) features Dr. Erica Kelly. Dr. Kelly completed dermatology residency at UTMB in 2002 and has been on the dermatology faculty since that time. She is the Director of Cosmetic Dermatology and has extensive expertise in the use of fillers, neurotoxins and lasers. She has won numerous teaching awards from UTMB medical students (DIG) and the dermatology residents. She has also mentored UTMB medical students in their Dermatology Honors Research Projects, and dermatology residents in their required Scholarly Project.

Dr. Brent Kelly Promoted to Associate Professor of Dermatology

Congratulations to Dr. Brent Kelly! The UTMB Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (APT) Committee, as well as the UTMB Executive Committee recently voted to promote Dr. Kelly to Associate Professor of Dermatology in the tenure track. Dr. Kelly completed dermatology residency at UTMB in 2006 that was followed by a dermatopathology fellowship in 2007, at which time he became a full-time dermatology faculty at UTMB. He has over 30 peer-reviewed publications and is very active in helping medical students, dermatology residents, and dermatopathology fellows conduct and publish their research. Dr. Kelly has also been awarded numerous annual teaching awards by UTMB’s Dermatology Interest Group (DIG) and the dermatology residents. He is board-certified in internal medicine, dermatology, and dermatopathology, and is the Director of Dermatopathology at UTMB.

Bees Be Gone

Swarming honeybees around UTMB's Basic Science Building may be a thing of the past, according to Saturday's Galveston Daily News (please see http://galvestondailynes.com/story/260002 ). Our medical school plans to re-locate the bees to another location over the weekend.

UTMB Dermatology Residency Initiates Dermatology Research Elective for PGY4s

This month the UTMB Dermatology Residency will begin to offer its PGY4 dermatology residents the option of a 2 week dermatology research elective. The goal of this elective in dermatology research is to assist PGY4 residents in the completion of their Scholarly Project, a dermatology program requirement at UTMB. This elective will provide residents with time to analyze their data and present it in scientific format. Residents taking this elective are expected to produce a submission-ready abstract, poster, or manuscript based on the Scholarly Project that they initiated during their PGY2 year.

Dr. Richard Wagner Lecture

Dr. Wagner, the UTMB Edgar B. Smith Professor of Dermatology, was invited to give the UTMB Division of Plastic Surgery a lecture this week about Skin Cancer and Mohs Surgery. The lecture was attended by the UTMB Plastic Surgery Faculty and Residents. UTMB PGY3 Plastic Surgery Residents have a required one month clinical rotation on the Mohs Service with Dr. Wagner and the rotating Dermatology Resident each year.

Article about Porcine Xenograft use in Mohs Surgery Published by UTMB Dermatologists

The September 2011 issue of Dermatology Online Journal contains an original multidisciplinary article about the use of porcine xenografts following Mohs surgery (Raimer DW, Group AR, Petitt MS, Nosrati N, Yamazaki ML, Davis NA, Kelly BC, Gibson BR, Montilla RD, Wagner RF Jr. Porcine xenografts biosynthetic wound dressings for the management of postoperative Mohs wounds. Dermatology Online Journal 17 (9):1. This study was part of Dr. David Raimer’s Scholarly Project, a program requirement of the UTMB dermatology residency. All of his co-authors are from the UTMB Department of Dermatology, with the exception of Dr. Montilla who was with the UTMB Division of Plastic Surgery. The online article is available at:
http://dermatology.cdlib.org/1709/1_org/1_11-00189/article.html

UTMB Dermatology Residency Program Completes Site Visit

This week the UTMB Department of Dermatology had its site visit. The last visit was in 2006, when it received a 5 year cycle. Dr. William McKinney, the ACGME Accreditation Field Representative, met with the Program Director, Program Coordinator, Chair, DIO, all of the dermatology residents, and all of the dermatology faculty. The Dermatology RRC will review the Program Information Form (PIF) and Dr. McKinney’s report, and determine the next program cycle.

Congratulations to 2011 UTMB Dermatology Residents

The UTMB DIG is happy to learn that 3 UTMB Dermatology Residents who completed training this June have passed the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) Certification Examination, and are now board certified in dermatology. Congratulations to Drs. Matt Petitt, John Stephens, and Mika Yamazaki for this excellent academic achievement.

Residency Applicant Knowledge of the Six ACGME Core Competencies

Resident applicants (anesthesiology) knowledge of the six ACGME Core Competencies was very poor according to a recent study published last year in Academic Medicine (see http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2010/05000/Do_Residency_Applicants_Know_What_the_ACGME_Core.19.aspx ) Only 3 of 193 (2%) applicants knew all six competencies. The six competencies are: medical knowlege, patient care, professionalism, communications, systems-based practice, and practice-based learning and improvement.

UTMB Welcome Weekend

The UTMB Welcome Weekend Community Fair was a huge success. Many student organizations and local businesses were present to meet and greet incoming UTMB students. The UTMB Dermatology Interest Group is excited to welcome nearly 50 new blog subscribers who signed up during the event!


Thank you to the UTMB DIG Community Service Chairs, Ryan Riahi (Left) and André Pitt (Right), and Second Year Rep, Will Tausend (Middle), for recruiting new members at this event!

UTMB Family Medicine Teaching Dermatology Procedures at Primary Care Pavillion

Please see link for the upcoming teaching session for medical students on primary care procedures at the Primary Care Pavillion on September 15, 2011. http://fammed.utmb.edu/home/pcp2.aspx

DIG Poison Ivy Community Education Project Unfunded

The UTMB DIG has received news that the UTMB President’s Cabinet was unable to provide funding for their “Elusive Ivy” proposal. A number of positive comments were received, including, “Liked the student initiated program.” Thanks to our proposal author, Chelsea Altinger and Drs. Lindsey Hunter and Richard Wagner for their help.