Congratulations to Marie Vu (PGY-3) and co-authors Fareen Momin (PGY-2) and Paige Hoyer (UTMB alumni) for their recent publication “Reconstruction of an Earlobe Defect” in Dermatologic Surgery.
Citation:
Vu, Marie T. MD; Momin, Fareen A. MD; Williams, Paige H. MD. Reconstruction of
an Earlobe Defect. Dermatologic Surgery ():10.1097/DSS.0000000000005053,
February 18, 2026. | DOI: 10.1097/DSS.0000000000005053
UTMB DIG congratulates UTMB MS4 Madelyn Schmidt for her successful match into dermatology residency!
Advanced (begins July 2027)
Haya Beydoun (Wayne State University)
Claudia Dubocq (University of Puerto Rico)
Claire Fason (UTHSC Houston)
Bahar Momin, MD (UT San Antonio)
Madelyn Schmidt (UTMB)
Eric Cline, MD (U Oklahoma)
5 Year 2+2 (includes PGY1 internal medicine year at UTMB that begins July 2026)
Kaley Wolff (U Colorado)
2+2 Physician Only (begins July 2026)
Adaku Ume, MD, PhD (Wayne State University)
Congratulations all! We are looking forward to working with you!
Thank you to all of our DIG volunteers for making our March Hats for the Homeless event a success!
Pictured from left to right: Kassianna Elizondo MS2 (Stay Shady Chair), Presley Limon MS3, Suzanne Sajid MS1, Stephanie Rivera-Ithier MS1, Andrew Spires MS3
Congratulations to the UTMB Department of Dermatology for once again filling all 8 of their residency positions. The total includes 6 advanced positions that begin on July 1, 2027, 1 physician only 2+2 research track position that starts this July, and one 5 year 2+2 research track position that includes a PGY1 position in Internal Medicine at UTMB.
Thanks to the efforts of Danielle Miller (MS3, DIG Education Chair) and Nikitha Adari (MS3), the maps in the Dermatology administrative offices are updated to represent the practice locations of UTMB Dermatology graduates. They include the locations of residency graduates (red), residency + Mohs graduates (yellow), Mohs graduates (blue), residency + dermatopathology graduates (green), and dermatopathology graduates (orange). Come by the department and check them out!
Congratulations to Gengi Kleto (MS4) for her recent publication “Infection with hepatitis C, not hepatitis B confers increased risk of lichen planus: A TriNetX study” as a brief report in JAAD. Her co-authors were Dr. Umer Nadir (Department of Dermatology, Baylor University Medical Center), Dr. Sahiti Talasila (Transitional Year Residency, Orange Park Hospital), Dr. George Jeha (Department of Dermatology, Baylor University Medical Center), and Dr. Stanislav Tolkachjov (Department of Dermatology, Baylor University Medical Center).
Citation:
Infection with hepatitis C, not hepatitis B confers increased risk of lichen
planus: A TriNetX study. Kleto, Gengi et al. Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology, Volume 0, Issue 0. https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(26)00273-2/fulltext
Congratulations to MS4 Madelyn Schmidt for her successful thesis defense on Friday, March 6, 2026 on the topic of “Evaluating the Image-Based Diagnostic Accuracy of ChatGPT in Dermatology: A Comparative Analysis Between AI Models and Dermatologists.” Her supervising faculty was Janice Wilson (Associate Professor of Dermatology) and her thesis committee members were Kathleen Kroger (Assistant Professor of Dermatology), Richard Wagner (Professor Dermatology, Residency Program Director), and Jiefei Wang (Assistant Professor of Biostatistics & Data Science). The ad hoc committee advised the UTMB Honors Research Steering Committee that Ms. Schmidt should receive Magna Cum Laude graduation research honors for her work, and their recommendation was supported by the institutional committee.
Congratulations to Dr. Alyssa Hansen (PGY3 UTMB Dermatology Resident) and Anthony Linfante (Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Dermatopathology) for their Healthcare Heroes Awards recognition by St. Vincent’s Clinic in Galveston. They volunteer their professional services in the evening to unsponsored patients with skin diseases, and work with UTMB medical students there.
This past Saturday, DIG hosted a sun safety and skin cancer education booth at the annual St. Vincent’s Health Fair, engaging community members in conversations about prevention and early detection!
Pictured from left to right: Presley Limon (MS3), Matthew De La Garza (MS2), Smiti Gandhi (MS3), Sydney McDaniel (MS3)
Kate Benandi, MS3 (left), Luke Hamilton, MS3 (top right), and Andrew Spires, MS3 (not pictured) worked with Dr. Linfante (bottom right) to coordinate the donation of a light box from a generous UTMB patient. This equipment will be used to treat a variety of dermatologic conditions and will be a valuable addition to patient care services at St. Vincent’s Clinic.
Application deadline for all: April 3, 2026
Abstract/Poster PDF deadline for all: April 10, 2026
Registration deadline: April 17, 2026
See texasdermatology.org for additional details and registration
Congratulations to Travis Dowdle, MD for receiving the dermatology department’s nomination for the 2026 UTMB Graduate Medical Education Resident of the Year Award.
We’re excited to celebrate the success of yesterday’s DIG Bake Sale! Thanks to the generosity of the UTMB community, we raised $500, which will directly support Hats for the Homeless.
A special acknowledgment to Kassianna Elizondo MS2 (Stay Shady Chair) and Ria Kanotra MS2 (Psoriasis Walk Chair) for baking the treats, organizing the bake sale, and educating the UTMB community about the Hats for the Homeless initiative.
DIG is hosting a bake sale on Wednesday, February 11 from 9 AM to 3 PM at the HEC First Floor Lobby! Come support our efforts to raise funds for Hats for the Homeless, a community service initiative that provides sun protection and sun safety education to individuals experiencing homelessness.
Congratulations to our UTMB team that recently published the results of their analysis of online skin cancer resources from major dermatology organizations in the United States. The authors include a UTMB medical student, dermatology residents and Mohs fellow, and faculty. The citation is:
Congratulations to Renat Ahatov, MD (top left) for his selection by the Dermatology Foundation's to attend their annual scientific symposium in Naples, Florida last week. Dr. Ahatov will be the 2026-2027 UTMB Mohs fellow after he completes dermatology residency at UTMB this June.
All interested DIG members and the UTMB community are invited to attend UTMB MS4 Madelyn Schmidt’s Dermatology Honors Research Project Thesis Defense on Friday, March 6th, from 2:00–3:00 pm in Galveston at the Dermatology Conference Room (McCullough Building Room 5.124). Ms. Schmidt’s research presentation is “Evaluating the Image-Based Diagnostic Accuracy of ChatGPT in Dermatology: A Comparative Analysis Between AI Models and Dermatologists.” Her supervising faculty is Janice Wilson (Associate Professor of Dermatology) and her thesis committee members are Kathleen Kroger (Assistant Professor of Dermatology), Richard Wagner (Professor Dermatology, Residency Program Director), and Jiefei Wang (Assistant Professor of Biostatistics & Data Science).
Teams link for virtual attendance:
Madelyn Schmidt's Dermatology Honors Thesis Defense | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams
Congratulations Juan Pinto-Cuberos, MD for his recent nomination for the 2026 UTMB Fellow of the Year Award. Each year the UTMB Graduate Medical Education Committee selects one of the current UTMB Fellows for this award.
Dr. Pinto-Cuberos is currently the UTMB Fellow in Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology (MSDO) with anticipated fellowship completion in June 2026. He accepted a faculty position in the UTMB Department of Dermatology following fellowship completion.
Congratulations to Christopher Thang (MS4) for his publication in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), which found an association between hormonal contraception and development of periorificial dermatitis.
His project was conducted
with Dr. George Golovko, PhD (UTMB Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology)
and Dr. Michael G. Wilkerson, MD, MS (Professor and Chair of UTMB
Department of Dermatology).
Link: https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(26)00060-5/fulltext
Reference:
Thang CJ, Lai J,
Garate D, et al. Hormonal contraception and development of periorificial
dermatitis: a retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX database. J
Am Acad Dermatol. Published online January 21, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2026.01.021
Congratulations to UTMB dermatology resident Travis Dowdle, MD for being selected as a 2026 Resident of Distinction.
Sponsored by Beiersdorf, the dermMentors™ Resident of Distinction Award™ recognizes 5 top US dermatology residents each year for their excellence and commitment to the future of dermatology. The award covers airfare, hotel accommodations, tuition fees to attend the Maui Derm Hawaii conference, and includes exclusive 1-on-1 Mentorship and Slide Review Sessions with national thought leaders in dermatology. Recipients are also given dedicated podium time to present their research during the conference. Dr. Dowdle presented his research, “Impact of Anatomical Location on Stage Requirements in Mohs Micrographic Surgery: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study” at the meeting. His faculty mentor for the meeting was Dr. Linda Stein Gold, Director of Dermatology Clinical Research at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, as well as Division Head of Dermatology at Henry Ford Health System in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Congratulations to UTMB Dermatology for their Continued Accreditation for their Graduate Medical Education Programs in Dermatology, Dermatopathology, and Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology! The ACGME meets every January and evaluates WebADS submitted from each accredited program for evaluation.
Congratulations to Madelyn Schmidt (MS4, DIG President) and Travis Dowdle (PGY-3) on their poster, “Comparative Risk of Psoriatic Arthritis in Psoriasis Patients on Immunomodulators,” which was awarded second place at the annual American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Conference. Their poster was recognized as outstanding based on scientific importance, methodology, and presentation, selected from more than 2,300 high-quality poster exhibits. Their co-authors are Georgiy Golovko (Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology) and Ayezel Munoz (Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology).
Great opportunity for medical students and residents to submit their dermatology research! See https://www.utmb.edu/som/som-educational-affairs/office-of-research-scholarship/medical-student-research/nsrf for additional information.
Recently the UTMB Website “Find a Doctor” includes UTMB Residents. This improvement should increase patient access and facilitate follow up appointments. See https://doctors.utmbhealth.com/ for additional details.
Congratulations to PGY4 dermatology resident Mary Cavanagh, MD and Brent Kelly, MD (Professor Dermatology) on the publication of their recent case report, “Necrolytic acral erythema in an incarcerated population: A case series” in the peer-reviewed journal, JAAD Case Reports. The first author was former rotating medical student, Iman Ali, MD, from UTHSC who is currently in her PGY1 residency at Texas Health Resources Presbyterian in Dallas, Texas.
UTMB Dermatology held its first 4-hour Saturday clinic in Galveston on January 10 ,2026 at the Stewart Road Clinic. This activity is completely voluntary for UTMB dermatology residents and dermatology trained fellows, and is considered “institutional moonlighting” with an hourly pay rate of $200 for dermatology residents and $200 for supervising dermatology fellows. Dermatology faculty are also able to volunteer to supervise residents. Those participating do not need any additional licensure or insurance over that provided by UTMB during their residency and fellowship training. Thank you Dr. Brent Kelly (Professor Dermatology) for all of your work to make this possible.
Congratulations to Madelyn Schmidt (UTMB MS4 and DIG President), Travis Dowdle (Dermatology PGY-3), Georgiy Golovko (Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology), and Ayezel Munoz (Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology) on their recent publication. Their peer-reviewed publication, “Comparative risk of psoriatic arthritis in psoriasis patients on immunomodulators” was published as a brief report in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings.
Citation:
Schmidt, M., Dowdle, T. S., Golovko, G., & Munoz, A. (2025). Comparative
risk of psoriatic arthritis in psoriasis patients on immunomodulators. Baylor
University Medical Center Proceedings, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/08998280.2025.2596529
According to recently published research from the School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, the cost for dermatology residency applicants has increased since 2021 largely due to the costs of away rotations and the costs of in-person interviews (Cutis 2025;116:216-217). The total average expenses in 2021 was $6235, while it more than doubled in 2024 to $13,087.
Pending approval by the UT System Board of Regents, a 5% salary increase for UTMB Housestaff will go into effect for the 2026-2027 academic year:
Congratulations to UTMB Dermatology Assistant Professor Lindy Ross, MD for achieving board certification in the subspecialty of pediatric dermatology following examination by the American Board of Dermatology this year.
UTMB Dermatology will interview applicants for dermatology residency positions in January 2026. Invited applicants were from 14 different states or territories and 25 different medical schools (7 in Texas). 29 applicants were current or past rotators in the department, and an additional 11 applicants were non-rotators. 9 applicants had additional research degrees (PhD, MPH, or Master’s) in additional to MD degrees.
Abeona Therapeutics® has announced that UTMB is New Qualified Treatment Center for ZEVASKYN® in Texas.
ZEVASKYN (prademagene zamikeracel) is a FDA-approved autologous gene therapy that is indicated for the treatment of wounds in adult and pediatric patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). UTMB Dermatology Assistant Professors Drs. A. Munoz and L. Ross, along with Nurse Manager Jennifer Tribble, MSN, RN were instrumental in getting this new therapy available in Galveston.
Congratulations to Renat Ahatov, MD, a current PGY4 UTMB dermatology resident for matching into the UTMB MSDO Fellowship starting in July 2026. He will be the 11th UTMB Mohs fellow. We are all looking forward to working with you!
Congratulations to Madelyn Schmidt, UTMB MS4 and President of the UTMB DIG for her recent publication about tranexamic acid and melanoma risk in the highly regarded peer-reviewed journal, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Her UTMB co-authors are UTMB PGY3 dermatology resident, Dr. Marie Vu, UTMB MS3 S. Gandhi, and UTMB Professor Dermatology and Chair, Dr. Michael Wilkerson.
The citation is: Schmidt M, Vu M, Smiti Gandhi, Wilkerson M. A retrospective cohort study evaluating the impact of tranexamic acid on melanoma risk. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Nov;93(5):1301-1303. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.07.006. Epub 2025 Jul 8. PMID: 40639475.
Ever wonder where UTMB dermatology residents practice dermatology when they graduate? Thanks to the efforts of two UTMB MS3s (Danielle Miller and Nikitha Adari), along with administrative support from Rey Lopez and Michelle Karn, two new maps in the Chair’s administrative offices show where our graduates practice. In addition, plans are underway to map where our fellowship trainees go with supspecialty expertise in dermatopathology and Mohs surgery, as well as those with combined training in dermatology and either dermatopathology or Mohs surgery at UTMB.
Please welcome Dr. Mana Myoshi, who will be visiting the UTMB Department of Dermatology for 2 weeks during December 2025 as part of the exchange program with Hokkaido, Japan's Tokushukai Hospital (TKH). It will be a great learning opportunity for everyone!
Congratulations to Dr. Erica Kelly (Clinical Professor, UTMB Department of Dermatology, and Director of the UTMB Cosmetic Dermatology Service) who was the featured speaker at the December 2025 Houston Dermatological Society Meeting on the topic “Estrogen Creams: Science or Hype?”
