Monday, February 11, 2008 UTMB DIG Meeting Summary

There was a good student showing at last night's UTMB DIG meeting, where Dr. Brent Kelly presented an interactive introduction to dermatopathology and inflammatory reaction patterns. After the presentation, members discussed the following upcoming service projects:

Miles for Melanoma Walk: Julie Cummings, MSIV, who is our Miles for Melanoma Service Chair, has been working on organizing this event. It is still in the planning stages, but it will most likely be held on Saturday, May 3, at the Fieldhouse track. We will announce when sign up sheets are available. We will be looking for volunteers to help advertise prior to the walk, and we encourage everyone to participate!

Sunburn and Skin Cancer Awareness Program/Sun Smart: In the past, the UTMB DIG has talked to area high schools, elementary schools, and Galveston County Beach Patrol about the risks of sun exposure and skin cancer. We plan to continue with these outreach efforts this spring. Alison Wiesenthal, MSII, was recently named the DIGA's National Community Service Director. She will be working with medical schools throughout the country to direct a project called Sun Smart. At our meeting last night, we discussed the idea of Alison working with our current Community Service Outreach Chair, Leslie Scroggins, MSIII, about combining/updating last year's Sunburn and Skin Cancer Awareness presentation to combine some of the ideas of Sun Smart.

Thank you to Dr. Kelly and all of the students who participated in last night's meeting.

Our next meeting will be held Monday, March 3. Please mark this off on your calendars! A formal announcement will be made closer to that time.

Newly Approved Dermatology Honors Research Program Projects

Two 3rd year UTMB medical students have had their Dermatology Honors Program Research Proposals approved by Dr. Simon Lewis and the UTMB Honors Program Committee.

Mara Dasco: "Evaluation of multi-drug therapy for leprosy using daily rifampin," (Erica Kelly, MD, faculty advisor)

Leslie Scroggins: "The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases and TIMP-1 in Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis," (Brent Kelly, MD, faculty advisor)

This non-degree research program is available to all UTMB medical students who do not hold a PhD or who are in the joint MD-PhD degree program. The due date for research proposals is December of the 3rd year of medical school, but occasionally the University Honors Program Committee will approve research plans made past that deadline if there is enough time to complete the research. A written thesis is required and an oral defense must be made to Dr. Lewis and the ad hoc thesis committee by April 1 of the 4th year of medical school. Drs. Wagner and Lewis co-authored a summary of the UTMB Dermatology Honors Research Program that is available to medical students who are interested in this innovative educational program at Dermatology Online Journal: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/124/commentary/student/wagner.html

Congratulations to Mara and Leslie!

Upcoming DIG Meeting

The next meeting of the Dermatology Interest Group will be held on Monday, February 11 at 5:00 pm in the Dermatology Conference Room (4th floor McCollough building). Dr. Brent Kelly will be presenting "An Introduction to Dermatopathology." Dr. Kelly is triple boarded in dermatopathology, dermatology, and internal medicine, and is currently the Director of Dermatopathology at UTMB. Please contact Ashley Group or Fadi Constantine if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

2008 Annual UTMB Dermatopathology Board Examination Review Course

The 2008 UTMB Dermatopathology Board Examination Review Course is scheduled for the weekend of April 26-27 this year. UTMB medical students are invited to attend and will have course tuition waived. For more information, please contact Kimberly Cooper (409-772-1911) on Monday-Friday during business hours. This course has received very good reviews from past participants and this will be its 9th session.

UTMB Dermatology Summer Preclinical Preceptorship

Our dermatology department continues to offer its annual summer preclinical preceptorship elective in dermatology for interested first and second year medical students during the months of May and June, 2008. There is a maximum of 2 medical students allowed on this elective during each period. All 4 spots were taken at the January 16, 2008 official sign up meeting, and there is a waiting list for students who are still interested in participating should the opportunity arise. Although elective academic credit is given for this preceptorship at UTMB, no stipend is available.

UTMB Dermatology Department Increases Dermatology Residency Quota for Upcoming Match

The UTMB Department of Dermatology has increased its quota from 2 to 3 positions for the current National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

History of Dermatology (DERU-4008) Course Awarded Educational Grant

Beiersdorf Inc., an international dermatologic pharmaceutical company with a longstanding interest in the history of dermatology, has awarded an educational grant of $5000 to the Department of Dermatology at UTMB to establish an annual graduation award for the medical student taking DERU-4008 ("History of Dermatology") who submits the best historical essay about dermatology. This innovative educational grant will enable the UTMB Dermatology Department to award $500 and an award plaque to the recognized student every academic year for 5 years, beginning in 2008. The UTMB Dermatology Department will also maintain an award plaque in the departmental conference room commemorating the award winner and the title of the selected manuscript. Thank you, Beiersdorf for supporting medical student dermatologic education at UTMB!

DIGA Leadership Opportunities for 2008-2009

DEADLINE: January 31, 2008, 12PM EST. Positions will be announced at the annual DIGA meeting on SATURDAY, February 2nd, 2008 (6PM) in San Antonio, TX at Casa Rio (430 E. Commerce St., http://www.casa-rio.com/).

Available DIGA Positions:
-Vice President
-Webmaster
-Treasurer
-Secretary
-Community Service Director
-National DRID Director
-Southern Regional Director
-Northeastern Regional Director
-Midwestern Regional Director
-Western Regional Director
-Various Committee Chair positions

New candidates interested in a DIGA position MUST complete an application(http://www.derminterest.org/resources/applications/application0809.doc) and e-mail it to apply@derminterest.org. Descriptions of the duties for each position can be found at http://www.derminterest.org/resources/applications/leaderdescriptions0809.doc.(Applications and Position Descriptions are in Microsoft Word format).

UTMB Dermatology Resident's Lip Protection Research Appears In Dermatology Times

Dr. Josh Diimmick's recently published academic research paper in Cosmetic Dermatology about lip protection with SPF products used at the beach was featured in an article that appeared in the November 2007 issue of Dermatology Times (Melville NA. Lips: Sunscreens' final frontier? Study finds UV protection awareness is low. Dermatology Times, Volume 28, Number 11, November 2007, pages 46-47). Dr. Dimmick is currently a second year resident in the Department of Dermatology at UTMB. He is continuing to research SPF lip protection use in patients with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer(s) to fulfill the "Scholarly Project" UTMB dermatology residency program requirement. Good luck with your ongoing research, Josh!

Dermatology Interest Group Association - Annual Meeting

The National Dermatology Interest Group Association will be having their annual meeting on Saturday, February 2, 2008, at 6:00 pm in San Antonio, Texas. If interested, please RSVP by January 7, 2008 to Brittney Culp at brittney.culp@derminterest.org. She can also provide you with more information.

Monday, November 26, 2007 UTMB DIG Meeting Summary

The most recent UTMB DIG meeting was well attended for Dr. Wagner's presentation about the media and skin diseases (thanks for providing the popcorn and diet cokes). Historically, skin diseases were depicted in theatre (William Shakespeare) and interest continued in fine arts and literature. Skin diseases are now included in modern film, television and appear on the internet. There is lots of opportunity for research in this new emerging area of academic dermatology interest.

Upcoming DIG Meeting

Hello Everyone!

We will be having the next DIG meeting on Monday, November 26, at 5:00 pm in the Dermatology Conference Room (4th floor McCollough Building). Dr. Richard Wagner, who is our organization's faculty sponsor, as well as the dermatology residency program director at UTMB, will be giving us a presentation entitled "Skin Diseases in Contemporary Films: What are Patients Seeing at the Movies?" This will give us a preview to the new course offered this year through the department of dermatology entitled "Skin Diseases Depicted in Film," which can be taken for elective credit (DERU-4007) or to fulfill the BSHS requirement (DERU-4051). I look forward to seeing you there!

Ashley Group

UTMB Dermatology offers "Skin Diseases in World Literature" elective

A new elective, "Skin Diseases in World Literature" (DERU-4011) is now being offered for UTMB and visiting medical students with an interest about the impact of infectious, autoimmune and malignant skin diseases on literary characters and plot development http://ar.utmb.edu/04-05review/bdisplay.asp?rec=396 The course is offered during all periods of the academic year and up to 5 students are permitted to enroll during each period. Dr. Richard Wagner is the course director. Students will read and discuss three required books: The Plague (Albert Camus, 1947), Cancer Ward (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 1968) and The Centaur (John Updike, 1963). For the final week of the course, students will select one of three recently published novels to read: On A Night Like This (Ellen Sussman, 2004, melanoma), Isolation Ward (Joshua Spanogle, 2006, infectious disease) or Flawless (Joshua Spanogle, 2007, facial tumors) as the basis of a critical essay due on the last Friday of the period. Additional novels for the final paper may be added for the final writing project book list at the suggestion of course participants.The dermatology department library will lend the required and final project books to students taking this class.

Recent UTMB Dermatology Residency Program Graduates Attend 2007 Texas Dermatological Society Fall Meeting

Drs. Stacy Beaty ('05), Hurst, Texas, Renee Snyder ('05), Austin, Texas and Jason Weaver ('07), College Station, Texas (left to right) update their dermatology education at the 2007 Fall Meeting of the Texas Dermatological Society (TDS) held in Galveston over this past weekend. Dr. Beaty has just returned to Texas from St. Louis, MO, where she was on the dermatology faculty at St. Louis University for the past two years. The meeting offered 10 hours of AAD category I CME credit over 3 days. The TDS hosts two meetings each year, one in the Fall and the other one in the Spring. The next TDS meeting will be on May 2-3, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.

Update on Texas Dermatological Society Annual Fall Meeting in Galveston

The 2007 Annual Fall Meeting of the Texas Dermatological Society hosted by the UTMB Department of Dermatology was a huge success this year. About 120 meeting registrants attended lectures and patient presentations over 3 days (November 2-4). Five UTMB dermatology faculty gave lectures over the weekend meeting (Richard Wagner, MD, "Ethics Hour: Skin Diseases in Contemporary Films: What are Patients Seeing at the Movies?"; Michael Wlikerson, MD, "Periodic Fever Syndromes"; Brent Kelly, MD, "Update on Urticaria"; Erica Kelly, MD, "What's New in Fillers"; and Sharon Raimer, MD, "What's New in Pediatric Dermatology." On Sunday morning, the UTMB dermatology residents and dermatology fellows prepared 17 interesting clinical cases for presentation and discussion. Thank you Dr. Sharon Raimer for coordinating this meeting and thanks to all the UTMB dermatology faculty, fellows and residents who worked hard to make this meeting such an excellent learning experience!

2006-2007 UTMB Dermatolpathology Fellows Pass American Board of Dermatopathology Board Certification Examination

Congratulations to Drs. Brent Kelly and Matt Petitt for passing the certification examination given by the American Board of Dermatopathology in September 2007. Dr. Kelly is now triple-boaraded in dermatopathology, dermatology and internal medicine and he is currently the Director of Dermatopathology at UTMB. Dr. Petitt is now double-boarded in dermatopathology and pathology, and is currently taking a clinical internship in UTMB in the Department of Internal Medicine prior to beginning dermatology residency at UTMB in July 2008.

Congratulations Dr. Readinger!

The UTMB DIG is pleased to learn that Dr. Allison Readinger, a 2006 UTMB Dermatology Residency Program graduate, passed the certification examination given by the American Board of Dermatopathology on her first attempt in September 2007, and is now a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatopathology. Dr. Readinger completed her dermatopathology fellowship training with Dr. Ronald Rapini (The University of Texas Medical School at Houston) this year before sitting for the examination.

Volunteers Needed for Texas Dermatologic Society Meeting

I wanted to remind all of you of the upcoming Texas Dermatologic Society Meeting that will be held in Galveston the weekend of Friday, November 2 through Sunday, November 4. All DIG members are invited to attend and help out at the patient viewings on Sun Nov 4th. We will ask anyone who is interested in helping to show up at the clinic at about 8 am on Sunday, and help room the patients and direct the visitors to the clinic. There will be some excellent cases, so I encourage all of you to attend! If anyone has any questions, feel free to stop by the clinic/department anytime and talk to any of the residents.

2007 UTMB Dermatology Graduating Residents Pass Dermatology Boards

Congratulations to Drs. Becky Kelso and Jason Weaver for passing the certification examination given by the American Board of Dermatology in August 2007. This marks the 7th consecutive year that 100% of graduating senior UTMB dermatology residents have passed their dermatology certification examination on the first attempt and have become Diplomates of the American Board of Dermatology. Dr. Weaver is currently in private practice (College Station, Texas) while Dr. Kelso is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at UTMB.

DIG Meeting Recap 10-8-07

Tonight we had our first DIG meeting of the year. We welcomed 3 new members to our organization: Auris Huen, MS1; Tri Ngo, MS1; and Alison Wiesenthal, MS2. We brainstormed ideas for speakers and topics that we would like to have for the year, as well as upcoming community outreach projects. There was also a generalized Q&A at the end of the session to discuss questions related to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year, dermatology electives, as well as research projects/mentors, etc. Fadi and I will both be on away rotations next month, so our next meeting will be in late November -- look for an email announcement to specify the date. I look forward to seeing you all then!

Sincerely,
Ashley Group

UTMB Dermatology Adds Another Full-time Faculty

The UTMB DIG has learned the Bernard R. Gibson, MD (General Dermatology) has accepted a full-time faculty position in the UTMB Department of Dermatology, starting this week. The Department of Dermatology at UTMB now has 6 full-time dermatologists: Dr. Sharon Raimer, Chair (Pediatric Dermatology), Dr. Richard Wagner, Deputy Chair and Dermatology Residency Program Director (Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology), Dr. Brent Kelly (Dermatopathology), Dr. Mike Wilkerson (Dermatopharmacology), and Dr. Becky Kelso (General Dermatology). They are joined by 5 additional part-time faculty: Dr. Erica Kelly (Cosmetic Dermatology), Dr. Maria Colome-Grimmer (Dermatopathology), Dr. Ramon Sanchez (Dermatopathology), Dr. Norman Guzick (General Dermatology), and Dr. Dayna Diven (General Dermatology).

UTMB Dermatologists Elected to ISHRS

Drs. Andy Perri, a senior UTMB dermatology resident, and Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Director of Dermatologic Surgery, attended the 15th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) in Las Vegas recently and were elected into Society membership. They hope to develop a specialty hair loss dermatology clinic at UTMB for the diagnostic evaluation and management of patients with hair loss (alopecia). It is anticipated that the medical management of hair loss and hair transplantation surgery services will be offered. They hope to eventually offer a new clinical dermatology elective in Hair Diseases to medical students once the clinic is established.

Useful Website

One of our members (Conner) came across a website that you may find useful. It has match information indicating where matched derm applicants have gone to medical school for the past several years.

http://www.dermboard.com/docs/2006-2007.htm

Upcoming DIG Meeting

Hello All!

We will be having our first DIG meeting of the year on Monday, October 8, at 5 pm in the Dermatology Conference Room (4th floor McCollough Building). We will be discussing our plans for this school year - speakers, service projects, etc. If you have any questions, please email Ashley Group at argroup@utmb.edu or Fadi Constantine at fcconsta@utmb.edu.

UTMB to Host Texas Dermatological Society Meeting November 2-4, 2007

The UTMB Department of Dermatology has announced that it will host the Annual Fall Meeting of the Texas Dermatological Society on Friday, November 2nd through Sunday, November 4th at the Moody Gardens Resort & Spa in Galveston, Texas. The program schedule is available at http://www.texasdermatology.org/files/TDSfall2007.pdf UTMB dermatology residents and dermatopathology fellows will present patients at UTMB (5th floor University Clinics Building) from 9-10 am on Sunday morning, November 4th from 9-10 am, with case discussions to follow from 10:20 am through noon. UTMB medical students with an interest in dermatology are encouraged to attend.

New Clinical Dermatology Fellowship at UTMB-Austin

The UTMB DIG welcomes Dr. Dianne Kovacic, the first clinical dermatology fellow at UTMB-Austin. This 12-month fellowship will focus on dermatologic infectious diseases and underserved populations. Dr. Jason Reichenberg is the fellowship director. We look forward to working with Drs. Kovacic and Reichenberg during our UTMB dermatology electives in Austin during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Increased Enrollment for DERU-4007 ("Skin Diseases Depicted in Film")

Good news for UTMB and visiting medical students interested in learning about skin diseases as portrayed in the movies--the maximum enrollment for this elective has just been increased from 5 to 10 students for each 4 week period. However, UTMB students should remember that if this course is needed to meet the UTMB senior BSHS selective writing requirement, it should be taken as DERU-4051 (same topics covered and requirements, but with a different number).

Attention all those interested in a Dermatology residency!!

The Baylor Department of Dermatology would like to invite any 4th year medical students interested in dermatology to attend an informational session. The information given will benefit students applying to dermatology within the next few years. If you are interested, please send an email to aglaich@sbcglobal.net.

UTMB Dermatology Department offers History of Dermatology Elective

The UTMB Department of Dermatology has announced a new elective course offering, "History of Dermatology" (DERU-4008) that is now available to UTMB and visiting medical students. This four week course will be taught by Dr. Richard Wagner and based on assigned readings from the text, Historical Atlas of Dermatology and Dermatologists (Crissey JT, Parish LC and Holubar K) and other primary sources. The course is a survey of dermatology history, from Egyptians through the modern period. In addition to scheduled class discussions based on the readings, the students taking this elective are required to write an original 5-10 page paper based on their own research about the history of dermatology based on primary and secondary sources. Each year the UTMB Department of Dermatology will issue a "History of Dermatology Award" certificate to recognize the medical student who writes the best historical manuscript.

Josh Dimmick, MD Publishes Research Study

Congratulations to Dr. Dimmick, a first year dermatology resident at UTMB, for his latest dermatology publication in the June 2007 issue of Cosmetic Dermatology, a peer-reviewed dermatology journal. His article is entitled "Barriers to UV Radiation Lip Protection" (Cosmetic Dermatology 20:363-366, 2007). The research was conducted while he was a visiting fourth year medical student from UT Houston Health Sciences Center taking an away dermatology research elective at UTMB. Dr. Dimmick's co-authors on this study are Mr. Tatuso Uchida (UTMB Office of Biostatistics) and Dr. Richard Wagner (UTMB Dermatology).

DIG sighting at the UTMB annual Medical Student Summer Research Program poster session

First year medical student Navin Dhingra presented his preliminary survey results about medical student opportunities for dermatology electives at U.S. Medical Schools ("Educational Opportunities & Barriers for Medical Students Interested in Dermatology") at the UTMB annual Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP) poster session. Dr. Richard Wagner supervised the project. Students participating in this program receive a stipend and elective academic credit for their research. Good job Navin!

Update on UTMB Dermatology Electives, 2007-2008 Academic Year

UTMB Dermatology Electives Available in Galveston and in Austin: http://ar.utmb.edu/04-05review/blist.asp?dc=der

Sunburn and Sun Safety Teaching Program - Recent Presentations

At the beginning of May, DIG members Julie Cummings, Ashley Group, and Navin Dhingra gave a presentation to the 6th Graders at Rosenberg Elementary School on sunburns and skin safety. The kids really enjoyed having us there and had great participation throughout the talk. We are looking forward to going back next year!

Yesterday (6/10/07), Ashley Group and Julie Cummings gave another presentation to the Galveston County Beach Patrol Lifeguards. Topics that were covered included the basics of skin anatomy and function, the effects of ultraviolet light on the skin - sunburns & tanning, as well as sun protection. We really enjoyed speaking to this group! They are essential to maintaining safety on our beaches during the summer months, but by doing so are exposed to excessive amounts of sun damage. They were very receptive to our recommendations of how to minimize their risks by protecting their skin. We are hoping to go back later this summer to talk to the Junior Lifeguards. If anyone is interested in coming along, please let Ashley know.

2007 UTMB Dermatology and Dermatopathology Graduates

Congratulations to our recent graduates! Where are they all headed next year? Here are their plans:

Brent Kelly, MD: Dr. Kelly will become a full-time Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the UTMB and will serve as the the new Director of Dermatopathology.

Rebecca Kelso, MD: Dr. Kelso has accepted a full-time faculty appointment at UTMB. She will be an Assistant Professor of Dermatology.

Matt Petitt, DO: Dr. Petitt will be starting an internship at UTMB in the Department of Internal Medicine, prior to returning to the UTMB Dermatology Department to start his Dermatology Residency in July 2008.

Jason Weaver, MD: Dr. Weaver will be returning home to College Station, Texas to begin a dermatology private practice.

The UTMB DIG congratulates all of the new graduates and wishes you continued success in your careers!

2007 Dermatology Awards Announced

Awards to Senior Medical Students

Edgar B. Smith Endowed Scholarship Award for Excellent Dermatology Research by a Medical Student: Laura Speck

Thomas B. Freese Award for Overall Excellence in Dermatology: David Raimer


Awards to Senior Dermatology Residents

Medical Student Teaching Award for Excellent Dermatology Teaching by a Senior Resident: Jason Weaver, MD

Dermatology Faculty Award for Excellent Dermatology Research by a Senior Dermatology Resident: Becky Kelso, MD


Awards to Dermatology Faculty

Medical Student Teaching Award for Excellent Dermatology Teaching by Dermatology Faculty: Erica Kelly, MD

Dermatology Resident Award for Excellent Dermatology Faculty Teaching: Sharon Raimer, MD

Dermatology Resident Award for Excellent Dermatology Faculty Teaching by a Community Dermatologist: Bernard Gibson, MD

UTMB Students Recognize Excellent Senior Dermatology Resident and Faulty Teaching

DIG Co-President Ashley Group presented the 2007 annual resident and faculty awards for excellent dermatology teaching to Dr. Jason Weaver (resident award) and Dr. Erica Kelly (faculty award) at the Friday dermatology journal club. Each year UTMB medical students select a senior dermatology resident and a dermatology faculty for these teaching awards.

The UTMB DIG wants to thank all of our dermatology residents and faculty for developing such an excellent teaching and research program for medical students at our medical school.

2007 UTMB Senior Medical Students Receive Dermatology Graduation Awards

Dr. Richard Wagner presented the two annual departmental dermatology awards to Laura Speck and David Raimer at the Friday Dermatology Journal Club this week. UTMB Dermatology Faculty have selected the awardees every year since 1986 for the Freese Award and 2001 for the Smith Award.

Edgar B Smith Endowed Scholarship Award for Excellent Dermatology Research by a UTMB

Medical Student: Laura Speck

Thomas B. Freese Award for Overall Excellence in Dermatology by a UTMB Medical Student: David Raimer

The Schlip Miles for Melanoma walk

Hi everyone,

We want to thank you so very much for coming out and supporting melanoma research and awareness on May 5th. I just finished tallying up what we have so far and the total comes to $2,334!!! Way to go!!! We will also have a $1,000 grant that will be applied to our walk as well. Jean Schlipmann said she would apply the amount towards our walk!! This will bring us to at least $3,334!!!! Here are a few pictures that highlight the walk. Thanks again and we'll see everybody out there again next year.
Fadi and Ashley

UTMB DIG Congratulates Dr. Joslyn Witherspoon, School of Medicine Class of 2006

Our DIG has recently learned that Joslyn Witherspoon, MD, MPH has accepted a 2007 Dermatology Research Fellowship at Northwestern University School of Medicine following completion of her internship year. Dr. Witherspoon was a UTMB DIG Co-President during the 2005-2006 academic year. Congratulations to Joslyn!

Congratulations New Officers!

Last Monday, at the last DIG meeting of the year, we selected the new officers for the 2007-2008 academic year. As the DIG has expanded this year, we thought it was appropriate to increase the number of officer positions for next year, making new spots for Vice President, Secretary, Miles for Melanoma Walk Coordinator, and Second Year Medical Student Representative. Congratulations to the following:

Ashley Group, MSIII - Co-President

Fadi Constantine, MSIII - Co-President

Wenhong Zhou, MSIII - Vice President

Christine Kwan, MSIII - Secretary

Julie Cummings, MSIII - Miles for Melanoma Walk Coordinator

Leslie Scroggins, MSII - Community Outreach Coordinator

Navin Dhingra, MSI - Second Year Medical Student Representative

I want to thank everyone for a wonderful year!