New Research Grant Program from the Melanoma Research Foundation

In collaboration with Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA), the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) has opened up a new medical student research grant program. This program provides opportunities and funding for medical students to engage in short clinical or laboratory-based research projects focused on better understanding the biology and treatment of melanoma. Grant awards are $3000. The application process is open now and will close on October 31st. For more information about the grant program, please visit the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) website:

http://www.melanoma.org/research/mrf-medical-student-research-grant

DIG Meeting - Location Change

Please note that tonight's UTMB DIG meeting will now be held in the Dermatology Conference Room, 4.130 McCullough, at 5 PM.

Reminder: DIG Meeting Tomorrow

The UTMB DIG will have its first meeting tomorrow evening, September 2nd, at 5:00 PM in Joe's Cafeteria. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Residency Director for the Department of Dermatology. Dr. Wagner will cover topics including the residency selection process and what the UTMB Dermatology department has to offer medical students. We look forward to seeing you!

Questions? Comments? Please email UTMBDIG@gmail.com

Two UTMB Dermatology Residents Coauthor Cutting Edge Research

DIG congratulations go out to coauthors Dr. Leslie Markle, a PGY2 UTMB dermatology resident, and Dr. M. Petitt, a PGY4 UTMB dermatology resident, for their excellent publication in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the leading dermatology publication. Dr. Brent Kelly was the first author on this research, and other UTMB coauthors were Dr. J. Vickers (currently a PGY2 dermatology resident at New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY), Dr. S. Raimer (UTMB dermatology chair) and Dr. C. McNeese, a former UTMB dermatopathology fellow. The complete citation to this article is: Kelly BC, Markle LS, Vickers JL, Petitt MS, Raimer SS, McNeese C. The imbalanced expression of matrix metalloproteinases in nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. J Am Acad Dermatol 2010;63:483-9.

Liz Carmichael Joins UTMB Dermatology Clinic

Liz Carmichael, RN, MSN, FNP-C is well known to the Galveston community through her past work in the UTMB dermatology clinic (certified as a dermatology nurse by the Dermatology Nurses Association) and more recently in the UTMB Department of Family Medicine as a certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Ms. Carmichael, who holds her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master’s degree in Nursing from UTMB’s School of Nursing, has accepted a clinical position in the UTMB Dermatology Clinic starting in September 2010. Welcome back to dermatology, Ms. Carmichael! We all missed you and are very happy to have you back!

UTMB DIG meeting on Thursday, September 2nd!

Join us for the first UTMB DIG meeting of the year! Our guest speaker will be Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Residency Director for the Department of Dermatology.

Where: Joe's Cafeteria

When: Thursday September 2, 2010 @ 5:00 PM

RSVP to Lindsey Hunter: lihunter@utmb.edu

Questions? Comments? Please email UTMBDIG@gmail.com

UTMB Welcome Weekend

The UTMB Welcome Weekend was a huge success this past Saturday at the Moody Gardens Convention Center. 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 at this event!

UTMB DIG Galveston President, Lindsey Hunter (Left), and Vice President, Rebecca Philips (Right), above at the UTMB Welcome Weekend recruiting new members.

Bug (2007) Incorporated into Film Course

Bug, a 2007 horror film about delusions of parasitosis, has become the 15th required film for DERU-4051 and DERU-4007 beginning in Period 4 (starts on September 20th). Dr. Wagner wanted to include the horror film genre in the course syllabus of required film analysis, so that the medical students would have an opportunity to understand how representative skin diseases are depicted in a variety of films.

DIG Officers' Meeting Recap, 8/19/2010

The DIG officers’ meeting was a productive one! For more information on items discussed, see below.

1.) UTMB DIG to join Facebook - Stay tuned for more information on how to join the UTMB DIG Facebook group.
2.) Community Outreach – This year, DIG will continue educating the public on the importance of sun protection and skin cancer awareness at local schools, health fairs, and other community events. We also have plans to start a psoriasis education and awareness project.
3.) UTMB Welcome Weekend – Lindsey Hunter and Rebecca Philips to promote DIG this Saturday, August 21, 2010, at the Moody Gardens Convention Center from 10:45 – 12:45 PM.
4.) Miles for Melanoma – TBA
5.) *New* Contact Dermatitis Outreach Chair – Chelsea Altinger, MS2, to help DIG with a contact dermatitis education and awareness project!
6.) Upcoming meetings - Tentatively scheduled for September 2, 2010, October 7, 2010, and November 11, 2010.

To get involved with the UTMB DIG, e-mail Lindsey Hunter at lihunter@utmb.edu.

Dermatology Film Class Goes to Monday/Thursday Schedule

DERU-4051 and DERU-4007, UTMB’s popular film class that studies movie depictions of skin diseases, will start meeting on Monday and Thursday mornings at 10 am starting Period 3 (beginning on August 23). Dr. R. Wagner, the course director, said “Many of the MS4 film students have residency interviews on Fridays, so moving the class to meetings on Mondays and Thursdays will permit more medical students to participate in the class discussions, which are integral to the class.” This class also has a teleconferencing option, so that students not on the Galveston campus may participate in class discussions by phoning into a conference call that is available for each class meeting. If students are unable to participate in class discussion, they may make up the missed class through a writing assignment that is detailed in the course syllabus.

UTMB Dermatology Volunteers Return From Camp Dermadillo

UTMB PGY4 dermatology residents, Drs. Matt Petitt and John Stephens, and MS4, Rod Mahmoudizad, recently returned from Camp Dermadillo, held in Burton, Texas for children with skin diseases. Thanks for contributing your skills this summer!

UTMB has a New Name!

The UT regents have approved a new name for The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). We will now be known as “utmb Health.” According to utmb Health President David Callendar, the historical name was confusing to the public because they did not understand what a “medical branch” was.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7151432.html

Dr. Monica Scheel’s Clinical Observation Published in Dermatology Times

Dr. Monica Scheel, UTMB Dermatology Residency Class of 1999, has been quoted about her followup care for melanoma patients in Hawaii. In the August 2010 issue of Dermatology Times (Volume 31, Number 8, page 13), Dr. Scheel advises checking vitamin D levels in patients with a history of melanoma. She has found that 50% of these patients in her solo private practice are low in vitamin D, a surprising finding due to her geography.

Annual UTMB Dermatology Residents and Faculty Survey

Pooled anonymous data from UTMB dermatology and faculty gathered through New Innovations surveys indicated that both residents and attendings alike are pleased with the current quality and direction of the UTMB dermatology residency program. The survey is administered yearly to provide anonymous resident and faculty input so that program changes may be made if needed. One faculty commented that three major strengths of training in dermatology at UTMB were: “1. Academic quality of residents and faculty; 2. Comprehensive didactic education; 3. Exceptionally strong dermatopathology, consultation dermatology, pediatric dermatology and dermatologic surgery training.”

UTMB Dermatology Discontinuing Angleton Dermatology Clinic Next Month

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike (2008), UTMB Dermatology established a satellite clinic in Angleton, Texas. Since that time, the UTMB Dermatology Clinic in Bay Colony (League City) was built, with the capacity to absorb the Angleton dermatology practice. By the end of September 2010, all of the current Angleton Clinic dermatology patients will be transferred to the Bay Colony Clinic.

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!