Successful Turnout at the 2015 Galveston AIM for the Cure Melanoma Walk and Fun Run

The UTMB DIG had a successful turnout for the 2015 Galveston AIM for the Cure Melanoma Walk and Fun Run on June 6. We raised over $1,900 to support melanoma research and hosted over 30 participants. Thank you for the donations and support!

Dig members volunteering/participating in the run, left to right: Dung Mac, Alfreda Batts, Jasmine Stephens, Julie Amthor, Neil Jackson

Melanoma 5K Walk/Fun Run participants at the starting line, ready to make their impact on finding a cure for melanoma!

Dermatology News Adds New Opinion Column

According to the June 2015 issue (page 2) of Dermatology News, Dr. Brett Coldiron will contribute a monthly opinion column entitled, “Cold Iron Truth.” Dr. Coldiron is a well-respected private practice Mohs surgeon with clinical  ties to the University of Cincinnati and the author of an impressive number of peer-reviewed published research papers, who has served dermatology in many national leadership capacities. In his first column on page 14, he wrote about how, “Resident debt is ruining medicine” that may be of interest to current medical students applying for dermatology residencies. Dr. Coldiron noted at the beginning of his essay that many physicians owe about $300,000 in debt by the time they complete residency. He cautions readers that “Residencies are chosen for their fiscal attractiveness, which is not a correct or sustaining reason for a long hard career.” Since the majority of new physicians are currently facing this type of future debt, readers are left to wonder if applicant debt will ever become a consideration to those charged with selecting the best residents for their specialty program?

Yelp Reviewers Harsh on Dermatology Practices

An interesting article in the June 2015 issue of Dermatology Times by Lisette Hilton (“Dermatology ranks second to last in online reviews,” page 52) reported that only psychiatry ranked lower in consumer satisfaction than dermatology. Patient complaints mainly focused on customer service (“…receptionists’ cordiality and doctors’ bedside manners…”). Orthopedics and family medicine practices also received low consumer scores on Yelp.

UTMB Named as Ebola Referral Center

In the Wednesday, June 17, 2015 issue of the Galveston Daily News, reporter John Wayne Ferguson wrote (“UTMB chosen to be treatment center for future Ebola cases,” page A4) that UTMB will serve as the permanent treatment center for future patients with Ebola from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. UTMB will also care for patients with Lassa fever, Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever and Kyasanur Forest disease (“monkey fever”). Other national treatment centers are in Boston, New York, Baltimore, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Omaha, Denver and Spokane.

UTMB Cancels Classes for Tropical Storm Bill

UTMB has cancelled all classes for medical students due to Tropical Storm Bill on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Flooding around the medical center in Galveston is a possibility due to rain, increased tides, and ground saturation from previous area weather over the past few weeks. Classes are expected to resume as usual on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.  

Professors Censure MD Anderson Cancer Center

According to a report by Todd Ackerman (“M.D. Anderson is censured by national faculty group: UT cancer center’s reputation dinged for tenure practices”) that was published in the Sunday, June 14, 2015 issue of the Houston Chronicle (pages B1 and B4), 234 members of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) unanimously voted to censure MD Anderson on 6/13/15. The only other medical institutions on the AAUP censure list are UTMB and Meharry Medical College. According to this article, UTMB was added to the list in 2010 following dismissal of 2400 employees (including 42 tenured faculty) in the wake of Hurricane Ike and almost $1 billion in damages.  Institutional removal from the censure list requires a majority vote at an annual meeting. It is possible that this type of academic censure could deter some potential faculty from accepting employment at the censured institutions.

PGY4 UTMB Dermatology Resident Publishes Dermatology Educational Research

Congratulations to Dr. Brandon Goodwin for publishing his dermatology scholarly project entitled, “Surgical Flap and Graft Reconstruction Workshop for Dermatology Residents,”

Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications (JCDSA). His dermatology educational research is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jcdsa.2015.52011 .

Dr. Goodwin’s coauthor on this research was Dr. Richard Wagner, the UTMB Dermatology Program Director. Dr. Goodwin will continue at UTMB for the upcoming 2015-2016 academic year as one of two UTMB Dermatopathology Fellows.

UTMB Dermatology Recognizes PGY4 Dermatology Resident for Excellent Research

The UTMB dermatology faculty selected Dr. Audra Clos as the recipient for the annual faculty award for outstanding dermatology research performed by a PGY4 dermatology resident. Dr. Clos’ dermatology scholarly project was a dermatopathology study entitled, “Immunohistochemical Analysis in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers with an Anti-Nicastrin Antibody (ab45425); a Novel Staining Pattern.” Her faculty mentor on this project was Dr. Brent Kelly.
 

UTMB Dermatology Residents Announce Annual Faculty Teaching Awards

Congratulations to Drs. Maribel Colome (community dermatologist) and Erica Kelly (faculty dermatologist) for their recognition by the 12 UTMB dermatology residents for excellent teaching during the 2014-2015 academic year!

Dr. Kelly (right) received the award from PGY4 dermatology chief resident, Dr. Lindsey Hunter-Ellul (left) at the weekly Friday journal club.

2015 UTMB DIG Editor Publishes Dermatology Article in Texas Medicine

Congratulations to Dr. Alex Acosta, a recent UTMB SOM honors graduate and the UTMB DIG Blog Editor for the 2014-2015 academic year. Her article is entitled,
“Commercial Tanning Bed Use as a Medical Therapy,” and it was published in the June 2015 issue of Texas Medicine. The citation is Tex Med. 2015;1116):e1. The full article is available at http://www.texmed.org/June15Journal/
Her UTMB co-authors on this research were PGY4 dermatology resident Dr. L. Hunter-Ellul and faculty supervisor, Dr. Michael Wilkerson. Good luck to Dr. Acosta during her PGY1 year in Austin!

Review of the 2015 NRMP Dermatology Match

The NRMP has released data (“Results and Data: 2015 Main Residency Match,” April 2015, www.nrmp.org ) about the 2015 match that is of interest to future dermatology applicants. According to Table 1, page 5, there were 116 dermatology programs that offered 385 advanced PGY2 dermatology positions. 485 US MS4s applied and 336 matched (87.3%). Table 2 (page 9) adds additional detail: of the 381 matched applicants, 336 were US MS4s, 30 were US graduates, 5 were osteopathic graduates, 1 was a US IMG,  and 9 were non-US IMGs. Table 3 (page 13) indicates that more PGY2 positions were offered in 2015 than in the previous 5 years.

UTMB Dermatology Department Chair Receives Award

Congratulations to Dr. Sharon Raimer, UTMB Dermatology Department Chair, for receiving the 2015 Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award. She graduated from UTMB in 1972, joined the UTMB Department of Dermatology in 1976 (after completing dermatology residency at Baylor), and has served as the dermatology chair since 1999. She was presented with the award on Friday, May 29, 2015. It is considered to be the highest honor made to UTMB alumni by our institution. Please congratulate Dr. Raimer for this great career achievement the next time you see her!

UTMB Department of Dermatology Announces 2015 Medical Student Awards

History of Dermatology Award: Susan V. Stafford (“The Face Beneath The Mask: The Deadly Quest For Beauty”)

Skin Disease in Cinema Award: Ha Nguyen (“Unmasked: A Dermatologic and Cinematic Evaluation of Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera”)

Edgar B. Smith Scholarship: Zachary Jones

Thomas Freese Award: Kyle Kaltwasser

Congratulations to all!
 

Photo caption: (left to right): Kyle Kaltwasser, Ha Nguyen, and Zach Jones. Susan Stafford was unable to attend the award ceremony.

AIM for the Cure Melanoma 5K Walk and Fun Run 2015

The UTMB Dermatology Interest Group is hosting the annual AIM for the Cure Melanoma 5K Walk and Fun Run to take place on Saturday June 6 at 8AM at the UTMB Alumni Field House. To register to run/walk or to donate, visit http://galveston2015.aimatmelanoma.org/Static/Event-Info. If you would like to register with the DIG team, choose the “UTMB Dermatology Interest Group” team when prompted.

If you would like to participate as a volunteer at this event, email Julie Amthor Croley at jaamthor@utmb.edu. Don't miss out on this opportunity to help raise funds for the AIM at Melanoma Foundation, which aims to lead the battle against melanoma through research, education, and caregiver support!

If you have any additional questions, contact Julie Amthor Croley (jaamthor@utmb.edu), Neil Jackson (ndjackso@utmb.edu), or Jasmine Stephens (jcstephe@utmb.edu) with any questions.

Internationally Recognized Rickettsia Expert Lectures UTMB Dermatology Department

Dr. David Walker, UTMB Chair Emeritus (Pathology) and internationally recognized expert and investigator on Rickettsial diseases, lectured to the UTMB Department of Dermatology about  Rickettsia diagnosis and management on Friday morning, May 22, 2015. Thank you Dr. Walker for giving us such an informative lecture! 

Too Few Dermatology Abstracts Submitted to 2015 National Student Research Forum!

Dermatology has a long and storied history of award winning presentations at the annual National Student Research Forum (NSRF) that is sponsored by UTMB. Many of these presentations have gone on to peer-reviewed publication, and many awardees have gone on to notable careers and leadership roles in dermatology. Imagine the NSRF’s surprise this year when there were not enough dermatology abstracts for poster or podium presentation to make any awards in the dermatology category! The UTMB DIG encourages all of its members to consider submitting abstracts about their current dermatology research to the 2016 NSRF.

Local Dermatologist Named as UTMB AOA Visiting Professor for 2015

Dr. Robert S. Tausend (Will’s dad) provide the UTMB Department of Dermatology with a guest lecture at 10 am (“Tales from the Dark Side”) and share Kodachromes with us at 11 am in the Research Building conference room (1.206) on Friday, May 29, 2015. During his Kodachrome presentation he plans on asking medical students their differential diagnosis and dermatology residents about treatment options. His visit  to our dermatology department will begin at 9 am with Grand Dermatology Rounds in the UHC dermatology clinic. Dr. Tausend practices in the Bay Shore Dermatology Center in Pasadena, Texas.

Dermatology Night at St. Vincent’s Clinic on June 4, 2015

Join UTMB Dermatology residents and faculty for the upcoming dermatology night at St. Vincent’s Clinic. Please see the calendar link below to reserve your volunteering spot:

When: Thursday, June 4th, 5:30-9PM
Where: St. Vincent's House, 2817 Post Office Street, Galveston, Texas 77550
Volunteer link: http://www.stvsc.org/index.php/students/

UTMB Presents 10 Posters at the 2015 Texas Dermatological Society Annual Spring Meeting

Congratulations to all of the UTMB Poster Presenters at the 2015 Annual Spring Meeting of the Texas Dermatological Society that was held on May 1st and 2nd in Austin, Texas. The UTMB poster titles and medical student, dermatology resident and dermatology faculty authors were as follows:

1, Pancreatic Panniculitis Mimicking Necrotizing Fasciitis (C. Helen Malone MD)

2. Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis in the Setting of an Acute Hepatitis A Viral Infection in a Child (Tara Akunna BS, Lindsey Hunter-Ellul MD, Bernard Gibson MD)

3. Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans mimicking an Odontogenic Abscess (Brandon Goodwin MD, Kristyna Gleghorn MS, Emily Grimshaw MD, Erica Kelly MD)

4. Nicastrin in Skin Pathology (Audra Clos MD and Brent Kelly MD)

5. An Unusual Bullous Eruption (Rebecca Philips MD, Skylar White BS, Brent Kelly MD)

6. A case of drug-induced pemphigus caused by enalapril. (Gleghorn KL, Wilson J, Wilkerson MG, Kelly BC)

7. Cutaneous follicle center lymphoma mimicking folliculitis (Savina Aneja MD, Ramya Chockalingam BA, Anisha B. Patel MD)

8. Allergic contact dermatitis from a Zoll wearable defibrillator vest (Hubert Chodkiewicz MD, Alison Garner BS, Savina Aneja MD, Richard Jahan-Tigh MD)

9. Sclerodermoid Changes and Dystrophic Calcification: A Unique Presentation of Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (Erica Grilletta BS, Lindsey Hunter-Ellul MD, Alison Lowe MD, Conner Chan MD)

10. Management of exuberant growths in Goltz syndrome (Anna Buteau BA, Andrew DeCrescenzo BS, Helen Malone MD, Michael Wilkerson, MD)

UTMB School of Medicine Adopts New Pass/PC/Fail System for MS1s and MS2s

UTMB has always been a progressive leader in medical education in Texas and the rest of the world. It may not surprise readers of this blog that last month our School of Medicine Curriculum Committee unanimously adopted a new Pass/PC/Fail system for the first two years of medical school at UTMB starting with the incoming MS1 class this summer (The Informant: A newsletter for students from the Educational Affairs Office--School of Medicine, April 2015, Volume 3, Issue 1). By making this grading policy change for the first two years of medical school, UTMB is joining a growing national movement in medical education, since nationally about 52% of US medical schools use this type of grading system sometime during the first two years of medical school. Other changes for the first two years of our medical school will now include the use of standardized NBME exams. No grading system change is currently planned for UTMB MS3s and MS4s who currently use an Honors/High Pass/Pass grading system except for electives and Selectives, that are strictly graded Pass/Fail.

Upcoming AIM for the Cure Melanoma Walk and 5K Fun Run

The UTMB DIG will be hosting the annual AIM for the Cure Melanoma Walk and 5K Fun Run to take place on Saturday June 6, 2015 at the UTMB Alumni Field House. Registration and sign-in begin at 8AM. The opening ceremony and fun run/walk begin at 9AM. There is no fee, but each participant is encouraged to raise $50. 

Register at http://galveston2015.aimatmelanoma.org/Static/Event-Info by May 22nd to receive a FREE t-shirt! See the attached flyer for more information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1X_P-TTWEkib05UM0R2cGFKaFk/view?usp=sharing
Contact Julie Ann Amthor (jaamthor@utmb.edu), Neil Jackson (ndjackso@utmb.edu), or Jasmine Stephens (jcstephe@utmb.edu) with any questions. If you would like to volunteer at the event on June 6, please email Julie Ann Amthor (jaamthor@utmb.edu).

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to raise funds for the AIM at Melanoma Foundation, which uses funds to increase support for melanoma research, to promote prevention and education among the general public and medical professionals, and to provide comprehensive and easily accessible melanoma resources for patients, survivors, and caregivers!

DIG Meeting Recap from 4/27/2015

Advices from MS4s for preparing for residency

1.     Meet with Dr. Raimer and/or Dr. Wagner when you decided on dermatology to see what advices they have for you. Also meet with them before letter writing time (August).

2.     When on a dermatology rotation, use AAD.org medical student education powerpoints (https://www.aad.org/education/basic-dermatology-curriculum/teaching-and-learning-guides/learner-s-guide) to help prepare for the rotation.

3.     Away rotations- keep in mind west coast schools might not give you interviews. It’s also not a good idea to have too many UTMB students (>3-4) doing aways at the same school. The school may not offer interviews to all of the students.

4.     You could get interviewed during your derm rotations (UT Houston does a panel interview for away students), so always be prepared.

5.     You can use your dermatology personal statement for your prelim/transitional year personal statement.

6.     The decision to select a prelim or transition program is important!

a.     If the applicant would be happy in another specialty as a backup then a preliminary PGY1 year in that specialty is good (internal medicine, pediatrics, etc).

b.     However, if the MS4 does not match into an advanced PGY2 dermatology position as a MS4, matching into a PGY1 position in medicine or pediatrics will preclude Medicare funding of residency for the PGY4 year of dermatology if they decide to try again for dermatology and successfully match. This could be a major competitive disadvantage for dermatology reapplicants.

c.      If the MS4 plans on reapplying to dermatology should they fail to initially match into dermatology, it would be better to match into a PGY1 position in general surgery (5 years of funding) or a transitional PGY1 year (funding to be determined by PGY2 specialty selection).

7.     Interview questions: Most interviewers ask about your personal statement so be sure to know your personal statement well and have a fluent story ready. Also you may be asked questions about conflicting experiences you’ve had a faculty or colleague on a project and how you handled the situation.

8.     Money saving tips: Use AriBnB.com for rooming

How to Prepare an Honors Thesis

1.     This is a complicated process that can take more than 6 months to process for approval (expect multiple revisions)

2.     See attached document for more specifics information https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1X_P-TTWEkiWlM3SXBWNmZpSW8/view?usp=sharing

Upcoming DIG volunteering events

1.     Stay Shady Presentation- at Crenshaw Elementary School on Thursday, 5/7/2015, 2:45-3:45PM. Contact Kristyna to volunteer (klglegho@utmb.edu)  

2.     AIM Melanoma Walk- Saturday 6/6/2015, registration starts at 8AM, location at UTMB Alumni Field House. For more information and to register online, visit http://galveston2015.aimatmelanoma.org/Static/Event-Info

a.     Fee: None- Each participant encouraged to raise $50

b.     Register by May 22nd to ensure FREE T-Shirt

c.      Contacts: Julie Ann Amthor (jaamthor@utmb.edu), Neil Jackson (ndjackso@utmb.edu), and Jasmine Stephens (jcstephe@utmb.edu)

DIG Officers for 2015-2016

DIG recently had an officers election for the 2015-2016 school year. Congratulations to the following officers:

Galveston Base

President: Dung Mac

Vice President: Kristyna Gleghorn

Fundraising/AIM Melanoma Walk Chairs: Neil Jackson, Julie Amthor

Sun Protection Chairs: Timothy  Allen, Skyler White, Tara Akunna, Karyn Korsah

Contact Dermatitis Chairs: Alfreda Batts, Drew Decrescenzo

Psoriasis Awareness Chairs: Ngoc Uyen Mui, Katherine Tinkey

Austin Base

President: Hunter Neely

Vice President: Anna Buteau

*Hight-lighted in bold are the newly elected officers

2014-2015 UTMB DIG Officers Recognized

Congratulations to the following 2014-2015 UTMB DIG officers and their faculty advisor for helping to make the UTMB DIG such a successful medical student organization this year. 
The following 13 officers were recently recognized with a certificate of service:

President: Alex Acosta

Vice President: Dung Mac

Fundraising/AIM Melanoma Walk Chairs:  Zachary Jones and Jasmine Stephens

Sun Protection Chairs: Hunter Neely, Skyler White. Kristyna Gleghorn, Kyle Kaltwasser, and Greg Peterson

Contact Dermatitis Chairs: Alfreda Batts and Drew Decrescenzo

Psoriasis Awareness Chairs: Rachael Pellerin and Nadia Megahed

Faculty Advisor: Richard Wagner, MD

UTMB DIG Awards Annual Medical Student Teaching Award to UTMB Dermatology Resident and Faculty

The UTMB DIG annual holds a vote among its MS4 members to recognize the UTMB dermatology resident and faculty who most contributed to their dermatology education. This year the awardees were Drs. Tanya Trynosky (resident) and Brent Kelly (faculty). Thanks to all in the dermatology department who contribute to our education at UTMB. We are fortunate to have such high quality residents and faculty who help us learn about dermatology.

Left to Right: Zachary Jones (MS4), Kyle Kaltwasser (MS4), Dr. Trynosky, Dr. Kelly, Skyler White (MS3), and Dung Mac (MS3)

Dermatology Night at St. Vincent’s Clinic

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St. Vincent's House offers a student-run free health clinic serving the Galveston uninsured and underserved population. It is an important part of the UTMB community, providing free health services to the public, while teaching medical, PA, and nursing students how to manage common health issues. UTMB Dermatology residents and faculty can be found volunteering at St. Vincent's Clinic each month, where they aid medical students in providing free skin cancer screenings, biopsies, excisions, and routine dermatologic care. Our next Dermatology Night at St. Vincent’s Clinic is:

When: Thursday, May 7th, 4:30-8PM
Where: St. Vincent's House, 2817 Post Office Street, Galveston, Texas 77550

Upcoming DIG meeting 4/27/2015 5-6PM

DIG will be holding officer elections for our upcoming meeting. Graduating MS4s DIG members who matched into dermatology will be sharing with us their interviewing experience. Current MS3 DIG member, Neil Jackson, will also be talking about how to start an Honors Thesis Project. Other topics for discussion includes the upcoming Melanoma Walk (6/6) and Stay Shady events. Don’t miss out this highly informative session!

When: Monday, 4/27/15, 5PM-6PM

Where: Dermatology conference room, 4.112 McCullough Building

Success on the 2015 ITE

At least one UTMB dermatology resident scored at least 90% in all six content areas (general dermatology, pediatric dermatology, dermatopathology, basic science, surgery and visual recognition) of the 2015 ITE exam administered by the American Board of Dermatology. Program strengths this year were in visual recognition and dermatopathology.

UTMB DIG Bake Sale on 4/15/2015 a Success!

UTMB DIG members recently had a bake sale at Joe’s Café (UTMB campus). This event was highly successful, raising enough money to purchase supplies for our community educational projects and procedural workshops for medical students. Special thanks to our volunteers and contributors!

               Left to Right: Kristyna Gleghorn (MS2), Hunter Neely (MS3), Tim Allen (MS1)

Nominations for UTMB Dermatology Faculty and Resident Awards 2015

UTMB Dermatology Interest Group is now accepting nominations from all the MS4 members to select one of the PGY4 UTMB dermatology residents for the medical student teaching award and one dermatology faculty for the medical student teaching award. Have you had an awesome experience with a faculty or resident? Have they impacted your education and you would like to express your gratitude? Well now you can by nominating them for these teaching awards! Please vote on the survey link below by Wed 4/22/15 @ 10PM:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TCFRLC8

These awards will be made by a DIG officer at an upcoming Friday dermatology journal club (4/24/15 12PM) when the awardees are present and before the 2015 SOM graduation.

Dr. Will Tausend Publishes Case Report

Congratulations to former UTMB DIG Vice President Dr. Will Tausend for his recently published case report in the April 2015 issue of Dermatology Online Journal (Tausend WE, Stewart LR, Rapini RR. Morphea-like complications to illicit gluteal silicone injections. Dermatology Online Journal 2015; 21 (4): 5. This article is available at: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0xv5g3sn#page-1 ). Dr. Tausend is currently completing his PGY1 year in internal medicine at UTMB and will begin dermatology residency at UTMB in July 2015.

UTMB Dermatology Chief Resident Publishes Letter in Cutis

Congratulations to Dr. Lindsey Hunter-Ellul, a UTMB PGY4 chief dermatology resident, for her recent letter that was published in Cutis [Hunter-Ellul L, Reddy S, Dacso M, Robare-Stout S, Wilkerson M. Rapidly recurring keratoacanthoma. Cutis. 2015 April;95(4):E7-E8.] Her co-authors were former UTMB dermatology residents Drs. Mara Dacso and Samantha Robare-Stout, and visiting medical student Shalini Reddy (now a dermatology resident at Boston University). Dermatology professor Michael Wilkerson supervised the case report. This electronic publication is available at: http://www.cutis.com/the-publication/past-issues-single-view/rapidly-recurring-keratoacanthoma/e8e653fdb8e92a66be7f6cbc03ed3e28.html?utm_source=Clin_CT_Epublishing_04.12.15&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Confocal+microscopy%3A+a+noninvasive+diagnostic+tool+for+onychomycosis 

UTMB Dermatology Interest Group Annual Bake Sale 4/15/2015

Come support DIG during our Annual Bake Sale on 4/15/15 (Wednesday). Money raised from this sale will go towards educational projects such as Stay Shady for grade school students to learn about skin cancer and procedural workshops for medical students to practice their suture and injection skills.

Date: 4/15/15

Location: Joe’s Café (UTMB Jamail Student Center)

Time: 10am-2pm

Would you like to help out with the bake sale? Sign up via the link below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AKPna2f-TWzB7kmqbGmZtKvFqYCRA6__CeRkCDbQT7Q/edit?usp=sharing

Please email dhmac@utmb.edu if you have any questions.

Academic Censure Ahead for MD Anderson?

Houston Chronicle reporter Todd Ackerman reported in the Thursday, April 9, 2015 issue of the Houston Chronicle ("Hospital closer to union's censure: M.D. Anderson criticized over faculty firings," pages B1, B10) that MD Anderson faces academic censure by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) following an AAUP report released on April 8, 2015 that, "M.D. Andrson Cancer Center's administration violated commonly accepted principles of academic freedom and tenure when it dismissed two longtime faculty members..."

UTMB Graduate Medical Education Office Changes Policy on H1B Visas

Effective last month, the UTMB Graduate Medical Education Office will no longer offer H1B Visas to any future residency or fellowship applicants.

Dr. Alex Holliday Publishes Review About Kaposi’s Sarcoma

Congratulations to former UTMB medical student and internal medicine resident, Dr. Alex Holliday for his March 2015 publication, “Kaposi’s Sarcoma at the Oscars” that was published in Global Dermatology, an international peer-reviewed dermatology journal [Glob Dermatol 2015;2(2):84-86. Doi:10.15761/GOD.1000126]. His co-author on this article was Dr. Richard Wagner, UTMB Dermatology Program Director. Dr. Holliday is currently in a clinical dermatology research fellowship in the Department of Dermatology, Virginia Tech Carillion School of Medicine and he will begin dermatology residency at the same institution this July. This interesting article is available at: http://oatext.com/Kaposi-s-Sarcoma-at-the-Oscars.php

Change at MD Anderson Announced

Reporter Todd Ackerman of the Houston Chronicle reported on Friday, April 3, 2015 in a front page story that a MD Anderson scientist has taken an administrative position at The University of Texas in Austin to head a statewide project about diabetes ("Chin leaving cancer center; M.D. Anderson scientist takes administrative post at UT," pages A1, A13).

All UTMB PGY4 Scholarly Projects Presented to Dermatology Department Before Deadline

Congratulations to all of the current PGY4 UTMB dermatology residents for completing their required scholarly projects and presenting them before the deadline later this month. This year the projects were about dermatopathology (Dr. Audra Clos), a professional survey about the use of generic medicines in academic and community dermatology (Dr. Lindsey Hunter-Ellul), teaching dermatology residents flaps and grafts (Dr. Brandon Goodwin), and the development and implementation of informed consent forms as a departmental quality improvement project for UTMB cosmetic dermatology procedures (Dr. Tanya Trynosky). This is the earliest that all PGY4 projects have all been presented. Dr. Hunter-Ellul's research as already been published and Dr. Goodwin's project was presented to a national audience of dermatology educators.

Houston Chronicle Continues to Criticize MD Anderson Administration

In its latest criticism of the current MD Anderson's administration, the April 2, 2015 issue of the Houston Chronicle has published an editorial entitled, "Code blue: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's problems with leadership need urgent attention," page B10. The editorial concludes, "The chancellor and the board of regents should treat this management problem with the same urgency as physicians do when treating their patients."

2015 In-Training Exam (ITE) Results

Results of the 2015 ITE are expected by April 17, 2015.