UTMB Dermatology Residency is Expanding

UTMB Dermatology has been approved to increase it resident complement from 12 to 15. UTMB plans to select 5 dermatology applicants each year for PGY2 (advanced) residency positions starting in the 2020 NRMP for July 2021 residency. An additional Physician/”R” applicant will be selected during the 2020 NRMP for a dermatology residency position to start in July 2020.

UTMB DIG 2019- 2020 Opening Meeting (8/29/19)

Come join the Dermatology Interest Group for their first meeting of the year! We will have UTMB Dermatology Program Director Dr. Richard Wagner present to answer questions about matching into dermatology. We will also discuss future events and have sign ups available for our fall fundraising bake sale and community outreach "Stay Shady" program. The meeting will be held on 8/29/19 in the 5th floor Dermatology conference room (5.124) at 5 pm. We hope to see you there!

Competitive Advantage of Medical School Academic Schedules

Several medical schools conclude their MS3 year early, permitting students to take 4 week away dermatology rotations during June. At other medical schools the MS3 year is not completed until the end of June. These scheduling differences may advantage students with one additional away rotation during the dermatology residency application cycle because successful away rotations appear to increase applicant chances of matching in these programs. 

DIGA Newsletter is Out!

DIGA’s Summer Newsletter has been published. This newsletter includes research opportunities and advice for dermatology applicants. DIGA is the largest national, non-profit student-run dermatology interest group encompassing over 100 school. Mai-Anh Vu (MS4) is current DIGA Co-President and was the lead editor of this newsletter. Congratulations!

https://mailchi.mp/a8099109c193/diga-newsletter-summer-2019-edition

Should I take a year off to do dermatology research before applying for residency?

Maybe. A year of dermatology research between the MS3 and MS4 year is becoming a trend as competition increases for residency positions. Funded positions are competitive and can demonstrate a commitment to a dermatology career, in addition for an educational opportunity to gain substantive dermatology research experience. DIGA (Dermatology Interest Group Association) lists some of the ones available at https://derminterest.com/research/

St. Vincent's Student Clinic Dermatology Night 8/1/19

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

When: Thursday, August 1st at 5:30-8:30PM (volunteers should arrive at 5:15)
Where: St. Vincent's House, 2817 Post Office Street, Galveston, Texas 77550

Volunteer link: http://stvsc.org/index.php/students/sign-up

Good Luck UTMB Completing Dermatology Residents!

This Thursday, July 18, 2019 our 2019 UTMB Dermatology Residency graduates will be in Tampa, Florida for the ABD Certification Examination (“The Boards”). We wish Drs. Vlad Codrea, Kyle Kaltwasser, Kristin Wolf, and Kate Woolridge the best of luck on this examination!

UTMB MS4 Honored a 170th Osler Birthday Celebration

Congratulations to UTMB MS4 DIG President Michael Ryan for receiving the John D and Mary Ann Stobo Award in Oslerian Medicine. The event was held at the JD Rogers Building on the historic Strand in Galveston, and was hosted by the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine.

MS4 Michael Ryan receiving the award from Dr. Joan Richardson, Chair of UTMB Pediatric Department and Osler Scholar.

UTMB Medical Student Publishes in SKIN

Congratulations to UTMB MS4 Caroline Crain and UTMB alumni Drs. Tyler Marion and Jake Gibbons (SOM 2019) for their recent publication, “The Father of Modern Cryotherapy.” Their article appears in the “Compelling Comments” section of SKIN (2019, Volume 3, Number 4). https://jofskin.org/index.php/skin/article/view/407

Registration and Hotel Information for 2019 Fall Texas Dermatological Society Meeting (San Antonio)

The Texas Dermatological website is now accepting registration for the fall meeting in San Antonio (https://www.texasdermatology.org/AMSIMIS/shared/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=TDSF19 ). Hotel reservations at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort are also available by calling  (210) 647-1234 at the discounted meeting rate of $229/night if you tell them you are there for the TDS meeting.

UTMB Dermatology Honors Thesis Published

Congratulations to Dr. Keith Wagner (UTMB SOM 2019) and his coauthors Dr. J. Croley (UTMB PGY4 dermatology resident) and Dr. J. Wilson (UTMB Assistant Professor of Dermatology) for their recent publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology titled, “Internet Skin Disease Hoaxes: An Evaluation on Their Scope and Potential Impact on Dermatology.” This Research Letter (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019 Jun 22. pii: S0190-9622(19)31025-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.06.036. Epub ahead of print) was based on original research conducted while Dr. Wagner was a medical student participating in the UTMB Dermatology Research Honors Program. Dr. Wagner is the immediate past president of the UTMB DIG, and the recipient of the 2019 Edgar B. Smith Award for excellent dermatology research conducted while in the UTMB Department of Dermatology. Following a PGY1 transitional year at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan, he will join the UTMB dermatology residency program in July 2020.

More Information about 2019 Fall Texas Dermatological Society Meeting

All podium and poster applications are due on Friday, August 23, 2019 for the TDS September 27-28 meeting in San Antonio. Abstracts and poster PDFs are due on Friday, August 30^th. Additional  information is available on the TDS website ( https://www.texasdermatology.org/amsimis/ ) under “Residents Corner.”

UTMB Mohs Team Publishes Article About Skin Grafting

Congratulations to Dr. Julie Croley for her first author publication in the June 2019 issue of Cutis titled,  “Clinical Pearl: Advantages of the Scalp as a Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Site” (103:369-370). Her coauthors are Drs. Jason Hirshburg (UTMB Mohs Fellow during 2017-2018 who is now dermatology faculty at University of Oklahoma) and Richard Wagner, UTMB’s Mohs Fellowship Director.

Thank You Dr. Will Tausend!

Dr. Will Tausend returned to UTMB Dermatology to lecture our residents about what he has learned during his first year of private practice. It was the last day that all 4 of our completing PGY4 residents were present. He is a UTMB SOM graduate (Class of 2014) and completed dermatology residency at UTMB in 2018. He is currently in practice with his father in Pasadena, Texas. Thanks for the cookie cake with the names of all of our new graduates!

UTMB PGY4 Dermatology Residents Present Scholarly Projects to Dermatology Department

Congratulations to our PGY4 dermatology residents for completing their departmental scholarly projects and presenting them to faculty and residents on Friday, June 14, 2019. The following research was presented:

Dr. Vlad Codrea: “Handedness in Micrographic Surgery Fellows: An Anonymous Professional Survey of Fellowship Directors”

Dr. Kyle Kaltwasser: “Dermoscopy Patient Satisfaction”

Dr. Kristin Wolf: “An Analysis of Dermatologic Diagnoses on Instagram”

Dr. Kate Woolridge: “Survey to Assess Laboratory Monitoring Practices during Standard Courses of Isotretinoin for Acne”

Following these presentations, the dermatology faculty commented how well-done all of the presentations were this year. They awarded Dr. Kate Woolridge with the 2019 “Dermatology Faculty Award for Excellence in Resident Research.”

2019 Fall Texas Dermatological Society Meeting

The 2019 fall meeting of the Texas Dermatological Society (TDS) will be held in San Antonio at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort & Spa on Friday and Saturday, September 27-28. More information to follow. Residents who are the first authors on posters and podium presentations are eligible for awards in each category. Medical students may also present their work at this meeting, but are not eligible for awards when they are the first author on posters or presenters at the podium.

UTMB Mohs Team Transitions

As Dr. Josh Hammel (center) completes Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship at UTMB, he instructs Dr. Vlad Codrea (left), the 2019-2020 Mohs Fellow, while PGY2 Dr. Kristyna Gleghorn (right) looks on.

Learn How to Create a Better Scientific Poster

The UTMB Office of Educational Development is offering a Teaching Skills Workshop early next month (July 1 or July 2). Those interested are encouraged to attend. It is open to UTMB faculty, residents and students. Additional information and registration is available at https://utmb.us/3d3

Summary of Dermatology Residency Interview Trends

For a good overview of dermatology interview trends over the past 5 years, a new study published in the May 2019 issue of Dermatology Online Journal provides useful information to current applicants in “Interview date trends for dermatology residency from 2012-2017” (see https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4pr742jj ). Highlights are that over 80% of dermatology interview invitations were sent in November, most interviews were scheduled for January (66.3%), and most programs have 3 or less interview dates. Since most programs interview on Thursdays and Fridays, overlapping interview dates from competing residency programs result in applicants declining interviews, with the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th week in January being the most problematic.

UTMB DIG Blog Recognized in Top 100 Dermatology Blogs

 The UTMB DIG Blog is on the list of top Dermatology Blogs at number 75. The DIG Blog has been running continuously for 15 years since July of 2004 and strives to provide high quality information to medical students and promote student achievements. Thanks to all of our contributors!

The full list of the Top 100 Dermatology Blogs can be found here:

https://blog.feedspot.com/dermatology_blogs/

Congratulations 2019 UTMB Completing Residents and Fellows

Graduation ceremonies were held at Porch Cafe in Galveston for UTMB Dermatology completing residents and Fellows. 

From right to left, pictured are: Drs. Kyle Kaltwasser (PGY4), Vlad Codrea (PGY4), Liliana Rincon (Dermatopathology Fellow), Kate Woolridge (PGY4), Josh Hammel (Mohs Fellow) and Kristin Wolf (PGY4).

Medical Student Writes Article for The Dermatologist

Congratulations to Maureen Ezekor (MS3) on her recent publication in The Dermatologist titled "Rosacea Increases the Risk of Cancer, but Does it Matter?"  https://www.the-dermatologist.com/article/rosacea-increases-risk-cancer-does-it-matter. Her co-author is Dr. Steven Feldman the Chief Medical Editor of The Dermatologist and faculty member at Wake Forest University.

UTMB PGY3 Dermatology Resident Contributes to Cutis Podcast

UTMB PGY3 Dr. Julie Croley contributed to the dermatology resident led discussion, “Being on-call as a dermatology resident” in their May 30, 2019 podcast. It is available at https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology under the “Dermatology Weekly” section of the webpage.

PGY4 Dermatology Resident Honored by UTMB AOA Chapter

Each year, UTMB's AOA chapter selects 2 residents through a member run nomination and voting process. This year, Dr. Kristin Wolf was selected by student AOA members for going above and beyond demonstrating teaching, volunteerism, and mentoring. This nomination has also made her eligible for official AOA membership.

Here are some comments that were said about Dr. Wolf during the nomination and voting process:  

"Dr. Wolf is one of the most kindhearted and intelligent residents I have ever met. She is the medical student coordinator for the dermatology department and is always willing to mentor any student that comes to her. She is constantly willing to teach and explain difficulty concepts in clinic, as well as stay late after hours to provide sage advice for applications. She has spent many hours after work reviewing personal statements and helping applicants be as competitive as possible. She is a true role model of the ideal resident, and a resident that I will strive to model my own behavior on in residency."  

"Dr. Kristin Wolf has been a wonderful mentor to medical students. She is always willing to lend a helping hand, whether in clinic or after work for advice for applications. She genuinely cares about medical student education and success, and is a shining example of how a resident should be." 

If you see Dr. Wolf before she completes dermatology residency at the end of this month, be sure to congratulate her on her achievement!

UTMB Dermatology Department Announces 2019 Graduation Awardees

The following medical students have been awarded departmental awards at the upcoming 2019 SOM graduation:

History of Dermatology Award: Long Nguyen (“The History of Psychodermatology”)

Best Original Essay for “Skin Diseases Depicted in Cinema”: Ashlyn Masterson (“The Color of Evil: Bias-Building Villains in Disney Films”)

Thomas W. Freese Memorial Award for Excellence in Dermatology: Ryan Lawrence

Edgar B. Smith Endowed Scholarship in Dermatology: Keith Wagner, MS

Please note that Mr. Nguyen is currently a UTMB MS3 and is not scheduled to graduation until 2020.

Right to Left: Ryan Lawrence, Keith Wagner, and Long Nguyen. Ms. Masterson was not present for the award presentation.

UTMB DIG Recognizes Faculty and Resident Teaching Excellence

Each year, MS4 DIG members vote on recognizing excellent teaching received from UTMB faculty and residents. This year the awardees are:

Faculty: Dr. Sharon Raimer

Resident: Dr. Kate Woolridge

Although only two award recipients can be recognized each year, the UTMB DIG is extremely grateful for all of the excellent teaching and constant encouragement that all of the UTMB dermatology faculty and residents have provided to us.

2019 UTMB Dermatology Resident Awards for Outstanding Teaching

Each year UTMB dermatology residents vote to recognize the most outstanding dermatology teachers from the dermatology faculty and community dermatologists who teach UTMB residents. This year the awardees are:

Faculty Teaching: Kathleen Kroger, MD

Community Teaching: Rebecca Philips, MD

Congratulations!

St. Vincent's Student Clinic Dermatology Night 6/6/19

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

When: Thursday, June 6th at 5:30-8:30PM (volunteers should arrive at 5:15)
Where: St. Vincent's House, 2817 Post Office Street, Galveston, Texas 77550

Volunteer link: http://stvsc.org/index.php/students/sign-up

UTMB Dermatology Presentations at Texas Dermatological Society 2019 Spring Meeting

Congratulations to UTMB medical student, dermatology residents, and faculty for a good showing at the May 16^th and 17^th spring meeting of the Texas Dermatological Society (TDS) Meeting in Houston. The following podium and poster presentations were made:

Podium

Gleghorn K (PGY2), Hammel J (Mohs Fellow), Wagner RF Jr (Mohs Fellowship Director). Rhombic Bilobed Flap: a modification of the bilobed flap to prevent trap-door deformity.

Posters

Codrea V (PGY4), Hirshburg J (Mohs Fellow 2017-2018), Joseph A (Associate Program Director, Mohs Fellowship), Wagner RF Jr (Program Director, Mohs Fellowship). Handedness in Micrographic Surgery Fellows: An Anonymous Professional Survey of Fellowship Directors.

Monjazeb S (PGY2), Ryan M (MS3), Ross L, Kroger K. Bullous Hemorrhagic Lichen Sclerosus of the Breast: A Report of 2 Cases and Review of the Literature.

Rana A (PGY3), Ryan M (MS3), Goodwin B, Qian Y, Kelly E. A Case of Neonatal Bullous Mastocytosis.

Winsett F (PGY2), Crain C (MS3), Goodwin B. Eruptive Pagetoid Spindle Cell Nevi.

Croley J (PGY3). An Oral Presentation of Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus.

Wolf K (PGY4). Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising Within a Verrucous Cyst.

Nguyen A (PGY3), Ryan M (MS3), Kelly B, Raimer S. Metastatic Atypical Fibroxanthoma

Ryan M (MS3) Rana A (PGY-3), Goodwin B, Kelly E. Mucosal Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Lower Lip.

Ezekor M (MS3). G-CSF-induced Sweet's Syndrome in a Woman with Breast Cancer.

Crain C (MS3). Two Rare Cases of Tinea Corporis Caused by Trichophyton Verrucosum and Trichophyton Interdigitale in a Teenage Girl.

Uzoma B (MS2). Cutaneous Mastocytosis in a 7-Month-Old Male.

LaCour M (MS4). Actinic Reticuloid: An Interesting Clinicopathologic Correlation.

Vu M (MS3), Nguyen Q, Hebert A. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: An Increasingly Recognized Disorder

This information was obtained directly from TDS and only listed first authors, so if anyone is able to provide coauthors, please email one of the editors and this information will be updated as it is received.

UTMB Dermatology Publishes in May 2019 Cutis

Congratulations to Dr. Kristyna Gleghorn (PGY2), Dr. Kyle Kaltwasser (PGY4), MS4 Keith Wagner, Dr. Skyler White (PGY3), Dr. Jason Hirshburg (Mohs Fellow 2017-2018), and Dr. Brandon Goodwin (Assistant Professor of Dermatology) for their recent case report, “Basal cell carcinoma masquerading as a dermoid cyst and bursitis of the knee” that was published in the May 2019 issue of Cutis (103:288-289).

Trend Spotting

More and more UTMB medical students are collaborating with dermatology faculty at other dermatology residency programs outside of UTMB on scholarly presentations and publications. It is a wonderful accomplishment to make these professional connections while in medical school! Congratulations! Please make sure you let the DIG Blog know about them!

Another UTMB Medical Student Publication in Skin

Congratulations to UTMB 3rd year medical student Maureen Ezekor on her recent publication in SKIN Journal of Cutaneous Medicine titled "How to Manage Melasma".  It is available online at https://jofskin.org/index.php/skin/article/view/600 Her coauthor is Dr. Seemai R Desai, assistant professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Please Help Us

The UTMB DIG Blog wants everyone in our community to learn about departmental news and events, especially new publications by our medical students, residents, and faculty. Although we try to post these academic achievements in a timely manner, some publications escape our notice. Please let us know when you have a new publication, and we will be happy to post about it on the UTMB DIG Blog.

UTMB Dermatology Publishes About Skin Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections

 Congratulations to UTMB dermatology residents and faculty for their recently accepted and in press manuscript, “Cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacteria infections: A retrospective case series of 78 patients from the Texas Gulf Coast region.” It is available online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962219306085?via%3Dihub UTMB coauthors are Drs. Rebecca Philips (formed UTMB dermatology resident and dermatopathology fellow), Paige Hoyer (incoming PGY2 dermatology resident in July 2019), Skyler White (UTMB PGY3 dermatology resident), Michael Wilkerson (Professor Dermatology), Bernard Gibson (Dermatology Chair ad interim), and Brent Kelly (Professor Dermatology and Director of the UTMB Dermatopathology Fellowship Program).

Program Preferences for Dermatology Applicants: Location, Location, Location!

A recent survey of 100 successful dermatology applicants about their program rank list preferences was published in the 2019 Volume 3, Number 3 of SKIN (“Factors influencing Dermatology Rank List Preferences Among Successful Applicants”), see https://www.jofskin.org/index.php/skin/article/view/599/pdf  Geography was the most important consideration for applicants ranking a program high (55%) or low (53%) on their rank list. The second most important reason for ranking a program high was previous rotation in the department (44%). Applicant perception of the quality of the departmental residents was the third most important consideration in ranking a program highly (39%). The second and third most important consideration for lower program ranking was potential program instability (33%) and work-life balance (31%). Although not mentioned in the survey, it would be interesting to know if program “rank to match” calls impacted applicant rank list.

UTMB Medical Students Publish in SKIN

Congratulations to UTMB medical students Tyler Marion and Jake Gibbons for their recent publication, “The Rose of Dermatology” about dermatology pioneer Dr. Rose Hirschler (1875-1940). Their comment appears in the “Compelling Comments” section of SKIN (2019, Volume 3, Number 3) https://www.jofskin.org/index.php/skin/article/view/359/pdf Following UTMB SOM graduation on June 1, 2019, and a preliminary medicine year at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas,  Dr. Marion will be starting dermatology residency at the University of Florida (Gainesville) in July 2020. Dr. Gibbons will start the categorical internal medicine program at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas in July 2019.

UTMB PGY3 Resident Publishes Article About Changes in Mohs Fellowship Training

The April 2019 (Volume 103) issue of Cutis has published an original article authored by UTMB PGY3 dermatology resident Dr. Julie Croley titled, “The Evolution of the Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship.”

Congratulations Dr. Croley!

UTMB Dermatology Selects Dates for Internal and External Dermatology Applicants

UTMB Dermatology usually announces the dates of its dermatology residency applicant interviews well ahead to permit internal applicants and rotators scheduling interviews. The schedule for the 2020 NRMP dermatology interviews are:

Internal Applicants: Friday morning, January 24, 2020

External Applicants: Choice of Thursday morning, January 30, 2020 or Friday morning, January 31, 2020 (pre-interview dinner with UTMB dermatology residents will be held the evening before)

Invitations for rotators and other external applicants are usually sent in December. Last year UTMB received over 400 dermatology residency applications, and 30 outside applicants (including rotators) were invited for interviews.

Where did UTMB’s ACS (Ambulatory and Community Medicine Selective) Go?

 ACS, a former graduation requirement for MS4s at UTMB has been suspended for the SOM through the 2019-2020 academic year. The UTMB Selective website http://ar.utmb.edu/BSHSselectives/BSHSbrochure.asp displays the 

Ambulatory Community Selectives” link that now reads, “Sorry ACS brochure is no longer available.”  Currently a MS4 clinical elective must be taken to substitute for it. We hope that ACS comes back soon, at least as an option in the electives category. Previous UTMB medical students, including those now in dermatology residency, enjoyed working with community dermatologists in their offices and learning more about dermatology practice in the community setting.

UTMB PGY3 Dermatology Resident Leads Podcast About Social Media and Dermatology

 Congratulations to UTMB PGY3 dermatology resident Dr. Julie Croley for her recent podcast on the topic of the use of social media in dermatology. Dr. Croley leads the April 25, 2019 podcast discussion about “Resident takeover on social media in dermatology” with her two other Cutis “Residents Corner” participants  Elisabeth Tracey, MD (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio) and  Daniel R. Mazori, MD (State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn). This podcast (07:14 to 40:25) is available at https://www.podcastrepublic.net/podcast/1402001193