Resident Rounds: Part I – Program Spotlight: Western University of Health Sciences – Silver Falls Dermatology, Salem, Oregon

Founded in 2012, Western University of Health Science – Silver Falls Dermatology Residency Program (WUSFD) is one of the premier osteopathic dermatology residency programs in the country. WUSFD is located one hour east of the Pacific coast in the beautiful Williamette Valley in Salem, Oregon. It is one of 31 osteopathic dermatology training programs in the United States. WUSFD trains 6 osteopathic residents and one procedural dermatology fellow each year. Residents are overseen by 5 attending physicians including: an allopathic general dermatologist, 2 osteopathic general dermatologists, an allopathic Mohs-College trained surgeon, and an allopathic dermatopathologist. The residents collectively see over 36,000 patients per year and participate in the majority of the 1,200 cases of Mohs surgery performed annually.

Due to a large and diverse patient population and a strong need for dermatologists, residents are able to see rare, interesting cases. Patients from small coastal cities, farming communities, and large metropolitan areas are seen at any one of the 8 office locations throughout Oregon and Washington. Clinically, a broad training of dermatology is achieved through a diversified array of rotations in areas of dermatological interest such as: plastic surgery, podiatry, radiation oncology, allergy, and dermatopathology. Experience in these areas allows residents and the fellow to use the latest information and technology to provide up-to-date, thoughtful, and cutting-edge care for all patients.

In addition to training excellent dermatologists, WUSFD recently opened a procedural dermatology fellowship in 2015. This fellowship trains one fellow per year under the tutelage of a board-certified Mohs surgeon. Throughout their training, residents and the fellow are trained in the performance of complicated flaps and grafts. This allows for a host of interesting cases and provides multiple opportunities to publish unique papers. Experiences at WUSFD led to multiple publications last year including articles in Dermatological Surgery, Cutis, Journal of Biomedical Research, and multiple Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology publications.

In addition to medical and surgical dermatology, hands-on training with botulinum toxin, fillers, microneedling, lasers, and peels have given the residents a well-rounded experience and allowed the patients to have more options for treatment.

With a rigorous didactic schedule and a remarkable amount of surgical, cosmetic, and general dermatology experience, residents from WUSFD are well poised to be competent, caring, and surgically adept dermatologists and surgeons.

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.