Resident Rounds. Part I. Program Spotlight: The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Dermatology Residency Training Program

June 2013 | Volume 12 | Issue 6 | Features | 699 | Copyright © June 2013


James L. Griffith MS,a Johnathan J. Ledet MD,b J. Daniel Jensen MD,b
Jeremy D. Jackson MD,b and Boni E. Elewski MDb

aSchool of Medicine, University of Mississippi, Jackson, MS
bDepartment of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Abstract
Resident Rounds is a section of the JDD dedicated to highlighting various dermatology departments with residency training programs. Resident Rounds includes three sections: (1) a program spotlight, highlighting pertinent information about the department and residency training program; (2) a section presenting study materials used by residents at the program; and (3) a section designed to highlight recent interesting cases seen at the institution. This issue of Resident Rounds features the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Dermatology Residency Training Program. The editor of Resident Rounds is Omar A. Ibrahimi MD PhD. He is currently the Founding and Medical Director of the Connecticut Skin Institute. Dr. Ibrahimi is also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dermatology Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. If you are interested in highlighting your training program in a future issue, please contact Dr. Ibrahimi at OIbrahimi@jddonline.com.
Since its inception in 1945, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Dermatology has placed great emphasis on delivering comprehensive dermatological patient care and conducting basic, clinical, and translational research investigations. Today, the department includes 13 clinical faculty, 13 residents, 2 dermatopathology fellows, 1 procedural fellow, and 1 post-doctoral research fellow who annually engage in more than 47,000 patient encounters. These patient encounters occur at five primary training facilities, including the Kirklin Clinic, UAB Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, the Birmingham Veteran Administration Medical Center, and Cooper Green Mercy Hospital. As one of six NIH Skin Diseases Research Centers in the country, we continue to develop and expand our basic and clinical research investigations in the fields of immunodermatology, cutaneous microbiology, skin cancer, biochemistry of the skin, genetics, and developmental biology.
Our resident education balances training in all fields of dermatology – adult and pediatric clinical dermatology, dermatopathology, dermatological surgery, and clinical and basic research. Residents receive a diverse clinical education with rotations through the specialty clinics of Immunobullous disease, Cutaneous Lymphomas (CTCL), Pigmented Lesions, Vulvovaginal disease, HIV and Infectious Disease, Ethnic Skin & Hair, and Cosmetic Dermatology. Upper level residents also rotate through an active inpatient dermatology consult service. Our residents are also allowed a one-month elective rotation of their choice and one month devoted completely to cosmetic dermatology. These rotations provide a diverse and balanced clinical experience providing our residents with the tools needed to be successful as both academic and community dermatologists.
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Accompanying this broad clinical exposure, our didactics program is particularly strong. In addition to textbook discussion, slide conference, journal club, and weekly dermatopathology reviews, faculty lead weekly lectures on a variety of topics