Resident Rounds. Part I: Program Spotlight: Tulane University’s Dermatology Residency Training Program

February 2013 | Volume 12 | Issue 2 | Features | 208 | Copyright © February 2013


James L. Griffith Jr. MS, Darya Shlapak MBA, Robert Bacigalupi MD, and Erin E. Boh MD PhD

Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, New Orleans, LA

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 Tulane University's 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.
Tulane University’s Department of Dermatology has excelled in preparing physicians for their future careers in clinical dermatology through a balanced education of medical, procedural, and cosmetic dermatology. Our program currently is composed of 12 dermatology residents, 1 research fellow, 1 dermatopathology fellow, 6 full-time academic faculty members, and 20 clinical faculty with specialties in the fields of medical dermatology, pediatric dermatology, immunodermatology, photodermatology, dermatologic surgery (aesthetic and micrographic), and cosmetic dermatology.
More than 12,000 patients receive care annually in our 5 clinical facilities, located in New Orleans and Covington, LA, and Biloxi, MS. The Biloxi location is a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. As we serve a diverse patient population frequently presenting with severe or unusual dermatologic conditions, our program offers a variety of specialized treatments such as extracorporeal photopheresis, which is only available in approximately 100 locations within the United States, as well as a phototherapy unit and laser treatments.
Starting in the first year of residency, residents have a significant degree of responsibility in patient care. First-year residents in various clinics formulate their own treatment plans under the supervision of the attending dermatologist. As residents gain experience and proficiency, they are given the primary responsibility of diagnosing and treating patients; faculty are available for consultation and assistance. Upper-level residents actively participate in pediatric dermatology, dermatopathology, Mohs micrographic surgery, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma clinic rotations. All residents rotate through a weekly, resident-run cosmetic clinic, learning and performing procedures such as liposuction/lipocontouring, filler and neurotoxin injections, and sclerotherapy. Residents are exposed to hair transplantation in one of our clinical faculty’s clinics.
To balance this clinical experience with didactic learning, Fridays are devoted to academic resident education. Residents lead weekly discussions of textbook chapters, with faculty present for additional clinical insight. Faculty and guest lecturers provide
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in-depth discussions on specific topics, such as cutaneous electrosurgery or a systematic approach to inflammatory diseases. There are several dermatopathology lectures as well as clinical slide interpretation with different dermatopathology faculty and fellows leading these sessions. Other educational highlights include frequent journal clubs, weekly Kodachrome grand rounds, regular attendance to local dermatology meetings, and required formation and completion of an independent clinical investigation before graduating from the program.
We take great pride in our residents. We value their input, and they contribute greatly to the success of our program. Working closely together in patient care, the residents and faculty become a family of sorts sharing one another’s accomplishments and challenges. The overall goal of Tulane University’s Dermatology Training Program is to foster residents’ development into dermatologists who are competent in the management of complex diseases, compassionate to those in need, and prepared for a clinical or academic career.

Disclosures

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

Address for Correspondence

Erin E. Boh MD PhDeboh@tulane.edu