The Department of Dermatology at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has
a long tradition of training leaders in clinical and academic
dermatology as well as maintaining excellence in patient
care. After beginning as a division of Internal Medicine in 1952,
UNC Dermatology became an independent department in 1971.
Over the years, our program has expanded to include fourteen
residents and nineteen faculty members, specializing in medical,
procedural, pediatric, and cosmetic dermatology, as well as dermatopathology.
We currently serve greater than 32,000 patients
per year, many of whom travel from neighboring states. In addition,
we have a productive basic science department, with
laboratories investigating autoimmune bullous disorders, melanoma,
and non-melanoma skin cancer, and similarly participate in
numerous ongoing clinical trials.
Over three years, residents refine their skills in dermatology
by serving a large patient population in a variety of settings.
These include outpatient clinics in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Hillsborough,
a clinic for the local uninsured population, a clinic
for incarcerated patients, as well as a busy adult and pediatric
inpatient consult service. Residents rotate in dedicated laser,
cosmetic, patch testing, pigmented lesion, high-risk skin cancer,
and autoimmune bullous disorder clinics, and hone their
procedural skills through a Mohs surgery rotation.
To supplement their clinical education, residents spend two halfdays
per week in didactic sessions, which are faculty-led and
focus on current advances in dermatology. Dermatopathologists
from nearby Greensboro Pathology also generously devote time
weekly to resident education.
In their second and third years, residents have several weeks
of elective time and are encouraged to rotate through other departments
or institutions. Dr. Dedee Murrell is a former UNC
dermatology resident who practices in Sydney, Australia and eagerly welcomes rotating residents. UNC also has a long-standing
exchange program with the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil
where residents study tropical dermatology.
Our faculty creates an educational environment that, while
challenging, is also collegial and supportive. Our department
chair, Dr. Luis Diaz, as well as our residency director, Dr. Dean
Morrell have been instrumental to the success of this program
by incorporating faculty and resident feedback. By the time
they graduate, our residents are ready to pursue successful careers
in clinical or investigative dermatology. We are confident
that their hard work, creativity, and passion for patient care will
continue to make them leaders in dermatology and eager to
tackle new challenges that evolve in our field.
Disclosures
The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
AUTHOR CORRESPONDENCE
Edith Bowers MD PhDEBowers@unch.unc.edu
