The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for medical students applying to residency programs. In this episode, Candrice R. Heath, MD (@DrCandriceHeath), talks to Virginia Alvarado Jones, MD, MS (@GinaAlvaJones), and medical student Victoria Humphrey (@VictoriaSHumphrey) about their experience navigating the dermatology residency Match process during this application cycle. They provide tips and takeaways for the next group of applicants, including how to adapt to the virtual interview process and connect with mentors and fellow residents without regular in-person contact.

Dr. Heath also talks to residency program director Ilana Rosman, MD (@ilanarosman), about how the past year has opened the door for much needed changes in the residency application process (begins at 28:50). “We had two pandemics this year, right? We have COVID, and we have racial injustice. And I think that's not new. That's obviously not new at all. But I think it really has come to the forefront. And I think those two things together have made all of us much more cognizant of how we go about the process of residency selection and application making sure that we can make it equitable, inclusive, and sustainable moving forward,” Dr. Rosman says. They also discuss a holistic approach to reviewing residency applicants and virtual mentorships.

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Host: Candrice R. Heath, MD (Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia)

Guests: Virginia Alvarado Jones, MD, MS (California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco; University of Illinois at Chicago); Victoria Humphrey (University of Pittsburgh); Ilana Rosman, MD (Washington University, St. Louis)

Disclosures: Dr. Heath, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Rosman, as well as Ms. Humphrey, report no conflicts of interest.

Show notes by: Alicia Sonners, Melissa Sears

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You can find more of our podcasts at http://www.mdedge.com/podcasts     

Email the show: podcasts@mdedge.com

Interact with us on Twitter: @MDedgeDerm

Ethnic minorities and patients living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are disproportionately impacted by a growing national shortage of dermatologists. In this resident takeover, Sophie A. Greenberg, MD (Twitter: @sophiegreenberg; Instagram: @sophiegreenbergmd), talks to Soraya Azzawi, MD, about how dermatology residency can serve as an opportunity to address barriers to equitable care in these populations and enact change within the specialty: “There is a stark regional misdistribution of the dermatologic workforce, with specialists tending to concentrate in the urban areas, and more rural areas are largely underserved. And as we progress through residency and start thinking about the overall trajectory of our career, it's going to be important to consider how the imbalance of the dermatologic workforce will shape where we choose to practice and how that choice impacts vulnerable communities with the greatest unmet needs,” Dr. Azzawi explains. They discuss various systemic factors that limit care in vulnerable communities and highlight ways that dermatology residents can work to better understand and meet the needs of underserved patient populations.

Article: https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology/article/238575/diversity-medicine/empowering-residents-address-socioeconomic-disparities

Downloadable PDF: https://cdn.mdedge.com/files/s3fs-public/CT107003043_e.PDF

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Host: Sophie A. Greenberg, MD (Columbia University Medical Center, New York)

Guest: Soraya Azzawi, MD (University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital)

Disclosures: Dr. Greenberg and Dr. Azzawi report no conflict of interest.

Show notes by: Alicia Sonners, Melissa Sears

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You can find more of our podcasts at http://www.mdedge.com/podcasts     

Email the show: podcasts@mdedge.com

Interact with us on Twitter: @MDedgeDerm

This week, Amber Atwater, MD, the immediate past president of the American Contact Dermatitis Society, reviews some highlights from the meeting, which was held in March.

Dr. Atwater, associate professor of dermatology at Duke University, Durham, N.C., discusses the 2021 “Contact Allergen of the Year,” a chemical that has been linked to reactions associated with shin pads and is an emerging allergen that was the topic of a recent report in Dermatitis.

Joining Dr. Atwater, Raina Bembry, MD, a dermatitis fellow at Duke University, provides the results of a study of shoe allergens she presented at the meeting. which found that about 20% of shoe allergens are not detected with the current screening series. Dr. Atwater and Dr. Bembry are first and second authors of this paper, respectively; other authors are members of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group.

Dr. Atwater also reviews the results of a study on the potential role of expanded series patch testing in residual facial dermatitis in patients treated with dupilumab (which received the Gold Alexander A. Fisher Resident Award at the meeting), a study on patterns of contact allergy in Black and White patients in Philadelphia over 10 years (which received the Silver Fisher Resident Award), a study of contact dermatitis information on different social media sites, and results of NACDG patch test results from 2017 to 2018.

Dr. Atwater disclosed receiving the Pfizer Independent Grant for Learning & Change and consulting for Henke. Dr. Bembry had no disclosures.

References:

https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology/article/237677/contact-dermatitis/contact-allergen-year-found-foam-shin-guards-footwear

https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology/article/237834/contact-dermatitis/check-all-components-cases-suspected-shoe-allergy

https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology/article/237899/contact-dermatitis/contact-dermatitis-content-varies-among-social-media

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You can find more of our podcasts at http://www.mdedge.com/podcasts     

Email the show: podcasts@mdedge.com