Department of Dermatology
Training & Education

Residency

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Dermatology Residency Program

Our residents are integrated into a multidisciplinary care team and are exposed to pathologies most other dermatology residents only read about in textbooks. Residents are supported by faculty who are genuinely invested in their educational experience and professional development through their clinical experience, didactic program and investigative opportunities.

About the Program

The Department of Dermatology provides a three-year clinical residency program. The program is designed to offer residents comprehensive exposure to dermatology in a supportive environment.

Our program is very committed to resident education. There are two dedicated half-days of lecture time per week, which all residents attend together. Lecture series are given by faculty and cover topics including basic science, medical dermatology, surgical dermatology, dermatopathology, cosmetics, cutaneous oncology, kodachromes, dermatopharmacology, infectious disease and pediatric dermatology. Residents are expected to commit to independent reading associated with these sessions along with reading related to direct patient care.

Beyond bench to bedside care, the department is committed to giving back to the community. Our residents and faculty attend an annual weeklong camp called Camp Wonder sponsored by the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation. This camp gives children with chronic and life-threatening skin disease the opportunity to experience summer camp without feeling like patients. Residents have the opportunity to act as camp counselors and medical staff.

The USC/Los Angeles General Medical Center program provides comprehensive training in medical dermatology in children and adults in inpatient and outpatient settings, procedural dermatology and dermatopathology. Outpatient subspecialty clinics include Immunobullous Disease, Rheumatology-Dermatology, Hansens Disease, Psoriasis, Pediatric Vascular Anomalies and HIV as well as Mohs surgery and dermatologic oncology and cosmetic dermatology. The inpatient dermatologic consultation services at Los Angeles General Medical Center, Keck Hospital of USC and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) are robust. The program and faculty are committed to resident education in a supportive and collegial involvement which includes predominantly faculty-led didactic lectures, monthly Grand Rounds and dermatopathology signouts. We recruit and train residents who want to share in our Department’s mission to lead the efforts to improve the lives of patients with skin diseases through the integration of patient care, education and research. The program provides a unique, unmatched clinical training experience through hands-on exposure to large, diverse patient populations including serving the skin care needs of our underserved population at our primary training site: Los Angeles General Medical Center. Complementing this experience at our safety-net institution are rotations at the VA, private clinics at Keck Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (which is staffed by four fellowship-trained pediatric dermatologists). An approachable faculty that appreciates the importance of mentorship and teamwork provides residents with the balance of supervision and progressive autonomy to reduce health care disparities and ensure patient safety and quality outcomes. The Department is ranked 7th nationally in NIH funded research with diverse opportunities for resident engagement in these and other

Application

The dermatology residency program at the Keck School of Medicine accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS) and participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).

All applications are reviewed by our faculty. Applicants that are selected for an interview will be invited to visit our department to meet our faculty and residents. Our interview dates are typically held in mid to late January.

Our application requirements include:

  • ERAS Application Form
  • Personal statement
  • Transcripts
  • Dean’s Letter (MSPE)
  • Three to four letters of reference
  • USMLE scores

Quick Links

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Co-Program Directors

Ashley Crew, MD

Scott Worswick, MD

 

Residency Program Coordinator

Jasmine Elmo

(323) 226-3373

Residency Program Coordinator

Mayra Gutierrez

Rotation Schedule Overview

*PGY – Post-Graduate Year

  • The first year resident experience is designed to allow development of a strong foundation of knowledge in general dermatology as well as procedural skills including biopsies, as well as simple excisions. They gain some experience with inpatient consultations at CHLA and taking home-call for all sites.

    First year residents’ clinical experience occurs approximately 70 percent at Los Angeles General Medical Center, 15 percent at CHLA  and 15 percent at Keck outpatient clinics.

  • The second year resident experience continues to build upon the fundamentals gained in first year. Second year residents spend two months on the inpatient consult service at the Los Angeles General Medical Center and approximately one month seeing inpatient consults at CHLA while on that rotation. The remainder of their clinical experience occurs approximately 55 percent at Los Angeles General Medical Center, 20 percent at CHLA,  15 percent at Keck outpatient clinics and 10 percent at the Downtown VA. They participate in faculty clinics and expand their surgical skills with complex repairs, flaps, grafts and Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

  • The third year residents solidify their clinical competence and skills in medical dermatology, dermatopathology and procedural dermatology. Third year residents spend two months on the inpatient consult service at Los Angeles General Medical Center and approximately one month seeing inpatient consults at CHLA while on that rotation. The remainder of their clinical experience is split 50 percent at Los Angeles General Medical Center, 20 percent at CHLA, 20 percent at Keck outpatient clinics and 10 percent at the Downtown VA. Third year residents have rotations designed to allow participation in faculty clinics (general dermatology and Mohs micrographic surgery) and Dermatopathology review and sign out in a one-on-one fashion.

Rotation Facilities

  • Los Angeles General Medical Center is one of the largest academic medical centers in the United States. Over 1,000 medical residents and students are trained here. There are nearly 39,000 inpatient discharges, 150,000 emergency department visits and 1 million ambulatory care visit each year to Los Angeles General Medical Center.

    • General Dermatology clinic including complex medical dermatology
    • Dermatologic Surgery and Mohs Micrographic Surgery
    • Dermatopathology
    • Pediatric Dermatology
    • Immunobullous Disease clinic
    • Phototherapy
    • Tropical Medicine
    • Hansen’s Disease Clinic
    • HIV clinic
    • HIV Lipodystrophy clinic
    • Teledermatology
    • Inpatient Consultation Dermatology

  • Keck Hospital of USC is a private 411-bed acute care hospital that opened in 1991. Outpatient clinics are located on campus. Additionally, faculty practices are located at affiliated satellite clinics in Pasadena, Downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.

    • General dermatology clinic including complex medical dermatology
    • Immunobullous disease clinic
    • Aesthetic dermatology clinic and laser experience
    • Contact dermatitis clinic and patch testing
    • Faculty clinics in general dermatology
    • Dermatologic surgery and Mohs micrographic surgery
    • Inpatient consultative dermatology
    • Dermatopathology

  • This facility was built for cancer research and patient care. The hospital is a 60-bed inpatient facility. It is one of the original eight comprehensive cancer centers for research designated by the National Cancer Institute.

    • Phototherapy
    • Melanoma Program at USC: multidisciplinary clinics and tumor boards involving members from: dermatology, medical oncology, surgical oncology, oncogenetics, dermatopathology, plastic surgery, head and neck surgery and preventive medicine.

  • Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) was founded in 1901. It is nationally- and internationally recognized as a leading institution for treating seriously ill children. It has been affiliated with Keck Medicine of USC since 1932. There are over 11,000 admissions, 62,000 ER visits and approximately 290,000 ambulatory visits.

    • Outpatient pediatric dermatology clinic
    • Vascular anomalies clinic
    • Epidermolysis bullosa clinic
    • Inpatient pediatric dermatology consultation service

  • Residents work in the following services at this outpatient-only facility:

    • General dermatology clinic
    • Dermatologic Surgery and Mohs micrographic surgery
    • Experience working with VA population and within VA healthcare delivery system

Resident Teaching Opportunities

There are ample teaching opportunities for residents in the department.

  • The Department is responsible for providing an introduction to dermatology to all Keck School medical students in their first year in a weeklong course. This program consists of 10 lectures and an examination. Each resident leads two case-based group discussions during this course.

  • First-year medical students receive approximately one week of teaching related to the biology and molecular biology of the skin. Gene defects leading to genetic skin diseases and structural defects in human skin are emphasized to give the student a clear idea of the function of the skin’s component parts. The goals of this course are to illustrate the integration and importance of basic sciences with clinical dermatology.

  • During Intersession between 3rd and 4th year, the residents and faculty host a workshop with several stations where medical students are introduced to procedures such as performing a KOH mount, scabies prep, shave biopsy and punch biopsy.

  • More than 60 third- and fourth-year students have the opportunity to take a four-week clinical elective in dermatology. Third year residents provide the lecture series to the rotating students. All residents participate in teaching students during outpatient clinics and on the inpatient consultation service.

Meetings and Conferences

  • Held the 1st Tuesday evening of each month (August-July). Consists of Patient Presentation as well as a didactic lecture from internal and invited speakers. This conference regularly attracts 30-40 dermatologists from the surrounding communities, as well as the USC dermatology residents and faculty. Contact dermatology@med.usc.edu for more information on grand rounds

  • Held on the 4th Tuesday evening of each month (Sept-Nov, Jan-May). Once each year, the USC Department of Dermatology hosts a Los Angeles Metropolitan Dermatological Society Meeting, at which the residents present and discuss interesting patients for whom they have cared in our clinics.

  • Every year, most residents attend the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting, a week-long event held in February or March. Residents are encouraged to submit posters or CPC cases for presentation.

    The residents are also encouraged to participate in other regional and national dermatology conferences. Residents have often presented at the Pacific Dermatology Association Meeting, Cal-Derm Society Meeting and Las Vegas Cosmetic Conference