Dermatology

The Department of Dermatology of the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine directs the training program at all the University of Colorado affiliated hospitals.

Dr. Sylvia Brice, Associate Professor of Dermatology, directs the overall training. The three year residency program in Dermatology is fully approved by the Liaison Committee on Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Dermatology and accredited for four residency positions per year. The program is an integrated one, utilizing the combined facilities of the University of Colorado Hospital, the Denver Veterans Administration Hospital, The Children's Hospital, and the Denver Health Medical Center.

The University of Colorado Hospital is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, currently has 100 beds,with capacity to quadruple its size. The Department of Dermatology has its own office and 25,000 square feet of clinical facilities at the Anschutz Cancer Pavilion, while the administrative and research space are located in the Research Complex (RC-1) Building. Adult and Pediatric clinics meet daily and there are specialty clinics in CTCL, contact dermatitis, vascular birthmarks, epidermolysis bullosa, dysplastic nevi, transplant dermatology, alopecia, collagen vascular diseases, aesthetics and Mohs Surgery. A Cutaneous Oncology program located within the Dermatology space is integrated with the Division of Medical Oncology to provide training in melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. There are approved fellowships in Dermatopathology, Mohs surgery and Pediatric Dermatology.

The Denver Veterans Administration Hospital (VAH), has clinics and inpatient services that provide important educational experiences in skin cancers and precancerous skin. A full time Chief of Dermatology Service, Dr. Robert Dellavalle, supervises care at the Denver VAH. Denver Health Medical Center, located three miles away from the Denver hospital, serves as City and County Hospital for Denver with opportunities to see acute and neglected skin problems. The combined three sites offer over 48,000 patient visits per year. Each resident has the opportunity to rotate through all the facilities. The teaching staff is composed of 18 full time dermatologists with faculty involved in the teaching programs and research. All clinics are supervised by a full time faculty member.

Specific training is provided in medical mycology, skin pathology, bacteriology, immunology, structure and function and venereology. There is a 3 year integrated basic science weekly training course while seminars in clinical Dermatology are held regularly within the department, including weekly journal clubs. Skin pathology training is supervised by Drs. James Fitzpatrick and Whitney High. Cutaneous surgery training is supervised by Drs. J. Ramsey Mellette.. Pediatric Dermatology training takes place at the newly opened Children's Hospital, which is also located on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. This service is supervised by Drs. Joseph Morelli, Joanna Burch, Arelis Burgos-Zavoda, Alan Arbuckle.. Contact Dermatology is supervised by Dr. Cory Dunnick. Reviews of pathology specimens occur twice weekly under the direction of Drs. James Fitzpatrick, Whitney High and skin pathology Fellows. In addition, the department recently hired Dr. Lori Prok, who specializes in Pediatric Dermatopathology. Dr. Theresa Pacheco heads the CU Cosmetic Specialists clinic located in Cherry Creek. Basic science lectures are given weekly.

Our goal is to provide a one track system to allow an individual to become an expert consultant in dermatology and/or a full time academic dermatologist. Graduates of our program acquire expert clinical, research and teaching skills. To accomplish this, the three year program is divided into three distinct segments with increasing responsibility each year.

Residents are selected for a full three year training program only. Officially, residency appointments are for a period of one year, renewable upon mutual agreement with the resident and the Departmental Residency Committee. Monthly stipends increase with each year of residency. Evaluation of residents is ongoing every six months, with a year end formal evaluation which is forwarded to the American Board of Dermatology.

Applications

The Department of Dermatology is accepting applications through the ERAS system this year. The deadline is Monday, November 9, 2009. Below is a summary of the requirements for application:

U.S. Citizen or are able to be lawfully present in the United States for the duration of training

Successful completion of USMLE Step 1 and II examinations. (Note: Most 4th year medical students will not have taken the Step II examination by the application deadline. In such cases, the review committee will evaluate the applicant based on their Step I score.)

A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation. At least 2 must be from dermatologists.

Must be at least in 2nd Post Graduate Year (PGY 2) when 1st year of training begins. (Note: PGY 1 year does not have to be completed at the University of Colorado).

Interview dates have not yet been determined. Please check back for updates.

Foreign Medical Graduates

The University of Colorado Denver Graduate Medical Education department has the following requirements for foreign medical graduates to apply for training:

• Have a valid ECFMG Certificate
  
• Residents in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow Resident to legally train at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.

For further information on applying for a visa, please visit the U.S. Department of State website

For questions regarding the Residency training program, please contact Kemp Weston by email at kemp.weston@ucdenver.edu or by calling 720-848-0510.