1st year rotations

The goal during the first year of training is to master a basic understanding and skills in medical dermatology, dermatologic surgery, and dermatopathology, and to explore career interests. First year residents complete blocks of general dermatology, inpatient dermatology, and one month of dermatopathology.  Residents are responsible for weeknight and weekend dermatology call coverage under the supervision of our faculty starting in the fall of their first year.

2nd & 3rd year rotations

The goal during the second and third years of training is to gain a more advanced knowledge of medical, surgical, and pediatric dermatology, to develop teaching skills, and and to further develop their career interests.  Residents complete blocks of advanced dermatology, inpatient consultation, dermatologic surgery (2 months), pediatric dermatology (2 months), and dermatopathology (1 month), and elective (1 month per year).  Senior blocks also include dedicated training at the VA Medical Center and The Lahey Clinic. Lastly, residents complete two months of "Teach," which includes preparation for Grand Rounds, teaching sessions with rotating medical students, and participation in subspecialty clinics.  Residents generally complete their weeknight and weekend dermatology call coverage midway through their second year of training.

Rounding on BWH Consult block with Dr. Vinod Nambudiri (above) and on the MGH Consult block with Dr. Steven Chen (below).

Clinical Rotations

General Dermatology

These rotations focus on the diagnosis and treatment of "bread and butter" medical and surgical dermatology under the supervision of a wide variety of full-time attending dermatologists. Medical dermatology and advanced dermatology blocks take place at the three core program institutions: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Advanced Dermatology

Advanced dermatology rotations are comprised of dermatology subspecialty clinics, including laser and cosmetic procedures, wound care, phototherapy, cutaneous oncology, oral medicine, rheumatology-dermatology, and complex medical dermatology.

Senior Advanced Dermatology

Third year residents complete one month of subspecialty clinics of their choosing with the goal of advancing knowledge of complex disease and areas of professional interest.

 Inpatient Consultation

All residents complete inpatient consultation rotations at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Boston VA/West Roxbury. Inpatient consultation rotations provide experience with the evaluation and management of complex medical dermatology diagnoses in seriously ill patients, such as erythroderma, vasculitis, blistering disorders, severe adverse cutaneous drug reactions, disseminated bacterial and fungal infections, and the cutaneous manifestations of systemic disease. While 10 months are dedicated consult blocks, most of these rotations still include outpatient clinics with volume based on the consult load at each clinical site.

Dermatologic surgery

During this two-month block supervised by a Mohs surgery-trained faculty member, the resident learns how to take Mohs sections, interpret frozen section histology, and perform complex surgical repairs with flaps and grafts. The resident also advances their skills in fusiform excision, laser medicine and cosmetic procedures.

Dermatopathology 

Residents develop their dermatopathology skills through two dedicated one-month rotations. Residents are immersed in dermatopathology training through daily sign-outs with dermatopathology staff members, specialized dermatopathology conferences, participation in dermatopathology journal clubs, and glass slide self assessment. The experience gained during this rotation provides the resident with insight into the practice of dermatopathology from the initial processing of biopsy specimens to the optimal interpretation of histologic slides and writing of pathology reports.

Teach

This block offers dedicated time to hone teaching skills through activities centered on teaching dermatology and internal medicine resident peers, in addition to rotating medical students. In addition, the resident coordinates Grand Rounds, and gives several didactic lectures to Harvard medical students. The resident also participates in several subspecialty medical dermatology clinics as well as a weekly supervised teledermatology clinic in collaboration with Nantucket Hospital.

Pediatric Dermatology

The 2-month dedicated pediatric dermatology block takes place at Boston Children's Hospital. While on this rotation, residents are supervised by pediatric dermatology attendings in the care of patients in the ambulatory and inpatient consultative settings. The patient population ranges from neonates to teenagers presenting with common and uncommon diagnoses such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, epidermolysis bullosa, disorders of cornification, genodermatoses, vascular anomalies, and pigmented lesions. Residents participate in subspecialty clinics including the Vascular Anomalies Clinic and Oncodermatology Clinic.

VA

This two-month rotation provides experience with medical and surgical management of patients who are often afflicted by combat-related conditions such as post traumatic stress syndrome, amputations, burn scars, and extensive sun exposure during tours of duty in Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. As a result, there is a very high incidence of skin cancer and melanoma among this patient population. Residents on this rotation provide continuity of care for these patients in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of their cancers as well as participate in the inpatient consultation service. The VA also provides a unique training setting in which senior residents are allowed more autonomy and independence in the management of their patients.

Lahey Clinic

This rotation takes place at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA, which is home to the Northeast Regional Leprosy Center. The clinical experience at Lahey offers exposure to a community based setting. This rotation also offers the opportunity to participate in advanced dermatology and specialty clinics, procedural clinics and dermatopathology sign-out.

Elective

The objective of this rotation is to provide the opportunity to explore areas of clinical or research interest through scholarly activities, to promote activities with a clear discernable plan supporting career development, and to promote volunteerism or community service activities in an area of limited exposure or to an underserved group.