Directors:

  • Derm 200: James Treat, MD
  • Derm 300: Robert Micheletti, MD

The medical student teaching program fully reflects the strengths of the Department. Most of the faculty have some direct or indirect input into our medical students' education program. The medical students' interaction with Dermatology occurs predominantly in the following four courses:

Pathophysiology

A required course of the Pathophysiology of Skin Disease for first year medical students is part of Module 2 of the Core Curriculum. Almost our entire full-time faculty and all of our dermatology residents are involved in teaching this course. Although an overview of the Pathophysiology of most common skin disease is reviewed, emphasis is placed on each student developing an ability to observe and describe skin disease, on developing the ability to recognize signs of potential serious skin disease and developing a sensitivity for the unique problems of patients afflicted with skin disease.

Director: James Treat, MD

Clinical Rotation

Third and fourth year medical students are offered a four week clinical rotation in Dermatology. Four slots are available every four weeks during the year. Students are expected to learn to diagnose and treat common skin diseases. During this rotation they are involved in all clinical aspects of our department. They participate in our dermatology outpatient clinic in faculty outpatient private practices, at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Veterans Affairs hospital, and on the inpatient consult service. They also attend dermatology grand rounds and all departmental lectures. Finally, Dr. Micheletti directs a clinical slide conference for the medical students twice monthly, and senior residents provide two additional one-hour lectures. First priority is given to requests from Penn medical students for this elective. Because these four available slots are usually filled, requests from outside students are difficult to accommodate. However, outside students can sometimes fill unused slots. All outside requests should be directed to the Registrar's Office:

Visiting Students

These requests must be made at least three months ahead of time so necessary paper work can be completed prior to the rotation.

Director: Robert Micheletti, MD

Research

A few students each year are involved in the 800 Research in Dermatology Course under the direction of Dr. John Stanley. During this course, students are involved in the ongoing investigations of our research faculty, or they are given the opportunity to investigate individual research projects of their own. In both cases, the goal is to create a research experience that enables a student to learn experimental techniques, and research methodology. This program has successfully launched the academic careers of many Penn students both inside and outside of the field of dermatology.

Director: John Stanley, MD

Dermatopathology

Dermatopathology - The objective of the course is for students to obtain an intensive exposure to all aspects of dermatopathology involving the microscopic diagnosis of skin tumors and inflammatory diseases. Students will spend the majority of time reviewing skin biopsies at a multi-headed microscope with the Dermatopathology Faculty and Fellows. The course will allow the students to attend dermatopathology and clinical dermatology lectures and conferences that incorporate clinicopathological correlation. It is preferred that the student takes an elective in Dermatology or Surgical Pathology prior to this course.

Director: Rosalie Elenitsas, MD

Finally, the department of dermatology arranges clinical exposure for Penn Medical Residents, Penn Primary Care Residents, Penn Emergency Medicine Residents, and Penn Family Practice Residents. These rotations are filled by each respective department, and the rotations are not available to residents outside the University of Pennsylvania Medical System.

Derm 300 Medical Student Rotation Schedule

 

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

CHOP
MS A

AM

Samimi Clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Ellen Kim Clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Werth Clinic
7:30 AM – check EPIC
1 PCAM

PM

CHOP consults
Page consult
resident at 1 PM

Werth Clinic–check
EPIC. If not, then
Pappas-Taffer
12:30 PM
1 PCAM

CHOP consults
Page consult
resident at 1 PM

CHOP consults
Page consult
resident at 1 PM

Gallops 12:30 PM
3 Founders /
Return to Werth Clinic

HUP
MS B

AM

HUP consult
8 AM
Res Room

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

HUP consult
8 AM
Res Room

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

HUP consult
8 AM
Res Room

PM

HUP Consult

HUP Consult

Gallops 12:30 PM
3 Founders
Conf room

Presby
MS C

AM

Micheletti Clinic
8 am
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Micheletti clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Presby Clinic
8 AM
3737 Market Street
11th floor

PM

Presby Clinic
(Pugliese)
1 PM
3737 Market Street
11th floor

Presby Clinic
(Ogunleye)
1 PM
3737 Market Street
11th floor

Presby Clinic
1 PM
3737 Market Street
11th floor

Presby Clinic
(Huang)
1 PM
3737 Market Street
11th floor

Gallops 12:30PM
3 Founders /
Free afternoon

PCAM
MS D

AM

Derm Surgery
wear scrubs
7:30 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Steele Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Derm Surgery
wear scrubs
7:30 AM
1 PCAM

PM

Derm Surgery 
Wear scrubs
1 PM
1 PCAM

Haun Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Chu Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Ridky Clinic
12 PM
1 PCAM

Gallops 12:30 PM
3 Founders /
Return to Surgery

 

Clinics
MS X
(backup)

AM

Steele Clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Resident Clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Simpson Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

PM

Choi Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Resident Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Haun Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Chiesa Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Gallops 1:30PM
3 Founders
Conf room

 

* While on CHOP or Presby, if you are interested in more inpatient consults, you can ask the attendings there if you can round with the consult team instead of / after clinic. Please understand they may have other rotators and may not be able to accommodate if it is too crowded.

Derm 302 Medical student Rotation Schedule

 

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

PCAM
MS A

AM

Choi Clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Taylor Clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

Park Clinic
8 AM
1 PCAM

PM

Ogunleye /
Intermediate Care
12:45 PM
1 PCAM

Chiesa Clinic
1:00 PM
1 PCAM

Intermediate Care
Clinic (ICC)
1 PM
1 PCAM

Resident Clinic
1 PM
1 PCAM

Gallops 12:30 PM
3 Founders
Conf room

VA
MS B

AM

VA Module A
1st Floor
8 AM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

VA Module A
1st Floor
8 AM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

VA Surg Module A
Wear scrubs%
1st Floor
8 AM

PM

VA Module A
1st Floor
1 PM

VA Module A
Bring scrubs^
1st Floor
1 PM

VA Surg Module A
Wear scrubs
1st Floor
1 PM

VA Module A
1st Floor
1 PM

Gallops 12:30 PM
3 Founders
Conf room

 

Clinics
MS X

AM

VA Module A
1st Floor
8 AM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

VA Module A
1st Floor
8 AM

Lectures 8 AM
3 Founders
Conf room

VA Surg Module A
Wear scrubs%
1st Floor
8 AM

PM

VA Module A
1st Floor
8 AM

VA Module A
Bring scrubs^
1st Floor
1 PM

VA Module A
Bring scrubs^
1st Floor
1 PM

VA Module A
1st Floor
1 PM

Gallops 1:30PM
3 Founders
Conf room

^ Tues PM at the VA is usually med derm clinic, but one Tuesday of each month is surgery clinic. Bring scrubs in case.
% Fri AM at the VA is usually surgery clinic, but the 1st and 5th Friday of each month is med derm clinic. Wear scrubs (it’s OK to be in scrubs for med derm clinic at the VA).

NOTES

  • A senior resident will orient you at 7:30AM on the first Monday of your rotation. He/She will meet you at 2 Maloney, outside the dermatology residents’ room.  Any questions or concerns during the rotation should be directed to the Derm300 resident coordinator (Ashwin Agarwal), course director (Dr. Micheletti), or the department coordinator (Mary Beth Forte).
  • If your clinic is cancelled: First, refer to the MS X rotation, which is always a back-up option. If uncertain, call the med student coordinator to find a backup, or go to Dermatopathology in 2 Maloney. Penn medical students may also attend clinic at the VA, but unfortunately visiting students may not (school of medicine policy). You may choose to attend one of these, or take time for reading.
  • CHOP’s Dermatology office is at Buerger Center, 6th floor
  • On Thursday mornings, there is an outpatient grand rounds (“Duhring conference”) in the clinic from 9-10AM and a discussion from 10-11AM in the STRC Smilow Auditorium. A senior resident will meet you in dermatology clinic at the Perelman Center at 9:35AM on Thursdays to discuss Duhring patients
  • Gallops starts at 12:30PM in the 3 Founders, Plaza Room B Conference Room on Friday afternoons. You should leave any clinics to attend this. The medical student on the consult rotation is expected to give a short presentation at Gallops. Med students are called on to give descriptions of the lesions we see during Gallops.
  • Required Text: Soutor & Hordinsky: Clinical Dermatology and/or Marks & Miller: Principles of Dermatology. Copies are available for your use during the rotation. You will not receive your grade/credit for the course until the book is returned in acceptable condition.
  • Lectures: The resident coordinator will send you a didactics schedule each week. Generally, on the first Tuesday of your rotation, you will join the first year residents in the microscope room at 11:30 AM for path. You will receive two lectures from the resident coordinator and from Dr. Micheletti during the rotation, schedule TBD.
  • Learning Modules:
    • Website: med.insightlt.com
    • Username: first letter of your first name followed by your last name without special characters.
      Password: your username followed by “1.”
      • Example: name = John O’Doe, username = jodoe, password = jodoe1
    • These modules are entirely optional, and your performance has absolutely no relevance to your Derm300 evaluation. You may find them effective at teaching you morphology, distribution, and configuration. You will be presented with many photos and will be asked to select the best descriptor for each. Based on your responses, the program will give you photos aimed at addressing the areas you are struggling with. There is a pre-test (takes 3 min), then a learning module (takes 15-20 min), followed by a post-test (takes three min). Please try to complete all portions if you decide to use this learning tool. We would also love your feedback!
  • Lectures: This is schedule-dependent; generally, the Medical Student Coordinating resident will give two lectures and Dr. Micheletti will give two lectures. Generally, Dr. Micheletti’s lectures will be 12:30-1:30 on Friday afternoon in 3 Founders. The resident will discuss dates/times with you during the orientation.
  • Evaluations: You will be evaluated on your presentations when you primarily see patients, including use of dermatologic descriptors and documentation; this primarily occurs on the consult service. You will also be evaluated based on your “Gallops” presentation, but we are a very kind, warm, welcoming, and supportive group. If you show up on time, are enthusiastic, energetic and interested in learning, you will do very well.

Should you need assistance:

Derm 300 Resident Coordinator

Ashwin Agarwal
(214) 727-6434
ashwin.agarwal@uphs.upenn.edu

Derm 300 Course Director

Robert Micheletti
(215) 531-3014
robert.micheletti@uphs.upenn.edu

Education Program Manager

Mary Beth Forte
215-615-0585
marybeth.forte@uphs.upenn.edu

Chief Residents

Chrissy Cornejo
Christine.Cornejo@uphs.upenn.edu

Oyin Aderibigbe
Oyinade.Aderibigbe@uphs.upenn.edu

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