About Dermatology

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Department of Dermatology Highlights

Patient Care

  • Average of 39,000+ patient visits per year since 2021
  • More than 1,700 Mohs surgery cases per year
  • 12 full-time faculty, two part-time faculty, and three nurse practitioners

Research

  • Peer-reviewed articles: Over 175 since 2021
  • Posters/abstracts: Over 125 since 2021
  • Books: 1 (Tips and Tricks in Proceudral Dermatology: Efficient and Effective Approaches to Achieving Optimal Diagnostic and Therapeutic Results, JayPee Publishers)
  • Multi-center clinical trials
  • Vinny Nahar, M.D., Ph.D., serving as the department's first dedicated clinical researcher
  • Thy Huynh, M.D., serving as the department's first dedicated clinical trialist
  • An annual Research Fellowship position was established in 2023
  • A dedicated Project Manager supports the department's research mission

Education

  • Nationally recognized rural dermatology initiative
  • Aggressive collaborative teaching across silos than any other department (Emergency Medicine, OB-GYN, ENT, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry)
  • Robust medical school teaching and mentoring
  • Project ECHO rural primary care education initiative
  • Dermatology Education and Research of Mississippi (DERM) Fund of the University of Mississippi Foundation to support resident travel, books, and technology
  • Monthly Grand Rounds with nationally recognized visiting professors each month
  • Annual representation at Southern Dermatology Consortium Resident Research Day
  • Continuity clinic with nursing support to learn team-based care

Clinical Innovations at UMMC

  • Annual Continuing Medical Education (CME) meetings for primary care physicians:
    • Dermatology Symposium: Diagnosis and Treatment Pearls for Primary Care
    • For Dermatologists: What's New in Medical & Surgical Dermatology
  • Robust Telehealth program for primary care physicians
  • Performance of surgical procedures in regular patient flow
  • Biannual Dermatology Connection Newsletter
  • First university dermatology department utilizing Epic EHR affiliated with AAD's DataDerm(TM) Qualified Clinical Data Registry

Residency Program Highlights

  • 13 dermatology residents per year (including rural dermatology residents)
  • The rural residency slot with three-month general dermatology rotations at the academic rural dermatology office in Louisville, Mississippi
  • Four clinics spanning a full range of patients, including service to populations with limited access
  • Cosmetic experiences at thrice-monthly Resident Cosmetic Clinic and rotations with cosmetic dermatologists
  • Cosmetic procedures
    • Pulsed dye laser
    • Alexandrite/Nd:YAG laser
    • Fractionated CO2 laser
    • Blue Light
    • Intense pulsed light (IPL)
    • Cosmetic nurse procedures - chemical peels, dermaplane, microdermabrasion, and microneedling
  • Hospitalist dermatology rotations at the only tertiary referral academic university in the state of Mississippi
  • Multi-specialty Skin Lymphoma, Psoriais, and Rheumatology/Dermatology Clinics
  • Monthly free clinic serving the needs of underserved Mississippians in the Delta
  • Board-certified Pediatric Dermatologist 
  • 5,500+ Dermatopathology accessions each year (more than 8,000 specimens) with an additional 12,000 accessions each year at Dermatopathology Associates group, with teaching by four dermatopathologists
  • Robust teledermatology service at UMMC with additional teledermatology exposure at the associated Sonny Montgomery VA hospital
  • Mohs and Dermatopathology Fellowship Programs
  • Patch testing/occupational dermatology service with two physicians and a nurse practitioner
  • One hundred percent board exam pass rate for residency program, as well as the Mohs and Dermatopathology fellowships

Community Service

  • Monthly Mississippi Delta Rolling Fork High School Dermatology Clinic for underserved rural patients
  • Annual donations for children of the Delta
  • Access to dermatology initiatives