Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Programs:

A. Pediatric Dermatology Clinical Fellowship
B. Pediatric Dermatology Research Fellowship

Rady Children’s Hospital - San Diego, Division of Pediatric & Adolescent Dermatology
Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Program Description

History of the Program

The Division of Pediatric Dermatology at Rady Children’s Hospital is affiliated with both the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Medicine (Dermatology) at University of California, San Diego. The Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Program was introduced in 1998. Based at the Children’s Hospital in San Diego, fellows are involved in clinical activities and research involving pediatric dermatology. The clinical program involves ambulatory dermatology clinics and inpatient consultations at Rady Children’s Hospital, UCSD Hillcrest and Sharp Mary Birch Hospital. This is a one or two year program, depending on the educational background needs of the candidate.

Accreditation

This fellowship is not ACGME-accredited, as there are no Pediatric Dermatology programs accredited at this time. It is directly associated with the UCSD Department of Pediatrics, which is an ACGME-accredited program. Pediatric dermatology has been recently approved as a designated specialty by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Over the next few years, program accreditation will most likely take place.

Pre-requisites/Eligibility – A. Pediatric Dermatology Clinical Fellowship

Fellowship candidates will have graduated from an ACGME-accredited medical school in the US or Canada, or from an international medical school, and have fulfilled the requirements for continued medical training in the US. Candidates will have participated in residency training in the US, Canada or an international program (IMG).

Generally, pediatric dermatology fellows have completed a dermatology residency prior to fellowship. However, fellows do not have to have completed their dermatology boards prior to starting fellowship.  Completion of USMLE Steps I and II are required for application; completion of all 3 steps prior to commencement of fellowship is preferred.  Fellowship will be contingent upon the candidate’s acquisition of CA state medical licensure or licensure equivalent. 

Curriculum: Clinical, Educational and Research Components

Clinical

Fellows are involved in the care of the pediatric dermatology inpatient service patients, and assist with the in-patient consultation services for patients at  Rady Children’s Hospital campus, Sharp/Mary Birch Hospital and UCSD Hillcrest. Fellows attend outpatient clinics at each of the five pediatric clinic sites, the main site being Rady Children’s Hospital. Fellows participate in procedures that take place under both local and general anesthesia, as well as laser and phototherapy. They are required to perform skin scrapings, swabbing and other forms of specimen collection for KOH preps, and various cultures. Fellows are responsible for following up on the status of all lab results, including serology, microbiology and pathology.

Educational

The pediatric dermatology fellowship is an ongoing dynamic learning process. Our five full-time pediatric dermatology attendings serve as mentors, but self-learning is a key component to a successful clinical education.  Fellows are expected to read and survey the relevant medical literature when encountering new, unusual or rare cases. New information gained is shared with the attendings, colleagues and students. Fellows are also responsible for teaching the medical students and residents, both informally during daily clinics, as well as formally, in a lecture format, either in a morning session during a dermatology rotation, or a scheduled topic review for the UCSD residents in the departments of pediatrics and dermatology. These include a monthly slide show for the medical students, and text reviews for the dermatology residents.

There are defined educational activities for the fellows, which include: Tuesday morning Neonatal Dermatology chapter review; Tuesday noon conference with the attendings to view and discuss difficult cases; Journal club, bimonthly, to present relevant articles in seven major dermatology and pediatric journals. Slide review takes place bimonthly, alternating with journal club. Fellows are expected to attend Thursday morning grand rounds, which alternate sites between the UCSD Hillcrest campus and the Navy campus.

Fellows are expected to participate and present patients at the Vascular Lesion Clinic, a monthly, multi-specialty clinic, in which pediatric and adult patients with difficult vascular lesions are assessed by faculty which includes dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and interventional radiologists. Dermatopathology Conference is a monthly session in which clinico-pathological correlation is emphasized in for interesting patients seen in clinic or the inpatient service over the month. Fellows are responsible for ensuring that an appropriate case in chosen to be highlighted, and that an appropriate literature search has been prepared. If there is no senior resident in attendance, fellows are expected to present the cases. Fellows also attend the citywide San Diego Dermatology Conference, which is held monthly, rotating at different sites. When hosted by UCSD, fellows present interesting cases, as well as oversee the cases presented by the UCSD and Navy dermatology residents. Finally, fellows also have the opportunity and are encouraged to present at the UCSD-sponsored national meeting, Pediatric Dermatology for the Practitioner, a 2-day, comprehensive course which alternates between the Rady Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia sites.

Research 

Fellows are integrally involved in research activities, which may be clinical, basic science or epidemiologic. Fellows are expected to present their research and cases at the various dermatology conferences, both local and national.

There are also numerous ongoing clinical, pharmaceutical-based research projects within the Division. Fellows are expected to participate as Research Team members. They are involved in study design, the regulatory approval process (including IRB), patient recruitment, patient visits (assessment and documentation), as well as data review, data analysis and the preparation of publications, under the mentoring and guidance of faculty physicians. 

Evaluation 

Fellows will be evaluated on the ability to acquire and process clinical dermatology knowledge, as well as their contribution to the research enterprise. Emphasis is not placed on baseline knowledge, but on acquisition of knowledge and the ability to apply general principles of diagnosis and management to particular cases. Evaluation will include ability to interact with patients, peers and staff. Evaluations are official, and include biannual oral and written evaluations by the program director, in collaboration with the associate supervising faculty.

B. Pediatric Dermatology Research Fellowship

This fellowship program is available for interested candidates who have completed an internship and some training in either pediatrics or dermatology.   The candidate should be interested in pursuing a career in Pediatric Dermatology.

The program focuses on intensive experience in the design and implementation of pediatric clinical research trials that relate to the field of pediatric dermatology.  The fellow will assist clinical research coordinators and faculty in the design and completion of such trials.  Fellows will also have the opportunity to take part in or observe clinical care in our outpatient clinics and inpatient consult service. They will take part in all conferences listed under the previous clinical fellowship heading, and will be given clinical opportunities and responsibilities commensurate with their skills.  This fellowship may consist of one or two years, as determined by the candidate and faculty.

If you have any further questions regarding the Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Program, please do not hesitate to contact us at (858) 576-1700 ext.4269 or via fax (858) 966-4040. 

Sincerely,

Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD                    Sheila Fallon Friedlander, MD
     Program Director                         Director, Fellowship Training Program

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