2013 American Board of Dermatology Certification Examination Results Coming Soon?

In 2012 the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) released the results of their Certification Examination results during the last week of August. July 2013 test takers are eager to find out if they were successful on this difficult examination! Hopefully they will hear from the ABD soon.

UTMB Discontinues Liver and Lung Transplants

UTMB announced this week that is was discontinuing its programs in liver and lung transplantation. However, UTMB will continue with its kidney and heart organ transplant programs.

Would you like a M.S. with that M.D.?

UTMB medical students are fortunate because of the opportunity they have for a Master's degree in Clinical Science that they may acquire during medical school. Up to 6 of our students each year may enroll in a year long specialized program in 36 hours of graduate studies and thesis work that leads to the M.S. degree. Typically our students take this program after their third or fourth year of medical school. Following completion of their Master's they complete the remainder of their M.D. program. Dr. Karl Anderson is the director of this program, and may be contacted for additional information.

Sometimes it Comes Down to the Interview

Does interview performance matter for dermatology residencies? Most interviewers would probably answer in the affirmative. How can applicants improve their chances of making a good impression at the interview? Reporter Mildred Culp shared her thoughts and advice from other experts on the topic recently ("Job hunters cut risk by not oversharing," Houston Chronicle, August 18, 2013, EE1.) Some applicants provide TMI (too much information) at interviews, and this response may lead to a negative impression or interviewer boredom.

Is Faculty Morale at MD Anderson Continuing to Deteriorate?

Reporters Eric Berger and Todd Ackerman (Houston Chronicle, "Survey finds M.D. Anderson morale low," page B3, August 23, 2013) reported that 56% of faculty senate members (126 respondents) at MD Anderson (MDA) responding to a  recent survey were likely to leave the institution within the next 5 years. Last year a survey of the entire MDA faculty indicated a 50% expected staffing turnover. According to the latest report, only 6% of responding faculty thought that MDA was "heading in the right direction." Results of the most recent MDA faculty senate survey will be discussed at an upcoming MDA senate meeting on September 18, 2013.

Could Your Voice Inflection Decrease Your Chance for a Dermatology Residency Match?

Houston Chronicle reporter Kyrie O'Connor published an interesting "Lifestyle" commentary in the Friday, August 23, 2013 newspaper ("Advice to young women: Lose the "sexy baby" voice," pages E1, E10). The author identifies "uptalking" (making statements sound like questions) and "vocal fry" (growling at the end of sentences or using a high pitch) as voice intonations that may unwittingly sabotage interviews or other social encounters. This article is available at:
 http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/kyrie/article/Advice-to-young-women-Lose-sexy-baby-voice-4753550.php

Dermatology Residency Review Committee Sets New Procedural Standards for Dermatology Residents

The Dermatology Residency Review Committee (RRC) released new requirements this week for dermatology residents starting their dermatology residency on or before July 1, 2013. This new requirement represents a major shift from the Dermatology RRC, since they never before required specific numbers of procedures during dermatology residency. These new requirements may be found in the link below.

http://www.acgme.org/acgmeweb/Portals/0/PFAssets/ProgramResources/080_Minimum_Numbers.pdf.

Dr. Dayna Diven is the New Texas Dermatological Society President

Congratulations to Dr. Dayna Diven, UTMB SOM and Dermatology Residency Program graduate. Dr. Diven was also on the UTMB Department of Dermatology faculty in the past. She currently is dermatology faculty at the UT-Southwestern Dermatology Residency Program in Austin, Texas.

Interviewing Tips from the Houston Chronicle

Houston and Texas are currently leading the nation in job creation, and The Houston Chronicle has offered helpful interview tips for prospective employees. There is some valuable insight in the article that may be applicable to applicants for dermatology residency. This article may be found at: http://www.chron.com/jobs/article/5-things-that-will-make-your-interviewer-hate-you-4700988.php?cmpid=businesshcat