The training position is an ACGME approved procedural dermatology fellowship. The position is one year in length and offers extensive training in Mohs surgery, laser surgery and cosmetic dermatology.

Mohs Surgery

The surgical portion of the program will occur at the UC Davis Department of Dermatology in Sacramento as well as at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Mather. We currently have three Mohs college-trained faculty on staff: Dan Eisen, Tom King and Summer Youker. Each of the faculty trained in different locations, thus the fellow will see many different approaches to both Mohs surgery and wound closure. The surgical curriculum will include hands on experience using the Mohs technique, reconstructive methods including, second intention healing, primary closure, grafts, and flaps. The vast majority of the surgery sites are closed by the faculty themselves. However, on occasion we also collaborate with our colleagues in plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery and oculoplastic surgery. When this occurs the fellow will usually have the opportunity to work with these other subspecialists. Our faculty perform well over 1000 Mohs procedures a year and the fellow will typically perform around 700 cases.

Laser Surgery and Cosmetics

The laser and cosmetic experience occurs at the Laser and Skin Surgery Center of Northern California with Dr. Suzanne Kilmer, which is a short distance away from the UC Davis dermatology facility in Sacramento. Dr. Kilmer has 20 years of experience in the use of lasers in cutaneous medicine and has been the principal investigator for numerous clinical trials including landmark studies using lasers for tattoo, hair, pigment and vessel removal, non-ablative and ablative laser resurfacing, fractional erbium and CO2 lasers, tissue tightening and fat removal devices, and several filler studies. She has at least 25 lasers and light-based devices at her facility and is on nine device medical advisory boards, ensuring that the fellow will be trained with the latest technology.

Research

Our program has an organized dermatology surgery journal club that meets monthly as well as a book club that reviews a dermatologic surgery text, and a MMR meeting where we review complications from our procedures. The fellow has half a day every week without clinical responsibilities to complete research projects and scholarly work. Fellows will be expected to complete research leading to at least one publication in both dermatologic surgery and laser/cosmetic surgery. The faculty will do their best to support any interests the fellow may wish to pursue.

Structure

The program is structured so that mornings are typically spent doing Mohs surgery. We usually see five patients per morning. One afternoon a week the fellow has their own lumps, bumps and tumor excision clinic. The other three afternoons are spent with Dr. Kilmer.

Additional Opportunities

Since this is a university-based fellowship, there are lots of opportunities to assist with resident teaching in terms of talks and discussions. The department also sponsors the fellow to attend the Greenway anatomy course in San Diego, as well as at least one conference. The department currently organizes a once yearly dermatology conference for primary care doctors. The fellow has the opportunity to speak at the conference, which has been held in the past in Napa and Monterey.

Summary

In summary, this is a combined surgery and laser fellowship with a well-organized curriculum in a warm friendly environment. Our goal is to train fellows who will continue to contribute to the field long after completing their training.

If you’d like to apply we request that you have a license to practice medicine within the US at the time of application. We would also like a CV, personal statement, medical school transcript, and three letters of recommendation, which should be sent directly from your letter writers. One letter should be from a fellowship trained Mohs surgeon, and another from your department chair. We look forward to meeting you during the interview season. If you’d like to come and spend some time with us during an elective rotation, we’d be happy to have you. Just contact our fellowship and residency coordinator Laurel Sorensen for more information.

Contact information

University of California Davis [Program #: 44168]
Dept of Dermatology
3301 C Street, #1400
Sacramento, CA 95816
Phone: 916-734-6371
Fax: 916-442-5702

Laurel Sorensen, Coordinator, Mohs Fellowship
E-mail: laurel.sorensen@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

Daniel Eisen, M.D., Director
Thomas King, M.D., Co-Director
Suzanne Kilmer, M.D., Co-Director
Summer Youker, M.D., Co-Director
Type of Training: Clinical + Research
Years of Training: 1
Approved by: ACGME

Positions Available to Start July 2010: 1
Application Deadline: September, 30 2009
Interview Dates: September - November, 2009