A new residency program in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Dermatology has been approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and will welcome its first class of three residents in July. Residency training is training in one’s specialty following graduation from medical school.
The program is the first residency program to train dermatologists in Nebraska in almost 40 years. A joint UNMC-Creighton dermatology residency was in place from 1975-1983.
Under the leadership of chair and program director Ashley Wysong, M.D., the program will begin interviewing potential candidates in the coming months. The program received initial accreditation for a total of nine residents when it reaches its full complement in three years.
"We are very proud to begin training the next generation of board-certified dermatologists for the state of Nebraska and beyond," Dr. Wysong said. "Nebraska continues to have one of the lowest ratios of dermatologists in the country and our citizens would greatly benefit from expanded dermatologic expertise and access."
Dermatology residents will complete a one-year internship prior to beginning their training in dermatology. The residents will then complete three years of specialty training in dermatology, dermatologic surgery, dermatopathology, inpatient consultative dermatology, and pediatric dermatology.
The UNMC Department of Dermatology was approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in 2016. Dr. Wysong, founding chair of the department and William W. Bruce, M.D. Distinguished Chair of Dermatology, was recruited from the University of Southern California to engineer a new department of dermatology a little more than a year and a half ago. She has successfully recruited six board-certified dermatologists and helped launch seven dermatology clinics across Omaha.
Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, and Chandra Are, M.D., associate dean of graduate medical education, congratulated Dr. Wysong and her team for the establishment of the residency program at UNMC.
"Accomplishing this less than two years after start of the department is a remarkable feat," Dr. Britigan said. "There is tremendous need for dermatologists in Nebraska, and this new training program will, over time, help UNMC in its mission of training the next generation of health care providers for our state. Furthermore, our graduates will no longer have to leave the state to pursue residency training in dermatology."
Dr. Are said the accreditation will increase the dermatology workforce.
"Under Dr. Wysong's leadership and vision, this residency program will not only burnish our academic credentials but also help to ameliorate the shortage of dermatology workforce for the state of Nebraska and beyond."
The development of a residency training program has been one of Dr. Wysong's primary goals since the department was created.
"Developing medical student and resident physician training programs in dermatology was a key component of our strategic plan for the department," she said. "Our faculty and staff are extremely dedicated to training the next generation of physicians and value education and mentorship with a lasting impact. In addition, our newly established ACGME residency in dermatology will tremendously enhance the academic visibility of our growing department."
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UNMC dermatology residency program receives accreditation
Faculty members of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Dermatology, from left, are Ryan Trowbridge, M.D., Ashley Wysong, M.D., department chair and residency program director, Megan Arthur, M.D., and Adam Sutton, M.D.