Clinician-Educator Fellowship

Number of Positions per Year: 1~2

Prior Education/Training Requirements
Completion of dermatology residency.

Application Deadline
Applicants should apply individually to Dr. William D. James. Letters of intent welcomed throughout the year.

Description of Training Program

A. OBJECTIVES
     The Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania has created a fellowship which focuses on developing academic-clinician teachers, entitled Dermatology Fellowship for Academic Clinican-Teachers (DFACT).

    The general goal of this fellowship is to develop future leaders in dermatology who will attain positions such as residency program directors, professors in clinician-educator tracts, and departmental chairman. This goal will be accomplished through formal training in four modules: teaching, admininstration, clinical research, and clinical dermatology.

The purpose and specific aims of each module are:

1. Teaching: Provide the fellow with the teaching skills required of dermatologists who teach in academic settings.
   (1) Be familiar with current trends and organizational issues in medical education.
   (2) Teach effectively in the outpatient and inpatient setting.
   (3) Lecture effectively.
   (4) Learn how to provide effective feedback and evaluation.

2. Administration: Provide the fellow with the skills necessary to become an effective leader within an organization and to address problems of health care systems.
   (1) Develop managerial and leadership skills related to committee function in an academic institution.
   (2) Operate effectively within academic institutions.

3. Clinical Research: Provide the fellow with research and scholarship skills necessary to make significant contributions to the field of dermatology.
   (1) Identify important research questions, develop research protocols, and build analytic skills.
   (2) Develop a system of research mentorship linking individual trainees with experienced investigators.
   (3) Know the priniciples of clinical epidemiology, study design, and research methodology.
   (4) Identify an area of interest and engage in a sponsored research project.

4. Clinical Dermatology:Provide the fellow with clinical skills necessary to practice and teach in academic medical centers and to develop an area of clinical expertise.
   (1) Practice effectively in the clinical setting.
   (2) Develop a specific area of clinical expertise.
   (3) Become a recognized scholar in a specific area of clinical expertise.

B. SIGNIFICANCE
    Although there are formal mechanisms of education for dermatology residents and formal fellowships in research and clinical subspecialities (e.g. dermatologic surgery and dermatopathology), there is only one fellowship directed at training future academic clinician-teachers in dermatology. The Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania developed DFACT in order to address the unmet need for training dermatologists to become future teachers, administrators, and "master clinicians."
    Developing academic clinician teachers in dermatology is especially important in our era of health care reform. The government is attempting to move the current 70%/30% specialist/generalist ratio to a 50%/50% ratio. In response, institutions are reversing the trend toward specialism and are encouraging practice and study in areas of primary care.
    Dermatology as a specialty field needs to ensure its place in this new era of medicine by continuing its tradition of excellence in clinical practice and basic science research and by developing programs which encourage and promote scholarly teaching and education. Teachers in dermatology are integral to the success of dermatology residency programs and to engendering interest in dermatology in qualified medical students. Additionally, teaching and interactions outside of the specialty area will become more important as we try to ensure a basic knowledge base in dermatology is achieved by the ever-increasing numbers of primary caregivers.

C. ENVIRONMENT
    The University of Pennsylvania provieds unique educational opportunities and resources which are integral to the mission of developing academic clinician teachers. Committee work in the admininstrative module may lead to interaction with scholars from the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Care Economics who conduct research in health care policy and education through a collaborative venture between the Wharton School of Business and the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry. The Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics offers didactic coursework on fundamentals of medical research which will be a component of the clinical research module. The DFACT fellow will interact and exchange ideas with scholars from these various institutions whose leadership fully supports our goals and will make their resources available to us.
    The teaching, adminstrative, clinical research, and clinical dermatology modules will be integrated into the functions of the Department of Dermatology. Under the chairmanship of John R. Stanley, M.D., the department is expanding its mission of academic and scholarly excellence in the fields of basic science research, clinical research, and clinical practice by establishing this program in order to promote excellence in clinical teaching and clinical research.
    Penn dermatologists are leaders in their fields of expertise and will provide mentoring and instruction for the fellow. The department has a diverse faculty conducting basic science research and investigating clinical dermatology in a variety of specialty clinics. Examples of specialty clinics include: John Stanley - bullous disorder, Jim Leyden -- acne, William James - contact dermatitis, Abby Van Voorhees - psoriasis, Victoria Werth - autoimmune disorders/bullous disorders, George Cotsarelis - hair disorders, Michael Ming - pigmented lesions, Alain Rook, Carmela Vittorio and Jacqueline Junkins-Hopkins - cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, Bruce Brod - contact dermatitis, and Paul Honig - pediatric dermatology. Finally, William James, Edward Bondi, and Paul Gross have developed referral practices for difficult and challenging general dermatology patients.
    The department offers clinical experience and research opportunities from a variety of patient populations at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Veterans' Administration Hospital, and Pennsylvania Hospital. DFACT is directed by William James, M.D., Vice Chairman, Residency Program Director and Director of Faculty Practices, Department of Dermatology. Dr. James is a nationally recognized scholar and educator in the field of dermatology.

This fellowship is not a matched program. Individuals interested should write Dr. James stating your background, interests, and long-term goals. A current CV should accompany the cover letter.

Also see: On the Importance of the Clinician-Educator
Dermatology Fellowship for Academic Clinician Teachers
William D. James, MD
Arch Dermatol. 1998;134:151-153

Program Director

William D. James, MD
Vice Chairman & Paul R. Gross Professor
Director of Resident Program

2 Maloney Building, HUP
3600 Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tel: 215-662-4282
Fax: 215-662-7884
Email: william.james@uphs.upenn.edu