Fellowships After Dermatology Residency: The Traditional and Beyond

Dermatology/Rheumatology

The dermatology/rheumatology fellowship offered by Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a 1-year program that focuses on the management of connective-tissue diseases in a multidisciplinary fashion with rheumatology.

Advanced Medical Dermatology/Complex Medical Dermatology

Several programs offer fellowships in medical dermatology under different titles but with a similar curriculum and goal: to foster dermatologists interested in careers as academic medical dermatologists or as future clinician scientists by means of specialized training and mentorship in complex medical and dermatological issues in the outpatient and inpatient settings. The 2-year program at New York University School of Medicine (New York, New York) also gives fellows the opportunity to earn a master of science in clinical investigation degree. The University of California, San Francisco, program offers protected time for career development.

Epidemiology Training Program

Fellows and residents in the University of Pennsylvania’s dermatology training program may elect to work with the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and have the opportunity to earn a graduate degree (MSCE or PhD).

Contact Dermatitis and Patch Testing Fellowship

The Dermatology Department at the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio) offers a 1-year contact dermatitis and patch testing fellowship that includes clinical research.

Conclusion

Both traditional and nontraditional fellowship opportunities exist after dermatology residency. This guide serves as an overview of the training programs in dermatopathology, pediatric dermatology, micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology (procedural dermatology), and cosmetic dermatologic surgery, as well as the fellowships offered at certain institutions for those interested in more specific subspecialties or academia.