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Mohs Fellowship

The Department of Dermatology at Indiana University School of Medicine offers a one-year ACGME approved Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship. The fellowship offers a broad and in-depth exposure to Mohs micrographic surgery, advanced cutaneous reconstruction, and dermatologic oncology.

Fellows in this program also have opportunities to work with other medical specialties to experience a multidisciplinary approach, which is important in the treatment of advanced cutaneous malignancies. Specifically, the Department of Dermatology has strong relationships with departments of Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Dermatopathology and Plastic Surgery, enabling the fellow to spend time with these other services and participate in combined cases.

Ally-Khan Somani, MD, PhD, is the Director of the Micrographic Surgery and Dermatology Oncology Fellowship Program.

Apply

Applications for this fellowship position are processed through the central application service (CAS) of the San Francisco Match. Submission of application materials are due by August 31 of the year prior to the start of the academic year.

Submit an Application

Training Objectives

The goal of this fellowship is to thoroughly train dermatologists to manage common and complex cutaneous malignancies and to become proficient at performing a wide range of simple to advanced post-skin cancer reconstructions. Fellows in this program also learn to organize multidisciplinary care when needed. Comprehensive training enable graduates to deliver excellence in patient care and be well prepared to begin a career in either an academic or non-academic setting.

Program Structure/Core Curriculum

The micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology fellow spends several days per week in the Mohs Surgery Unit. During this time, the fellow initially serves as first assistant and then later attains graded responsibility for primarily treating cases under faculty supervision.

Teaching Experience

  • Didactics
    Wednesday mornings once a month is set aside for fellow-oriented teaching. Case based conferences and journal clubs covering topics pertinent to dermatologic surgery and cutaneous oncology are covered during this monthly conference. Fellows also participate in the National Dermatologic Surgery Journal Club once a month. Micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology fellows also attend and participate in the residents’ weekly conferences encompassing a thorough review of dermatologic surgery topics as well as the Annual Dermatologic Surgery (fresh cadaver) Course. Every fellow in this program also attends the annual ACMS meeting.
  • Teaching Experience
    Fellows in this program have regular participation with a Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Melanoma/Oncology Conference and regular interaction with rotating residents as well as learners from other surgical subspecialties, which provides valuable perspective necessary for collaboration in multidisciplinary patient care.

Clinical Experience with High Patient Volume

The Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology Division in the Department of Dermatology draws skin cancer patients from all over the state of Indiana as well as bordering states, including Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio. Each year approximately 1000 skin cancers are treated in the Mohs Surgery Unit, and the majority of cases are also repaired in this unit. New patients are evaluated in consultation for cancer surgery. Post-surgical patients and other continuing cases are seen weekly.

Being the only academic hospital-based Mohs unit in the state, IU School of Medicine is a primary referral site able to offer a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of large, rare and advanced cutaneous tumors. Furthermore, having Indiana’s largest and most comprehensive organ transplant center, the Mohs unit treats a large number of high-risk skin cancer patients secondary to immunosuppression.


Micrographic Surgery Dermatologic Oncology - Research with Accomplished Experts

Research with Accomplished Experts

Micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology fellows must complete at least one original research project—a clinical trial, cohort study, systematic review or textbook chapter on a topic relevant to dermatologic surgery—that results in either submission to a peer-reviewed journal or textbook or one or more presentations at a regional or national professional society meeting relevant to micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology. The fellow will also submit a quality-improvement project.

Application Requirements

Successful applicants to this fellowship program must have completed an accredited residency in dermatology and be either certified or eligible for the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) examination. If eligible, the board examination must be taken at the first opportunity and board certification obtained. Exceptional international applicants who meet the requirements outlined by the ACGME may be considered.

The deadline for submission of application materials is August 31 of the year prior to the start of the academic year. Interviews are arranged in the fall for qualified candidates.