Clinical Education

Residents participate in inpatient consults at Emory Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown Midtown, Grady, and the VA. Residents begin consult rotations in the second half of the first year of training and complete most consult months during the 2year of training.

At Grady and the VA, residents participate in the outpatient clinics and round on consult patients with the outpatient dermatology attendings.

At Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown, the inpatient consult service is directed by Dr. Justin Cheeley, board-certified in dermatology and internal medicine. Residents spend time in the clinic and have time dedicated to seeing consult patients as well.

Emory Dermatology has 2 pediatric dermatologists, Dr. Leslie Lawley and Dr. Mary Spraker, and an ACGME accredited pediatric dermatology fellowship. Outpatient pediatric patients are seen at Grady Memorial Hospital and The Emory Clinic. Residents see pediatric patients during all three years of training during their Grady rotations, where 2 clinics a week include pediatric patients under the supervision of pediatric dermatologists. 

Primarily during the 2^nd year of residency, dermatology residents spend 2 months on focused pediatric dermatology rotations. On this rotation, residents split their time between outpatient pediatric dermatology clinics at The Emory Clinic and on the pediatric inpatient consult service at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Residents gain the first-hand experience in diagnosing and treating common pediatric dermatology skin conditions and rare genodermatoses, learning from our dedicated pediatric dermatology faculty.

There is an abundance of procedural dermatology opportunities throughout the different clinical sites and throughout the three years of training. Residents often describe the robust hands-on surgical training at Emory as one of the most prominent features of the program.  Procedural Dermatology training at Emory and the ACGME accredited Procedural Dermatology Fellowship at Emory is under the direction of Dr. Travis Blalock.

At the VA, at least 2 half days a week clinics are reserved for procedures. Residents in all 3 years of training participate in and perform surgeries under the supervision of the VA attendings.  Common procedures residents complete at the VA include surgical excision of benign/malignant neoplasms, intermediate and complex repairs, scar revision, electrodessication & curettage, nail avulsion & matrixectomy, chemical peels, and neurotoxin injections. 

At Grady, every Wednesday morning clinic is reserved for procedures.  Procedures performed by residents at Grady under attending supervision include surgical excisions of benign/malignant neoplasms, intermediate and complex repairs, and scar revisions with clinics intermittently dedicated to nail procedures. 

Residents rotate a half a day a week with the Mohs surgeon, Dr. Travis Blalock, during some of their outpatient dermatology months at Emory Clinic as first-year residents. Then as third-year residents, each resident has 2 months of rotations dedicated to procedural dermatology  During the procedural dermatology rotation, residents participate in Mohs surgery with Dr. Blalock at Emory Clinic and work closely with several of our adjunct faculty members who are Mohs surgeons in the Atlanta community.  During their surgery rotations, residents can choose to work with adjunct faculty specializing in hair transplants, as well as laser/cosmetic surgery.

Residents gain exposure to laser surgery at Emory clinic where there is a vascular laser as well as a fractionated CO2 laser. Also, on the pediatric dermatology rotation residents often join Dr. Leslie Lawley in the operating room to provide laser treatments to pediatric patients under anesthesia.  Additionally, adjunct faculty members in the Atlanta community host residents in their laser clinics.

Residents also have ample opportunities to train in the injection of neuromodulators and fillers and chemical peels. Emory attendings and adjunct faculty lead hands-on sessions to help residents develop and refine their cosmetic procedural skillset. 

Dermatopathology training occurs throughout the three years of training. During all three years of training, residents participate in a weekly scope session led by a dermatopathologist. Glass slides and virtual slides are reviewed. Residents rotating at Grady also participate in a weekly dermatopathology case review lead by Dr. Douglas Parker where he reviews select cases from the past week or two biopsies from the clinic.

Third-year residents participate in 2 months of dedicated dermatopathology rotations. During this time, residents work one on one with the dermatopathology faculty as well as alongside the dermatopathology fellow to review the slides at Emory University Hospital.

A highlight of the Emory program is the opportunity to participate in both outpatient and inpatient teledermatology.  At the Atlanta VA, residents participate in 2 outpatient teledermatology as one-month-long rotations. (Store and forward) cases are referred from clinics throughout Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, increasing access to dermatological care in medically underserved areas. Teledermatology consult requests are sent to our facility with a brief history, clinical photos, and dermoscopy images.  Residents work one on one with an attending to sign out the teledermatology cases. 

At Emory University Hospital Midtown, third-year residents participate in 2 one-month long rotations where teledermatology is used for inpatient consults. Residents see the patients and capture images which are then reviewed with supervising attendings. 

These unique teledermatology experiences equip our residents with the clinical and logistical skillset for teledermatology, a tool that is expected to be increasingly utilized in future dermatology practice

Many conditions in dermatology are chronic and require regular follow-up for monitoring disease activity and tailoring management. Recognizing that following patients over time enhances the learning of our trainees, our program offers Resident Continuity Clinics for each resident at one of our primary training sites: Emory Clinic, Grady, and the VA. Continuity clinics take place every Monday morning.

The Resident Continuity Clinics allow residents to develop expertise in the diagnosis and longitudinal management of a broad range of dermatologic conditions with supervision from the continuity clinic attendings. Residents have the flexibility to cater their continuity patient panel to their clinical interests and are viewed as the primary dermatologic provider by their patients. A comprehensive treatment plan is designed by the resident with the supervision of the attending physician, and residents are able to follow their patient’s progress and, if indicated, to reevaluate and modify management strategies. At some continuity clinic locations, some clinics are reserved for surgical procedures. At Emory, residents can follow both adult and pediatric patients in the continuity clinic.

Training in dermoscopy is implemented through didactics in the form of faculty and resident lectures, as well as through clinical practice at pigmented lesion clinic at Emory, on the VA teledermatology rotation, and throughout all rotations.