College of Medicine

Two of the College of Medicine’s Tallahassee-based residency programs recently got encouraging news. The Dermatology Residency Program at Dermatology Associates has received initial accreditation, and the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare has received continued accreditation.

For the dermatology program, that means it’s now accepting applications.

“We are gearing up to have residents this year,” said Joan Meek, associate dean for graduate medical education. “We are in the National Resident Matching Program, otherwise known as ‘the match.’”

Meek encourages all who are interested to apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service.

“We’re currently looking for four residents,” she said. “Two will be waiting while they complete their preliminary year, and start in 2017. Two will start in July 2016, having already completed their preliminary year.”

In any dermatology residency, the American Board of Dermatology requires a preliminary year of training. It may be completed in emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, OB-GYN or pediatrics, to name a few.

Meek said all new programs must first earn initial accreditation.

“It means that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education will require that we do a reapplication in a few years, and we’ll have another site visit,” she said. “If things go well, the program will be moved into the continued accreditation phase, like the fellowship program.”

In 2012, Dermatology Associates asked the College of Medicine to sponsor a Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship Program. At the same time, discussions about the new residency program began.

Residency programs differ from fellowship programs. Residency is a time of in-depth training for medical-degree-holding physicians within a specific specialty, under an attending physician. A fellowship is optional subspecialty training that may occur after residency.

Meek is enthusiastic about the college’s newest accredited residency program, directed by George Cohen.

“We’re very excited about the training opportunities,” she said. “The faculty and partners at Dermatology Associates are extremely supportive.”

Meek is also pleased with the new status of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at TMH.

The program received initial accreditation and its first residents in 2012. Founding Director Gregory Todd was recruited earlier the same year. Now the program has 28 residents-in-training, including four preliminary first-year residents, who will complete one year in the program and then continue to a different advanced residency program.

“This outcome is a result of a great partnership and reflects the efforts of Dr. Todd, the residency faculty and the TMH administrative team to ensure the high quality of training,” said Meek. “Consistent with the College of Medicine’s mission, the internal medicine program helps to ensure additional primary care residency opportunities in Tallahassee.”

She looks forward to seeing the new dermatology residency reach the same “continued accreditation” status.

“When you’re looking at providing care for the elderly, in particular, the dermatology residency and fellowship programs are really important,” Meek said. “They provide preventive skin care, monitoring for signs of skin cancer and care to the underserved through outreach clinics in rural areas.”

The program also helps fulfill needs unique to its location.

“Skin diseases are particularly prevalent in Florida,” said Meek. “And there are not enough spots for all the students who train in medical schools in Florida to enter residency training programs here. It’s important that we continue to look for opportunities to expand the residency programs that are available to them.”
 

Read Dr. Cohen’s letter to prospective dermatology residents.

Read more about the Internal Medicine Residency Program.