EDUCATION
RESIDENCY PROGRAM PROGRAM LEADERSHIP
We strive to build comprehensive knowledge of dermatology in our trainees, shaping them as physicians who care for all patients with integrity and compassion. During the 24–25 academic year, we worked to expand our curriculum by integrating humanities and fine arts.
• Similar to the fine arts, Dermatology is fundamentally a visual discipline, wherein keen observational skills enable clinicians to differentiate among thousands of dermatologic conditions.
Derm Dialogue sessions at the UM Museum of Art (UMMA) used examination and discussion of artworks to explore themes of identity, culture, and the physician’s role in society.
• Dr. Tina Lasisi, UM assistant professor of anthropology, presented on the biologic variation of human hair and skin, highlighting the broader implications of human diversity at the intersection of human biology, biometric technology, and dermatology.
We also brought diverse perspectives to our department and trainees with virtual lectures supplied by dermatology experts on the West Coast and in France, and visiting faculty from Australia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Taiwan.
Frank Wang, MD Assistant Program Director
Sara Fossum, MD, PhD Assistant Program Director
Yolanda Helfrich, MD Program Director
Back Row: Ramon Govea, Jacob Kingsley, Eric Bowman, Alex Gitin, Frank Wang; Middle Row: Kathie Velez, Maya Aravind, Kelly Harms, Grace Osborne, Rocio Oliva, Allison Billi; Front Row: Christopher Bichakjian, Camilla Cascardo, Giselle Guerrero, Jungsoo Chang, Albert Yang, Rama Godse, Roberta Buist, Yolanda Helfrich
Dermatology residents attend a Derm Dialogues session at the UM Museum of Art
VISITING PROFESSORS & GUEST LECTURERS FY25
Murray Cotter, MD, PhD, Associate Medical Director and Medical Executive Chair, Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery: “Careers in Dermatology”
Jeffrey and Susan Callen Lectureship in Cutaneous Medicine: Mischa Rosenbach, MD, Paul R. Gross Professor of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine: “Sarcoidosis (or “the sarcoidoses”)” and “Go Green Blue!: Climate Change, Medicine, and You”
Nicole Urman, MD, Chief Resident in Dermatology, Stanford School of Medicine: “Onco-Derm Cases”
Anna Cogen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, University of Washington School of Medicine: “Hematologic Malignancies, Stem Cell Transplants, and Rashes! Lessons Learned From an Inpatient Dermatology Consult Service”
Charles N. Ellis, MD, Lectureship for Resident Education in Clinical Dermatology: Dedee Murrell MA, BMBCh, MD, DSc, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Medical School, Sydney: “New Developments in Epidermolysis Bullosa” and “Solving Autoimmune Blistering Diseases: The Past, Present, and Future”
Tina Lasisi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Michigan: “How to Talk and Think About Biologic Variation in Human Hair and Skin”
Janine Luke, MD, Professor of Dermatology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine: “SOC Kodachromes” (virtual)
Luc Thomas, MD, PhD, Chairman and Professor of Dermatology, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 France: “Onychoscopy: Dermoscopy of the Nail Unit Tumors” (virtual)
Igor Puzanov, MD, Professor of Medicine, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: “Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs): Treatment Methods for Advanced Melanoma”
Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor: Rebecca Vasquez, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: “Skin Cancer Among Individuals with Skin of Color” and “Challenging Pigmentary Cases”
Michigan Dermatological Society Visiting Professor: Jennifer Choi, MD, Professor of Dermatology and Chief of Divisions of Oncodermatology and Medical Dermatology, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine: “Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Dermatologic Side Effects to be Prepared For”
Arthur C. Curtis Visiting Professor: Jennifer Choi, MD, Professor of Dermatology and Chief of Divisions of Oncodermatology and Medical Dermatology, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine: “Common Dermatologic Reactions in Cancer Patients that Dermatologists Should Know”
Dermatology Pathways Program Visiting Professor: Meena Singh, MD, Medical Director, Skin and Hair Center, Kansas: “Advances in Non-Surgical Hair Restoration and Hair Therapies” and “Advances in Surgical Hair Restoration”
Dr. Meena Singh (center) with dermatology faculty and residents during her visit as the 2025 Dermatology Pathways Program Visiting Professor
