About the Micrographic Surgery & Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship

The dermatologic surgery training program is an ACGME-accredited Micrographic Surgery & Dermatologic Oncology fellowship, a one-year program that trains one fellow per year. The program is directly sponsored by the Department of Dermatology under the directorship of Scott Neltner, MD. 

The curriculum emphasizes comprehensive clinical training in cutaneous surgery and oncology.

The dermatology-trained fellow works intimately on a day-to-day basis in the Mohs clinic on more than 1,500 cases per year. The fellow sees a multitude of different skin cancer cases and gains extensive knowledge and experience in microscopically examining and interpreting the results of slides of the tissue samples that have been removed during Mohs surgery. Accurate interpretation of these slides is crucial to a successful outcome. 

The fellow also gains in-depth experience in reconstruction. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of the defects are repaired by the program director. The fellow will be exposed to second intention healing, primary closures, skin grafts and random pattern flaps (advancement, rotation, transposition and island pedicle). 

Upon completion of the fellowship, surgeons are well equipped to completely remove, and expertly reconstruct, almost any skin cancer encountered in daily practice.

Due to the need to interact with other surgical specialties in the management of complex tumors, the fellow has the opportunity to collaborate with plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery, ENT-facial plastic surgery, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, internal medicine and orthopaedic surgery.

The fellow is expected to initiate and complete two research projects to be submitted for publication and presentation at a national meeting. The fellow is also expected to be a role model to residents and instruct them in dermatologic surgery during the fellowship.