Previous Fellow Testimonials

The PennDOC Research Fellowship has made a tremendous impact on my personal and professional development. PennDOC provides excellent mentorship from both attendings and residents who have deepened my understanding of dermatologic surgery, cutaneous oncology, and clinical research. The fellowship offers endless educational opportunities—including weekly Mohs surgery didactics, pathology conferences, general dermatology didactics, and enrollment in a clinical research and biostatistics course. Because of this fellowship I am more comfortable designing and interpreting clinical research—skills that will directly translate to my future academic career. PennDOC embodies a collaborative, team-oriented environment with wonderful faculty and staff who will support and challenge you to pursue various academic endeavors. I feel grateful to have participated in this fellowship and I can’t speak highly enough of my experience and the PennDOC team.

The PennDOC fellowship was one of the most enjoyable and transformative experiences of medical school – I loved my year! During my time as a fellow, I was able to learn more about skin cancers and dermatologic surgery, while also honing my skills in study design, biostats, manuscript preparation, and public presentation. In addition to research, the program supported me in extracurricular endeavors including community outreach with transplant patients through Gift of Life. I am so grateful to the PennDOC fellowship for providing me with not only steadfast mentors, but also great friends. The guidance and support from this group was (and remains!) invaluable. I am confident that this fellowship prepared me well for my future endeavors in dermatology. I cherish this experience, and highly recommend it to all interested students!

“I spent my year as a PennDOC fellow conducting clinical research with Dr. Etzkorn and Dr. Miller. We had multiple active projects with a variety of short, medium, and long term goals. During that year, I learned how to construct and coordinate a large-scale multi-site clinical research project. We collaborated with Mohs surgeons across the country to collect prospective data on outcomes and patient satisfaction following interpolated flap repair. I also had the opportunity to collect patient preference data in person from our Mohs surgery patients and their family members. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know them and their concerns about skin cancer more clearly, as patient and physician concerns can sometimes differ widely. I also assisted in retrospective data analysis of high-risk tumors (DFSP and EMPD) treated with Mohs surgery. Lastly, I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Etzkorn and the other Mohs surgeons while operating and reading Mohs slides. There, I learned the art of keeping patients at ease through clear, calm communication between team members, and that skill made my excision clinics and Mohs rotations in residency much smoother. I feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to work with the Mohs surgeons at Penn. I felt like a valued member of the team and learned so much surgical dermatology and dermatopathology simply by spending time in the procedure rooms and at the scope with the surgeons. The skills and experience I gained have benefited me throughout residency and beyond, both in the academic medicine setting and in the day-to-day treatment of my patients. I strongly encourage aspiring dermatologists with an interest in surgical dermatology and clinical research to apply for the PennDOC fellowship.” – Donald Neal

“The PennDOC research fellowship provided me with an invaluable opportunity to cultivate my investigative skills while fostering significant personal growth. Within the program, I gained proficiency in clinical data collection with REDCap, and statistical analysis, while developing a framework for crafting persuasive stories to best relay the message of our studies. Most importantly, the fellowship facilitated the formation of lifelong connections with mentors and my co-fellows for which I am immensely grateful.” – Mara Trifoi

The PennDOC fellowship year jumpstarted my interest in dermatology and cutaneous oncology. I would definitely not be where I am today without the mentorship and opportunities provided by this amazing research year experience!

The PennDOC clinical research fellowship was a phenomenal experience that prepared me for a future in dermatology. Through the program, I grew as a researcher and developed bonds that extended long beyond the fellowship year. Under the team’s mentorship, I published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at national conferences, wrote successful grants, contributed to a textbook, designed a randomized clinical trial, and obtained a Certificate in Clinical Research. These successes would not have been possible without PennDOC’s support. Today, I am a better clinician, researcher, leader, and mentor because of the PennDOC fellowship and I highly recommend it to any medical students interested in dermatology.

“My year as a PennDOC clinical research fellow has been invaluable! Through the mentorship and guidance of faculty and my co-fellows, I learned to ideate research questions, implement a study design, gather and analyze data, and write cohesive research papers. The focus on telling a compelling story helped shift the way I view data and pushed me to understand my research endeavors more deeply. Additionally, the opportunity to interact with residents, participate in resident lectures, attend monthly grand rounds, and rotate through clinic with various faculty allowed me to enhance much of my clinical knowledge. The skills I gained and relationships I made during this year will serve me well in my future.” – Ella Frankel