Faculty Lead: Susan Taylor
Associate Faculty Lead: Tayo Ogunleye
The Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania has a long history of training the world’s next clinician leaders, researchers, and educators. In conjunction with our mission to further knowledge in our field and improve the health of our patients, we are committed to reducing healthcare disparities and working to combat racism and prejudice in all its forms. Our entire program, including this specific track, aims to:
- Address the social determinants of health that negatively affect our patients.
- Engage with and empower under-served communities (including locally in Philadelphia, nationally, and internationally).
- Promote diversity in our field to better reflect the population and the patients we serve.
- Pursue projects related to Skin of Color dermatology and community engagement through elective time.
Beyond our department’s broad efforts in these areas, and to further support our commitment to diversity and community engagement, we offer a new residency track, the Dermatology Diversity and Community Engagement Residency training position. We are looking for applicants with proven interest and experience in community engagement, volunteerism, and mentorship of underserved populations; personal or family experience living in a medically underserved area or community; and experience in organizational leadership and advocacy.
Applicants matching into this track will complete the traditional three-year training program. They will be paired with mentors with experience in Skin of Color dermatology, diversity, advocacy, volunteerism, and community engagement, and will be encouraged and supported to pursue projects through elective rotations, research projects, curriculum development, volunteerism, and/or clinical activities. As part of your application to this track (in addition to selection of the track in ERAS) please include an additional statement (up to 250 words) as a second page to your personal statement. In your additional statement, please explain why you feel you are qualified for the position and briefly describe your plan or project to further promote diversity and community engagement in dermatology.
Meet our Diversity and Community Engagement Track Residents
Travis Benson
As the child of a transgender parent, Travis witnessed the impact of health care access inequities faced by the transgender and gender non-conforming community. Throughout his undergraduate and medical school studies, Travis has been engaged in understanding and addressing health care disparities that affect the transgender community. Travis has published on topics such as the lack of health insurance coverage in laser hair removal, the impact of tattoos on phalloplasty, and the effect of testosterone on vocal masculinization. As a resident in the Diversity & Community Engagement track, Travis has worked to establish a pro bono gender-affirming injectables clinic and is currently researching how hair loss affects the transmasculine community.
Ngan (May) Do
May’s interest in healthcare access for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/NA) patients piqued in college, after a service trip to South Dakota. In medical school, she completed an Indian Health Pathway. This was a unique educational experience for medical students to learn how to provide culturally proficient care for AI/AN patients through lecture series, community events, and immersion clinical experiences. Her partnership with Indian Country ECHO has allowed her to combine her interest in improving healthcare access for AI/AN patients with dermatology. The Dermatology ECHO program provides a collaborative tele-mentoring platform to support Indian Health Service, Tribal, and Urban Indian clinicians in diagnosing and managing common dermatologic disorders through a monthly didactic and case-based discussion. The ECHO program is her D&CE Capstone project.
Jasmine Harris
Jasmine has always had a passion for serving her community and giving back to others that dates back to participating in service learning as a teenager. After matriculating to medical school, she became interested in alleviating healthcare disparities and increasing access to specialty care in underrepresented minorities and vulnerable populations. As a resident in the diversity and community engagement track, her advocacy work has focused on persons experiencing homelessness and common dermatologic needs in this population. She recently received a Penn CAREs grant to further support her work by providing supplies and information to this community on general skin care, treatment and prevention of infection and when to seek care. She hopes to create a series of outreach events at homeless shelters across Philadelphia to expand her efforts.
Britney Wilson
Britney’s firsthand experiences with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) as an adolescent allows her to deeply empathize with the physical pain, emotional toll, and treatment challenges experienced by HS patients. Having navigated the challenges of HS during childhood, Britney feels a strong calling to advocate for awareness, education, and support for patients and their families. Britney’s D&CE Capstone project will focuses on building an interdisciplinary HS clinic at CHOP that includes dermatology, nutritional counseling, and exercise physiologists. On the adult side, Britney is working to develop a pro bono resident run laser hair removal for patients suffering from hidradenitis suppurativa.