“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