Blast from the Past

Do you recognize

some of these

faces from

Harvard Derm?

Finding An Agent That’s Right For You

Being a 3rd year resident, I am taking the time to

savor all of my favorite people and traditions

here at Harvard. One experience stands out to

me the most – my continuity clinic with Dr.

Michael Bigby. To many people, Dr. Bigby can

be quite intimidating. Let’s be honest, if he has

not scared you at least once during rounds, then

you were probably sleeping. Fortunately, as his

continuity resident for the past 2 years, I have

gotten to know Dr. Bigby on a personal level. I

have to say, he’s one of the most amazing

people I know. He has generously taken me

along to Martha’s Vineyard a few times, where

he has shared with me his fascination with

hummingbirds and “big-bee” paraphernalia.

We have also commiserated on our mutual

fondness of food and cooking by trying Boston

restaurants and competing in making different

fish dishes out of our daily catch on the

Vineyard.

Dr. Bigby has been a supportive mentor but

also a great friend. He has always offered his

stoic and honest advice when I needed it, as if I

was hearing it from my own father (sans the

Arabic accent). Throughout the years, he has

pushed me to become a comtemplative

physician and a critical thinker. The other day I

found myself saying, “Dr. Bigby, why are you

so hard on me? No attending ever gives me this

much grief!” He replied, “One day, you will

thank me, Dr. Habib.” Well, that day has come,

because I am already so indebted to him for all

he has taught me about life and dermatology.

- Nancy Habib (PGY-4)

in this issue >>>

Welcome Back!

HARVARD DERM

Fresh Faces – Fun Facts

Resident Research

Community and Beyond

Med-Derm Musings

Alum Spotlight

Dr. Bigby graduated from the program in 1985. He is Associate Professor of Dermatology at

BIDMC, where he serves as continuity clinic preceptor for Nancy Habib (PGY-4) and Tyler

Durazzo (PGY-3). His academic interests include advancing evidence-based practice of

dermatology. Nancy reflects on her time as Dr. Bigby’s mentee.

Spotlight: Alumm

It was great to see many of you at the Harvard

House Officers Association Reception during

AAD 2013! We hope you enjoyed the opportunity

to reconnect with some familiar faces and meet

some new ones too.

Our residents continue to engage in a wide-range

of academic and extracurricular activities. In this

issue, we’ll introduce you to our new class and

take a peek into what we have been up to since our

last newsletter. We’ll also share special alum

spotlight, something we hope to replicate in future

issues.

But first things first – a pressing question for you:

ALUMNI NEWS

news for graduates & friends of the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Training Program fall 2013 boston, ma

Why do bananas wear sunscreen?

(courtesy of Amit Sharma, PGY-3; see page 3)

Celebrating the launch of the Harvard Derm Alumni Newsletter!

Susan Huang (c/o 2013), Lilit Garibyan (c/o 2013), Rachel Reynolds (c/o 2000), Shinjita Das (c/o 2015), and Vinod Nambudiri (Med-Derm c/o 2015) pose for the camera with the Spring 2013 issue of Harvard Derm Alumni News at the AAD 2013 Harvard House Officers Association Reception 2013 in Miami Beach, FL. Susan started her first day at BIDMC as faculty facilitator for an engaging Grand Rounds. Lilit has joined MGH – she divides her time between clinic and her lab at the Wellman Center, where she is involved in studies elucidating mechanisms and treatments for itch. Rachel keeps busy overseeing the training of our 32 residents, cultivating her academic interest in PCOS, and enjoying time with her husband and two children, Tommy, 9, and Julia, 6. Shinjita recently sat down with Duke Bradley for a sun-safety interview that was broadcast by the Chelsea Community Cable TV station. Vinod serves as a member of the Medical Dermatology Society Committee on Education and is working to plan the upcoming 2014 MDS Annual Meeting.

STAY IN TOUCH

We would love hear from you for our next newsletter! RESIDENCY WEBSITE: http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dermatology/index.html RESIDENCY ALUMNI LIST: Link Above > Training > Our Graduates EMAIL: info.hmsderm@partners.org CALL: 617.726.5254 Newsletter Design: Shinjita Das, PGY-3

Resident art work from this year’s Retreat!

Michael Bigby, MD

Community and Beyond

Resident

Residency retreat July 2013 >>>

Med-Derm Musings

As a PGY-3 combined internal medicine-

dermatology resident, I recently completed my first

block as a medicine resident. This is the most

daunting moment of the med-derm track, given that

we go back to run a busy inpatient service and

supervise a team of interns and medical students

after having been away from internal medicine for

over a year.

However, everything that my intrepid med-derm

predecessors had said turned out to be true: the

medicine mindset comes back surprisingly quickly,

and the switch turned out not to be as difficult as

we might anticipate. It was challenging yet

extremely rewarding to review the mechanism of

action of diuretics during rounds, to work up

pancytopenia or hypoxemia, and to hold family

meetings regarding end-of-life issues.

In addition, even within the span of one month, I

had the opportunity to give five dermatology

lectures to internal medical residents and medical

students, and was brought in to many patient rooms

by my co-residents to see rashes and skin lesions

on their patients.

It is amazing what a difference even one year of

dermatology residency can make. I look forward to

learning and working with so many amazing people

in both dermatology and medicine, and to many

more chances to serve and to teach during the

remainder of my residency.

- Philip Song (Med-Derm PGY-3)

Philip (R) with his partner-in-crime, Amit Sharma

(PGY-3), during BWH inpatient derm consults.

Answer to joke page 1: So they don’t peel!

Aieska De Souza (PGY-3) will be traveling to Zurich this

winter to work with Dr. Werner Kempf, a renowned cutaneous

lymphoma specialist. She will study the inflammatory micro-

environment in cutaneous CD30+ lymphoproliferative

disorders. Her research will provide clues to better understand

the immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in T-cell mediated

disorders, such as lymphomatoid papulosis. Aieska’s project

will be a continuation of her current research project with Dr.

Lyn Duncan and Dr. Joi Carter, in which they retrospectively

analyzed the clinical and histopathologic features of all CD30+

cases seen at MGH over the past 12 years. The results were

well-received at the 2013 International Symposium of

Dermatopathology.

Locally, nationally, and internationally…

our residents are reaching out to make a difference

Allireza Aloo was raised in

Queens, but his family hails

from Tanzania. He grew up

speaking Swahili and various

Indian dialects of his

ancestors from Gujarat. He is

excited about complex

medical dermatology and

improving healthcare delivery

to underserved populations.

He enjoys playing basketball

and soccer and spending time

with his new wife!

in general, pediatric, and

procedural dermatology. This

year, she is thrilled to work on

some exciting projects,

including organizing the

annual Harvard New England

Dermatologic Society meeting

in February 2014 and

facilitating the Resident

Procedural and Cosmetic

Sessions.

Brooke Eastham (PGY-4) will participate in a clinical dermatology elective at the

Vascular Anomalies Center of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi

Minh City Medical Center, with Dr. Rox Anderson and Dr. Thangh Nga Tran.

Brooke will assist Drs. Anderson and Tran in treating underserved patients with

disfiguring vascular anomalies in this region that has lacked the means for

appropriate treatment. During her time abroad, she will also work with the inpatient

medical and tropical dermatology service.

Fresh Faces – Fun Facts >>> Meet the Harvard Derm Class of 2016

Carmen Castilla (Med-

Derm) completed her

undergraduate studies at NYU

and medical school at New

Jersey Medical School. She is

interested in global health and

has worked in Tanzania and

South Africa. She enjoys

photography, traveling, and

spending time with her

husband. Back Row (L to R): Allireza, Keith, Dan, Anar, Adam. Front Row (L to R): Carmen, Sasha, Hillary

Hillary Frankel is a Boston native who

loves spending her free time hiking and

exploring New England on bicycle. She

is interested in dermato-epidemiology

and is currently evaluating the efficacy of

topical imiquimod for the treatment of

lentigo maligna.

Sasha Girouard grew up in Dartmouth, MA,

and received her undergraduate education at

Barnard College of Columbia University and

her medical degree from Harvard. She is

interested in melanoma, dermatopathology,

and medical dermatology. She enjoys yoga

and baking.

Anar Mikailov (Med-Derm) was born in Kiev, Ukraine, but

has spent most of his life in Columbia, MD and Philadelphia.

Before medical school, he worked at a start-up quantifying

emotional connections to brand names. He held the unique title

of “Employee #7.” During medical school, he developed an

interest in teledermatology. Anar enjoys hiking and skiing. This

October, he and his wife climbed Half-Dome in Yosemite.

Keith Morley grew up in

Vermont and received his MD

at Dartmouth. He is interested

in pediatric dermatology and

completed a pediatric prelim

year at Geisinger Medical

Center. The last 2 years, he has

been a Camp Discovery

counselor in PA, looking after

a group of 4-5 kids with severe

skin conditions.

Adam Raff grew up in

Albuquerque and completed his

MD/PhD at USC. His PhD

focused on the interaction of

HPV with the innate immune

system. His clinical and

research interests include tumor

immunology and cutaneous

virology. Adam enjoys

downhill skiing, camping with

his Labrador retriever, and

watching college football with

his wife Laura.

Daniel Sugai was born and raised in Oahu, HI. He met his wife during medical

school at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, in Honolulu, HI. He and his wife

couples-matched into their respective fields and are enjoying their time in Boston.

Dan completed prelim medicine at BIDMC. He enjoys golf, martial arts, and going

to the movies. He is interested in general dermatology.

Research

William Lin (PGY-3) was inspired by the

remarkable advances that have led to a growing

number of patients undergoing successful full

facial transplantation. He is currently working on a

multidisciplinary project at BWH studying the

clinical and pathologic characteristics of full facial

transplant rejection. He hopes to contribute to

discerning signs of rejection to facilitate early

identification and management of rejection in this

growing and unique transplant patient population.

John Korman (PGY-4) co-authored a study

during his elective block with Dr. Mathew

Avram, Director of the MGH Dermatology

Laser and Cosmetic Center. The resulting

manuscript, “Analysis of Botulinum Toxin

Products and Litigation in the United States”

led to John being honored with an ASDS

Young Investigators Writing Competition

award at the recent ASDS Annual Meeting in

Chicago. The manuscript has been accepted for

publication in Dermatologic Surgery.

As the sole resident participant

in the AAD workgroup for the

Choosing Wisely campaign,

Alice Watson (PGY-4) helped

to identify 5 procedures and

practices that patients and

doctors should question. Their

recommendations have been

approved by the AAD board

and will be made public before

the end of this year.

Carol Cheng (PGY-3) is interested

This year, along with Vinod Nambudiri

(Med-Derm, PGY-4), he organized an

event for second year HMS students to

teach four of the most commons diagnoses

in dermatology. He fondly recalls, “As

long as I have been doing it, the

dermatology course has been ranked very

highly by the students.” He is grateful for

the tireless efforts of Harvard

Dermatology faculty, his co-residents,

and, of course, the patients who

generously volunteer their time (and

skin!). “I often hear that students get a

spark of interest in dermatology from

seeing these patients.”

Steven Chen

(Med-Derm

PGY-4) has

served as a

resident

coordinator for

the Patient-

Doctor II course

at HMS for the

past 3 years.