The Southern Illinois University (SIU) dermatology
residency program was initially approved in 1994
because of a need for dermatologists in downstate
Illinois and surrounding rural states. Although the SIU campus,
including the first year of medical school education, is
located in Carbondale, IL, Springfield is home to most medical
student and residency training. As the state capitol and
home to President Abraham Lincoln, Springfield has a rich
history and serves as the major health care, economic, and
cultural center of central and southern Illinois. Distinctly designed
around the concept of continuity of care, the program
places an emphasis on resident–patient continuity, taking
precedence over attending–patient continuity.
The residency program accepts 2 residents per year. SIU is
one of few categorical dermatology programs in the country,
as all SIU dermatology residents complete their internship
with the SIU Department of Internal Medicine. There are
currently 4 full-time faculty members in the SIU Division of
Dermatology, including 2 general dermatologists, a Mohs
micrographic surgeon, and a dermatopathologist. The program
is also fortunate to have several voluntary faculty
members, including a pediatric dermatologist, who are committed
to teaching. All faculty at SIU are highly invested in
the residents’ education. The faculty’s primary goal is to provide
an exceptional educational experience to all program
residents. The strong sense of morale and camaraderie and
close interaction with faculty members fosters a comfortable
and effective learning environment.
As noted above, continuity of care is a main focus of the program
and the foundation of the training structure. Another
unique aspect of the training program is the longitudinal subspecialty rotations; during the last 2 years of training, each
resident spends 1 day each week in Mohs micrographic surgery
and 1 day studying dermatopathology, in contrast to the
traditional monthlong rotation blocks. This structure ensures
that graduates from the program will have outstanding clinical
and surgical skills as well as the lifelong drive and ability to
continue learning and improving while practicing dermatology.
Two afternoons per week are set aside for didactics, including
dermatopathology conference, journal club, lectures, visual
recognition conference, and a textbook reading quiz. Once
per month, we host the SIU dermatology grand rounds for
regional dermatologists, as well as the monthly melanoma
multidisciplinary conference, where faculty and residents from
