One of only two dermatology programs in the State of Georgia

The Section of Dermatology at the Medical College of Georgia is one of only two cutaneous research and teaching programs in the State of Georgia.

It boasts a nationally, as well as internationally, renowned faculty, and patient care services offered encompass the broad spectrum of medical and surgical dermatology.

Supported by an outstanding group of resident physicians and staff, the Section of Dermatology offers sympathetic and understanding care to its patients, with all of the newest diagnostic and treatment entities available in Dermatology today.

Section Statement

In a modern perspective Dermatology, the study of the skin, embraces a portion of many basic science disciplines including pathology, immunology, microanatomy, (light microscopy, histochemistry and electron microscopy) microbiology, physiology and biochemistry as they relate to the skin, as well as the clinical disciplines of medicine, surgery and pediatrics.

The major activities of the department are as follows: the teaching of medical students, graduate students, and postdoctoral physicians (residents); continuing education for dermatologist and other physicians in clinical practice; patient care including care for inpatients, outpatients, and patients in the rural community; and research designed to increase our knowledge of normal and diseased skin. In addition, service to the community, campus, state and nation are of great importance as well as the career growth and development of the faculty.

Philosophy

The primary responsibility of any medical school department is to provide an atmosphere in which learning may occur. In a department where medical students, as well as residents, are being trained concurrently, many different levels of learning and experience occur simultaneously. Learning how to care for patients is best accomplished by having responsibility for their diagnosis and treatment.  Skillful delegation of this authority by the faculty enhances the level of care of the patient and the learning of the students and residents. Good teaching and good learning are inseparable from good patient care.

Just as the best clinical care evolves in a situation designed for the best learning experience, an inquisitive critical atmosphere naturally leads to clinical or laboratory research by the participants. Thus all of our full-time faculty have been involved in research to a varying degree, and all residents are encouraged to participate in some type of research or scholarly activity. Because research in the clinical sciences is nurtured by advances in the basic sciences, interdisciplinary relationships have been developed and continue to contribute to the research programs in the department.

The program outlined above has been designed to develop a major referral center in Dermatology at the Medical College of Georgia equipped to diagnose and treat any type of cutaneous disorder, from the simple to the most complicated.