In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many insightful practitioners and great teachers and mentors. Some are bright stars in our special universe–others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share, from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. This column allows us to gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them.
Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor of dermatology, medical social sciences and preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He graduated from State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, where he completed his medical and doctoral studies in neuroimmunology and master’s in public health in biostatistics and epidemiology. He completed his residency training in dermatology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Centers. Dr Silverberg’s area of clinical subspecialty is inflammatory skin disease, particularly atopic and contact dermatitis, and he is the founder and director of the Northwestern Multidisciplinary Eczema Center.Â
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Dr Silverberg’s research interests include dermato-epidemiology, health services research, patient-reported outcomes, comorbidities, and burden of inflammatory skin disease. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and multiple book chapters and is an associate editor for the British Journal of Dermatology and Current Dermatology Reports. Dr Silverberg lives in Chicago with his wife and children and enjoys CrossFit exercising.Â
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?Â
A. I enjoy the academic mix of clinical practice, research, and teaching. The potpourri keeps every day fun and interesting. I particularly love teaching. I am fortunate to be part of a great university and department where I mentor some of the best and brightest students, residents, fellows, and peer-faculty around.Â
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. During my first year as an attending, a young African American woman from the south side of Chicago came into my office for a generalized itch. She had seen numerous dermatologists and other physicians over several years and was told that she was “crazy,” that it was psychogenic itch and that she should see a psychiatrist to treat her itch. After I examined her, I was speechless. She didn’t have psychogenic itch. She had severe atopic dermatitis involving more than 90% body surface area. For the first time in years, her skin cleared with topical and systemic treatment for atopic dermatitis. Her story alerted me to many challenges that are faced in dermatology today, including lack of access to adequate dermatologic care, challenges assessing dermatoses in skin of color, and knowledge gaps about complex medical dermatology cases. These lessons prompted me to apply for a career development award from the Dermatology Foundation in order to tackle racial/ethnic and health care disparities in dermatology.
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Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom? Â Â
A. “Don’t go into medicine unless you love it” from Dr Arnold Silverberg, my father. “Don’t thank me, just pay it forward” from Dr Vincent Deleo, my program director and chair during residency. “Create a no pile and put some stuff in it” from Dr Eric Simpson at Oregon Health & Science University.Â
Q. Which medical figure in history would you want to have a drink with and why?
A. Edward Jenner. He was a pioneer of vaccines and arguably the father of immunology. His “experiment” on a child with cowpox inoculates would make any modern institutional research review board cringe. Yet, he took action while countless people were dying of smallpox. His research has literally saved billions of lives.Â
Q. What is the greatest political danger in the field of dermatology?
A. I am not sure if it’s the greatest political danger, but I am concerned about the shrinking field of medical dermatology. We certainly should not allow other specialties to hijack dermatologic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and dermatopathology from us. That said, there is one area that no other field can do and that’s medical dermatology. No other specialty has a mastery of the art and science of morphology, diagnosis of the myriad inflammatory and neoplastic cutaneous disorders. No other specialty can handle the complex management of severe cases of common disorders, such as atopic dermatitis, or rarer disorders, such as pemphigus. A shortage of medical dermatologists lowers the perception of dermatology among other specialties in medicine. The increasing push toward cosmetic and procedural dermatology during residency hurts the self-confidence of future graduates in dealing with complex medical dermatology cases and feeling like a “real doctor.” A greater emphasis is needed to improve the proficiency of our trainees in medical dermatology, as well as the perception of dermatology among other specialties.Â
Dr Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is author-editor of 7 books in dermatology and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature.
In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many insightful practitioners and great teachers and mentors. Some are bright stars in our special universe–others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share, from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. This column allows us to gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them.
Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor of dermatology, medical social sciences and preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He graduated from State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, where he completed his medical and doctoral studies in neuroimmunology and master’s in public health in biostatistics and epidemiology. He completed his residency training in dermatology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Centers. Dr Silverberg’s area of clinical subspecialty is inflammatory skin disease, particularly atopic and contact dermatitis, and he is the founder and director of the Northwestern Multidisciplinary Eczema Center.Â
Â
Dr Silverberg’s research interests include dermato-epidemiology, health services research, patient-reported outcomes, comorbidities, and burden of inflammatory skin disease. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and multiple book chapters and is an associate editor for the British Journal of Dermatology and Current Dermatology Reports. Dr Silverberg lives in Chicago with his wife and children and enjoys CrossFit exercising.Â
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?Â
A. I enjoy the academic mix of clinical practice, research, and teaching. The potpourri keeps every day fun and interesting. I particularly love teaching. I am fortunate to be part of a great university and department where I mentor some of the best and brightest students, residents, fellows, and peer-faculty around.Â
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. During my first year as an attending, a young African American woman from the south side of Chicago came into my office for a generalized itch. She had seen numerous dermatologists and other physicians over several years and was told that she was “crazy,” that it was psychogenic itch and that she should see a psychiatrist to treat her itch. After I examined her, I was speechless. She didn’t have psychogenic itch. She had severe atopic dermatitis involving more than 90% body surface area. For the first time in years, her skin cleared with topical and systemic treatment for atopic dermatitis. Her story alerted me to many challenges that are faced in dermatology today, including lack of access to adequate dermatologic care, challenges assessing dermatoses in skin of color, and knowledge gaps about complex medical dermatology cases. These lessons prompted me to apply for a career development award from the Dermatology Foundation in order to tackle racial/ethnic and health care disparities in dermatology.
{{pagebreak}}
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom? Â Â
A. “Don’t go into medicine unless you love it” from Dr Arnold Silverberg, my father. “Don’t thank me, just pay it forward” from Dr Vincent Deleo, my program director and chair during residency. “Create a no pile and put some stuff in it” from Dr Eric Simpson at Oregon Health & Science University.Â
Q. Which medical figure in history would you want to have a drink with and why?
A. Edward Jenner. He was a pioneer of vaccines and arguably the father of immunology. His “experiment” on a child with cowpox inoculates would make any modern institutional research review board cringe. Yet, he took action while countless people were dying of smallpox. His research has literally saved billions of lives.Â
Q. What is the greatest political danger in the field of dermatology?
A. I am not sure if it’s the greatest political danger, but I am concerned about the shrinking field of medical dermatology. We certainly should not allow other specialties to hijack dermatologic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and dermatopathology from us. That said, there is one area that no other field can do and that’s medical dermatology. No other specialty has a mastery of the art and science of morphology, diagnosis of the myriad inflammatory and neoplastic cutaneous disorders. No other specialty can handle the complex management of severe cases of common disorders, such as atopic dermatitis, or rarer disorders, such as pemphigus. A shortage of medical dermatologists lowers the perception of dermatology among other specialties in medicine. The increasing push toward cosmetic and procedural dermatology during residency hurts the self-confidence of future graduates in dealing with complex medical dermatology cases and feeling like a “real doctor.” A greater emphasis is needed to improve the proficiency of our trainees in medical dermatology, as well as the perception of dermatology among other specialties.Â
Dr Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is author-editor of 7 books in dermatology and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature.
In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many insightful practitioners and great teachers and mentors. Some are bright stars in our special universe–others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share, from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. This column allows us to gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them.
Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor of dermatology, medical social sciences and preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He graduated from State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, where he completed his medical and doctoral studies in neuroimmunology and master’s in public health in biostatistics and epidemiology. He completed his residency training in dermatology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Centers. Dr Silverberg’s area of clinical subspecialty is inflammatory skin disease, particularly atopic and contact dermatitis, and he is the founder and director of the Northwestern Multidisciplinary Eczema Center.Â
Â
Dr Silverberg’s research interests include dermato-epidemiology, health services research, patient-reported outcomes, comorbidities, and burden of inflammatory skin disease. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and multiple book chapters and is an associate editor for the British Journal of Dermatology and Current Dermatology Reports. Dr Silverberg lives in Chicago with his wife and children and enjoys CrossFit exercising.Â
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?Â
A. I enjoy the academic mix of clinical practice, research, and teaching. The potpourri keeps every day fun and interesting. I particularly love teaching. I am fortunate to be part of a great university and department where I mentor some of the best and brightest students, residents, fellows, and peer-faculty around.Â
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. During my first year as an attending, a young African American woman from the south side of Chicago came into my office for a generalized itch. She had seen numerous dermatologists and other physicians over several years and was told that she was “crazy,” that it was psychogenic itch and that she should see a psychiatrist to treat her itch. After I examined her, I was speechless. She didn’t have psychogenic itch. She had severe atopic dermatitis involving more than 90% body surface area. For the first time in years, her skin cleared with topical and systemic treatment for atopic dermatitis. Her story alerted me to many challenges that are faced in dermatology today, including lack of access to adequate dermatologic care, challenges assessing dermatoses in skin of color, and knowledge gaps about complex medical dermatology cases. These lessons prompted me to apply for a career development award from the Dermatology Foundation in order to tackle racial/ethnic and health care disparities in dermatology.
{{pagebreak}}
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom? Â Â
A. “Don’t go into medicine unless you love it” from Dr Arnold Silverberg, my father. “Don’t thank me, just pay it forward” from Dr Vincent Deleo, my program director and chair during residency. “Create a no pile and put some stuff in it” from Dr Eric Simpson at Oregon Health & Science University.Â
Q. Which medical figure in history would you want to have a drink with and why?
A. Edward Jenner. He was a pioneer of vaccines and arguably the father of immunology. His “experiment” on a child with cowpox inoculates would make any modern institutional research review board cringe. Yet, he took action while countless people were dying of smallpox. His research has literally saved billions of lives.Â
Q. What is the greatest political danger in the field of dermatology?
A. I am not sure if it’s the greatest political danger, but I am concerned about the shrinking field of medical dermatology. We certainly should not allow other specialties to hijack dermatologic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and dermatopathology from us. That said, there is one area that no other field can do and that’s medical dermatology. No other specialty has a mastery of the art and science of morphology, diagnosis of the myriad inflammatory and neoplastic cutaneous disorders. No other specialty can handle the complex management of severe cases of common disorders, such as atopic dermatitis, or rarer disorders, such as pemphigus. A shortage of medical dermatologists lowers the perception of dermatology among other specialties in medicine. The increasing push toward cosmetic and procedural dermatology during residency hurts the self-confidence of future graduates in dealing with complex medical dermatology cases and feeling like a “real doctor.” A greater emphasis is needed to improve the proficiency of our trainees in medical dermatology, as well as the perception of dermatology among other specialties.Â
Dr Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is author-editor of 7 books in dermatology and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature.
