Cook County Health offers a unique, high energy and stimulating environment that provides outstanding clinical training in dermatology.

Our residency program is accredited for three years of post-graduate medical education leading to eligibility for certification by the American Board of Dermatology.
Four residents are accepted each year. Applicants are required to have completed at least one year of clinical training prior to the beginning of the program. Applicants who have completed prior residencies are encouraged to apply. 
The program is clinically oriented and allows the residents to follow their assigned patients throughout the three years in a busy outpatient clinic. 
We have also recently started an Infliximab Infusion Center in our clinic and we have a Hidradenitis Suppurativa specialty Clinic designation.
Inpatient ward service and hospital consultations under attending staff supervision provide training in the diagnosis and management of severely ill dermatological patients. Special emphasis is given to dermatological surgery, and dermatopathology. Lectures and conferences comprise part of the daily activities.
Third Year Residents (2021 – 2024) 
    • Chief Resident: Elena Gonzalez Caldito, MD 
      Universidad de Valladolid Facultad de Medicina
    • Meenakshi Manivannan, MD
      Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University 
    • Lindsay Sklover, MD
      Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
    • Brigitte Utter, MD
      University of Miami School of Medicine

    Second Year Residents (2022 – 2025) 

      • Jacob Dudzinski, MD
        St. Louis University School of Medicine
      • Subuhi Kaul, MD
        Kasturba Medical College Mangalore
      • Hiren Kolli, MD
        Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

      First Year Residents (2023 – 2026) 

        • Adam Garibay, MD
          Baylor College of Medicine
        • Amber Loren King, MD
          Yale School of Medicine
        • Shannon, Younessi, MD
          Albany Medical College
        • Warren Perry, MD
          Yale University School of Medicine

        Future Residents (2024 – 2027) 

          • Anika Mazumder
            St. Louis University School of Medicine
          • Jeffrey Varghese
            Northwestern University Medical School
          Department Chair: Dr. Joerg Albrecht
          Program Director: Dr. David Othman
          Mohs Surgeon: Dr. Aleksander Krunic; Dr. David Othman
          Dermatopathologist: Dr. Vesna Petronic-Rosic
          Faculty: Dr. Benjamin Falck, Dr. Shilpa Mehta, Dr. Vesna Petronic-Rosic, Dr. Warren Piette

          Welcome to the Cook County Health residency program,

          Dermatology training at Cook County Health provides a unique experience. It is one of the few dermatology residency programs in the U.S. that operates in a safety-net hospital. Our patients are young, racially diverse, and in need of help, but seldom needy. The variety and complexity of conditions that our residents see and manage are immensely broad.

          We see all patients, regardless of income, insurance and legal status. We are also the healthcare provider for Cook County Jail, the second-largest urban county jail in the United States.

          A third of our patients do not speak English. Knowing Spanish is really helpful, though absolutely not required as we have easy access to interpreters for any needs that may arise. Most of our residents learn significant medical Spanish by the time they graduate.

          The program at Cook County is distinctive in that all clinics are resident continuity clinics throughout the three years of training. Naturally, all of our 12 residents have attending supervision for every patient.

          We have one main clinic location and a small weekly clinic at the nearby CORE Center, one of the largest HIV treatment centers in the U.S., with about 5000 patients seen annually. This geographic concentration creates a familiar and enjoyable work environment. Procedural training is complemented with a variety of lasers (PDL, Nd:YAG long and short pulsed, fractional Er:YAG, BBL, Excimer), and a weekly surgery clinic which includes Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery (Mohs).

          Our dermatopathologist is in-house, and in-clinic, as well. Once a month, a psychiatrist and twice a month, a rheumatologist join us in clinic to see patients as an interdisciplinary team.

          All full-time faculty provide inpatient consultation services to the John H. Stroger Hospital, which is adjacent to our clinic.

          Successful candidates are those that like to work in a group, are cheerful, supportive, and open to a wide range of patients from a variety of social groups and spanning the spectrum of dermatological diseases. To work at Cook County Health, you have to be open minded and willing to care for and engage with our patients and their experiences. If you do, you will thoroughly enjoy the experience.

          Application

          Medical Students 

          Medical Students who are currently enrolled in a U.S medical school and who are interested in completing an elective or rotation with Cook County Health Dermatology should email the items listed below to Richsha Buckles, Dermatology Program Coordinator, at richsha.buckles@cookcountyhealth.org.

          Med Student Application – Affiliated

          Med Student Application – Non-Affiliated

          Applications open for rising M4 students on April 1, 2024. The deadline for applications is May 3, 2024. We will inform you by June 3, 2024 if you have been selected to join us.

          This year we will offer a total of 16 positions between the months of August and November. We are unable to offer rotations to Foreign Graduates. We are currently planning to offer in person rotations, but this is contingent our institution’s COVID-19 protocols

          As part of your rotation, you will work closely with the residents and faculty on some of the most confounding cases in Chicago. Positions will go quickly so be sure to submit your application as soon as possible.

          • A 200-word response to: “Why you would like to pursue dermatology and why completing a rotation at Cook County Hospital is important to you”.
          • A Headshot photograph
          • CV
          • Immunization Record
          Physicians who are actively enrolled in an accredited residency or fellowship program should contact the program coordinator to inquire about availability: We are unable to accommodate physicians who are not currently in a training program.  Observerships are not allowed. 
          Positions Available 
          We have 6 positions available. We will fill all six positions through the NRMP (National Residency Matching Program). 
          Apply 
          We only accept applications submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) 
          We require that all of the following information be submitted by our deadline: 
          • Curriculum Vitae 
          • Medical School Transcript 
          • Minimum of Three (3) letters of recommendation 
          • MSPE/Dean’s letter 
            • Personal statement 
            • Photograph (if selected for interview) 
            • Standard ERAS application 
            • USMLE scores: Step 1 (or equivalent). If additional steps have been completed, those scores should also be submitted. 
            Interviews 

            Interviews will be held in January. Applicants will be contacted in late November and into December regarding their status. Applicants selected for interview will be notified by telephone or email. Applicants selected as alternates and those not selected for interview will be notified by email only. 

            Timeline for Cook County Dermatology Virtual Interview Season: TBD

             

            Additional Information 

            We do consider applications from candidates with prior residency training. 

            Prior to beginning dermatology training with our program, all residents must complete at least 12 months of clinical training in one of the following types of broad-based programs in the U.S. accredited by the  Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)  or a similar program in Canada accredited by the  Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: a transitional year (formerly called flexible first postgraduate year), or a first year residency in emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, or preliminary year. 

            Didactic Curriculum

            The mission of the Cook County Hospital Dermatology Residency Program is to produce excellent clinical dermatologists and leaders in the field of dermatology.
            This is accomplished by providing an educational and analytical environment that encourages personal growth, teamwork, effective communication, compassion, state-of-the-art clinical care, sensitivity to the individual needs of patients, professionalism, collegiality, career-long learning, clinical curiosity, scholarship, and scientific inquiry. 
            Within this framework, the following specific educational objectives will be emphasized: 
            1. Acquisition of proficiency in the dermatopathological diagnosis of skin disease. 
            2. Acquisition of proficiency in the professional communication skills necessary for effective patient care and collegial professional interaction. 
            3. Expansion of personal fund of knowledge concerning clinical, etiological, and pathophysiological aspects of all dermatological disease as reflected by successful completion of national in-training and certifying examinations. 
            4. Gain proficiency in the use of modern educational tools for maximizing the efficiency of lifelong professional learning. 
            5. Mastery of the skills of medical decision-making and judgment relevant to the comprehensive, efficient management of complex medical and procedural dermatologic disease. 
            6. Mastery of the technical skills relevant to the efficient diagnosis and management of general and complex dermatologic disease to the equivalent of that of a conscientious practicing general dermatologist.

              To accomplish these goals, a faculty dedicated to patient care, teaching, scholarship, research, and intellectual curiosity will provide the infrastructure for the resident learning experience. The resident will be expected to be self-motivated, responsive to guidance, willing to invest the time and effort necessary for self-learning, and fully dedicated to patient care and career-long education. 

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