ASDS announces application deadline for cosmetic surgery fellowship accreditation program
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery announced its deadline for dermatology fellowship programs and practices seeking to begin a fellowship program to apply for accreditation status for the society’s new cosmetic dermatologic surgery program.
ASDS began the Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery Fellowship Accreditation Program in 2013 “to promote comprehensive — and accredited — post-residency training in cosmetic dermatologic surgery procedures,” according to a press release. The deadline for applications is June 15.
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Mitchel P. Goldman
“Residents are required to perform skin cancer surgery and repairs of surgical defects, but receive limited exposures to fillers, neuromodulators and lasers, just to name a few gaps,” Mitchel P. Goldman, MD, ASDS president, said in a press release. “This is happening at the same time as there is more patient demand than ever for cosmetic procedures.”
Fellowship programs must have at least two faculty members for the educational needs of one fellow and an average of at least 1,000 combined cases per year in five of the following eight categories during the past five years: wrinkles and folds, body contouring, rejuvenation, lifting, resurfacing, hair treatments, veins and scar revision. Patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning, interpersonal skills, professionalism and system-based practice are core competencies of the program.
“The current [Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education] ACGME Procedural Dermatology Fellowship program is mostly Mohs, excision and repair,” Mathew Avram, MD, JD, chair of the ASDS Accreditation Work Group, which oversees the accreditation program, said in the release. “We thought it was vitally important to establish high-quality training standards similar to those set by ACGME and Mohs College, but for specialized training in aesthetic dermatology.”
Both ASDS members and non-members are eligible for the program. Provisional acceptance or denial will be made in July and final decisions in October. ASDS-accredited programs are one year long and begin on July 1, Aug. 1 or Sept. 1 of each calendar year. Additional information is available at www.asds.net/cosmetic-accreditation.