The department offers a three-year program leading to eligibility for certification by the American Board of Dermatology. All positions are offered through the Dermatology Residency Matching Program.

The department consists of a chief and other full-time dermatologists. The full-time faculty includes a pediatric dermatologist, a chemosurgeon, a dermatologic surgeon, a dermatopathologist, a microbiologist/mycologist and several laboratory scientists. Specialized departmental treatment facilities include a PUVA treatment center, a MOHS chemosurgery unit and two active dermatology inpatient services.

A scientific approach to disease of the skin is emphasized throughout the training program. Thirty-three inpatient beds located in Cedars Medical Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center provide an opportunity for the careful observation of disease processes and critical evaluation of therapy. A new inpatient unit at Cedars is specially designed for treating skin disease and includes an isolation room, all one-bed rooms, specialized lighting in patient rooms, specialized bathing facilities, a dermatology treatment room, a well-equipped clinical laboratory and an ultraviolet light treatment box as well as a specially trained staff of dermatology nurses and personnel. Within this milieu, high quality patient care is standard, and residents take full responsibility for patients assigned to them under the supervision of the chief resident and full-time faculty. Approximately 50,000 outpatient visits a year in three different clinical settings round out the clinical and research experience throughout. Ready access to a departmental library makes specialized literature easily available. Standard texts are located in patient care areas.

First Year Residency - 12 Months (PGY-2)
The first year is divided into several periods. During one period the resident's primary responsibility is the supervision of the inpatient service. During the remaining periods, the resident attends the university and Veterans Administration clinics under the supervision of attending physicians. Emphasis is placed upon careful observation and controlled use of therapeutic measures. Clinical and basic science conferences are designed to supplement a scholarly approach to education. They are designed to foster the interchange of ideas and to encourage critical thought.

Second-Year Residency - 12 Months (PGY-3)
The second-year residency is devoted to the acquisition of a firm foundation in the basic sciences and clinical practices of dermatology with a portion of the year being devoted to histopathology of the skin under the direct supervision of a full-time dermatopathologist. Pediairic dermatology is an area stressed in the second year with clinical experience being acquired in the Jackson pediatric dermatology clinic run jointly by the Departments of Pediatrics and Dermatology. All clinical training is adequately supervised by an attending dermatologist from the community. Conferences and seminars are plentiful. Critical reading in depth is expected, and original research by the resident is encouraged.

Third-Year Residency - 12 Months (PGY-4)
At this level considerable latitude is available depending on the individual's interest. In addition to a continuation of at least a portion of the activities outlined in the more formal first and second years, the resident will assume more responsibilities as the Chief Resident and a period as resident for consultations throughout the hospital. Several mornings a week are devoted to surgical training including such procedures as hair transplants, scalp reductions, extensive removals of tumors, skin grafting, placement of flaps, etc. on a one-to-one basis with an experienced skin surgeon. It is expected that some clinical or laboratory studies will be accomplished during the residency period, and that these will be published by the residents as part of their training in medical writing and communications.