Women's Dermatologic Society

Things I Wish I Had Have Done Differently at My First Job   Advocate for yourself - Don’t be afraid to be firm in your requests in contract negotiation, for instance a signing bonus or payment structure. - Make sure maternity leave or family leave policies are clear. Don’t be afraid to ask for more time than what is originally offered. - Be firm with your support staff regarding boundaries and tasks, which can be even more challenging if you stayed where you completed residency. - Maintain connections with mentors and groups like the WDS who may be able to provide resources for practice management or avenues to hone or learn new skills to implement in the clinic. Consider the practical “nuts and bolts” of the job - Review your clinic schedule templates with young physician colleagues before starting. Build in “buffer slots” or longer visit times in the beginning to prevent yourself from falling far behind in the clinic. - Don’t overextend yourself with clinic hours. Administrative ...

 By Dr. Suzanne Alkul 1. Take part in something bigger than yourself and your immediate community . WDS is a community of supportive women and men whose goal is to advance women in dermatology. It is inspiring to meet and talk with these leaders and role models in the field. Being a part of this organization will ignite (or re-ignite) your passion for mentorship, community service, and giving back in any other way. We all have someone (or a group of someones) that have helped and guided us to where we are today. It is essential that we provide this assistance to those who will come after us. Being a WDS resident liaison will help facilitate this mission.   2. Mentorship opportunities. You will meet a lot of inspiring women and men in WDS as you serve your term. You have a unique opportunity to be able to connect with someone you otherwise would never have met and ask them to be your mentor.   3. Networking . No matter your post residency plans, fellowship, star...

  By Azeen Sadeghian, MD, FAAD Working within healthcare presents many challenges and as a physician, your role extends beyond an understanding of medicine to encompass a wider scope of personal and business functionalities.  Being a physician means being a team leader that works with a wide range of individuals on multiple teams. This includes your innermost medical team such as assistants and residents, as well as an extended outer team including administrators, vendors, societies, etc. You are inherently leading, defining, delegating, and setting expectations every day. This is seen at all levels of medicine from residents managing students, attendings managing residents, physicians managing their care teams, physicians being in administrator roles and more. Managing is central to every role a physician takes and its importance must not be overlooked.  In addition to the type of teams you work with, the scale of projects that physicians manage ranges in size and impo...

By Shadi Damanpour, MD Molly Hinshaw, MD is an Associate Professor and Chief of Dermatopathology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health in Madison, WI where she also completed her undergraduate and medical training. Dr. Hinshaw completed her dermatology residency the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and her dermatopathology fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Science Center. Dr. Hinshaw is very active in multiple professional organizations and passionate about her volunteer efforts. She is a member of the UW Hospital medical board and past president of the Wisconsin Dermatological Society. In addition to her role in the WDS, she served as a Section Editor for JAMA Dermatology and an Advisory Board Member of the AAD. She has served on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County, matching children with adult mentors. Dr. Hinshaw is the author of over thirty peer-reviewed publications. Her ...

By Samantha Schneider, MD The Women’s Dermatologic Society is a wonderful community of Dermatologists, made up of both men and women, which supports the personal and professional growth of its members and their communities. Founded in 1973, WDS has provided Dermatologists at all levels in their career the opportunity to connect personally and build lasting relationships while growing professionally and making a difference. There are so many ways to become involved – Join Us Today !   VOLUNTEER:  Impact Your Community   WDS has a presence in our local, regional, and international communities through a variety of outreach programs and grassroots campaigns. As Dermatologists, we know that sun safety is extremely important. As such, WDS has created multiple avenues through which to educate our patients and communities including skin cancer screenings and prevention outreach, sun safety education, and addressing total women’s health through the dermatology gateway. Pla...

A Female Dermatologist’s Guide to Being a Leader By Azeen Sadeghian, MD “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” ~ John C. Maxwell Being a physician equips us, in a way, to naturally become leaders. Many of the traits needed to exemplify excellent patient care are also traits that are seen in strong leaders. Not only that, we are expected to step into our roles as archetypal leaders. We are held to a higher standard in serving. Medical decision making is not the only thing expected of us. For example, many of us serve on dermatologic or medical committees, volunteer in our communities, or manage clinical personnel. The reason why leadership is something we should talk about is because it’s something we all face as physicians. The leadership role we encounter is not limited to the business realm of being a manager or owner, it exceeds that. A friend recently loaned me an article from the Harvard Business R...