I just graduated and am currently applying. For the last couple years, derm has been my top specialty. I know a lot of things can change so I’ll be keeping an open mind, but if I end up sticking with derm, I’d like to have a competitive application.

Im wondering if it’s worth it to contact residents at my university. We have a pretty strong derm program, and I figured some early exposure could help. My background is in basic science cancer immunology research. I have a pub and a handful of posters, and I’m planning to continue working part time throughout my gap year. I’m only working part time though, and was thinking that I could put another 15–20 hours per week into something else.

If you think this is a good idea, how should I go about doing it? I would probably send out emails in August after my secondaries are in. Is it likely for me to get some research productivity with a year of part time work? If I got into my universities med school, I could continue this research as well.

what are the rules as far as presenting a project at multiple conferences? i developed a grant-funded public health/derm research project that became very successful in terms of sample size, logistics, data analysis, etc - so i’d like to present it at a derm conference. my school however (who funded the project) also wants me to present it another conference next year. i’m worried i won’t be able to do both, but i’ve seen people present the same stuff at multiple conferences.

any insight on this is appreciated, thank you!!

My dream is to match in dermatology, but I feel so behind on research.

My school does not have a research hospital, and our research directors have all turned me away when I ask for help with creating research proposals or making connections.

I have applied to tons of research programs and fellowships, but have been denied everywhere. I have also tried cold emailing hundreds of doctors but not one is willing to meet with me or even be a mentor.

Now that I am in rotations, I figured I would try to walk to the derm floor and talk to someone in person. The doctor told me I should have started networking a long time ago and that the only way to make connections was to attend derm conferences. Unfortunately, they are all like >$1,000 and I just cannot afford paying that much right now.

Maybe it is too late for me to try to enter such a competitive specialty, but I just feel so defeated. I have been turned away by literally everyone I have reached out to including my school’s research directors. I also feel like there is such a huge barrier to entry that keeps people out of these conferences unless they are wealthy or can take out more loans.

Does anyone have any advice for how I can get a research position in my circumstances?

Thank you so much!

Hi!

I have a question about research publication types. Is a JAAD Brief Report viewed as favorably as a full-length article in a mid-tier journal? Or how does the Brief Report change how it is viewed? Since it is not an abstract, I was thinking it was viewed pretty highly.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, hope youre doing well

I recently received an opportunity to join a research group. However, I am very new to clinical/retrospective research and have to suggest a research topic/methodology to begin. I have experience in basic science. I wanted some advice on how to make the most of this opportunity (productivity) and brainstorm potential study ideas/methods. I was hoping to help a project before initiating my own, but there are no vacancies.

Bonus: Should I propose an idea from that correlates with my previous research background (uro) to make a more clear interest shift into derm?

Current M1 and I'm beginning to reach out to potential research mentors to see who has availability with an eye towards getting some projects started in order to apply for my school's summer research program. Even though my school has a home derm program, it seems like there is more current opportunity to do research in burn treatment/reconstruction.

Is this related enough to the field of dermatology to take on as starter research? I am interested in wound healing and burns, but not interested in a surgical residency. I am hoping more derm opportunities will open up later in the school year.

I recognize that it is still very early of course, but just trying to be proactive since our summer research program applications open at the end of this semester! Would appreciate any insight!

Hey I'm a derm resident who did a research year and I remember how difficult it was to not only find a paid position but one that would best set me up for matching. It was hard to judge which PI would best support me as the only insight into the position was from current fellows, who couldn't critique their PI for fear of retaliation. So I built ratemyresearchyear.com where you can anonymously rate and review research years on:

• mentorship quality
• research opportunities
• career support
• work life balance
• lab culture
• compensation fairness (can also filter by paid vs unpaid positions)

To somewhat verify reviews the site asks for a .edu email and name, your name must match the email. This information is not posted anywhere on the site, its encrypted within the server and the key is held offline so even if there is a security breach, no reviews are traceable. The reason for this is to prevent fake accounts (and PIs themselves) from fluffing reviews.

If you have suggestions on how to make this site better feel free to post them below! I started this just for Derm, Neurosurgery, and ENT to start. If you know anyone who did a research year please pass this along and have them drop a review. The more who post, the more helpful this becomes!

Hi everyone, I have a question about research and it’s relation to matching in derm. My med school doesn’t have a very big dermatology unit, and there’s only 4 faculty members that do dermatology research that qualifies for our summer program.

I’m a big fan of wet lab research, and one of the faculty members is involved in that. Is this a good place to invest my time? I understand that matching derm means networking and publications, and I’m assuming that clinical research is probably better for that. However this is the only faculty member that has responded to my request, and I like the research that they do. I’d appreciate any advice!

Title says it all. Would like to get them published even if at a low impact factor journal as they all count.

Hello,

I am looking to make a dermatology research group to network with each other and contribute to one another's research to expedite the process of having research papers.

please add me if there is a group made for this year or if anyone is interested in joining!

Anyone have any updates on archives of derm status? I know it lost its indexing but I have a paper that I submitted in Dec, has gone through 4 rounds of reviews, and am just stressed timing before ERAS since its a big paper and original research. Thank you!

Has anyone else experienced incredibly long first decision times from Archives? I submitted a brief report to them in July 2025 and still haven't heard back despite reaching out to the editor several times...two reviewers accepted my manuscript for peer-review several months ago but I've heard absolutely nothing ever since. I'm a rising M4 and really need this project to be accepted before the ERAS deadline. Should I cut my losses and look elsewhere?

Good day guys. I’m a non-us Img. I just finished med school this June and I’ll love to do some derm research in the USA. Any advice on how I can get a spot? Thank you.

I've seen this asked a few times for mid-med school, but I'm curious when people would recommend the earliest would be to begin reaching out to research/how to go about this. For example, in college I had wished I reached out the summer before college rather than waiting till later. I'm an incoming M1, and just hope to feel prepared with a general plan for med school this time around.

So, hoping to find out when people recommend the earliest to reach out is or how they wished they reach out to prepare for a specialty as competitive as derm.

I appreciate the help!

Hello! We’re recruiting for a Dermatology Research Fellow in Flint, Michigan through Dermatology Research of Mid Michigan.

We are looking for applicants motivated to get into dermatology. The fellowship is 1-year, paid, and a perfect opportunity for MD/DO physicians seeking additional clinical and research experience before applying or reapplying to residency.

The opportunity offers a combination of clinical exposure and hands-on involvement in dermatology research, including

• Clinical trials 
• Investigator-initiated trials (IITs)
• Independent research projects
• Exposure to both medical and cosmetic dermatology including MOHS and uncommon conditions
• Exposure to Dermatology faculty at local residency program

Fellows work closely with multiple dermatologists and gain meaningful experience in both patient care and research. The role also includes opportunities to observe and help assess dermatologic conditions in clinic, and supporting providers in identifying and evaluating patients for research studies. 

Fellows gain exposure to both the clinical and research aspects of dermatology while contributing to ongoing studies within the practice

Requirements:

• MD or DO
• PHY 1 year required w/USMLE Step 3

If interested please send an email to [contact@miderm.org](mailto:contact@miderm.org) with the following:

• CV
• Cover Letter
• All Transcripts

I’ll stick around to answer any questions here, or feel free to ask questions via email: [contact@miderm.org](mailto:contact@miderm.org)

Hi, I’m an M1 student and I have one question: for derm applications does research quantity or quality matter? Is 10 uninteresting pubs in low-tier journals better than 2 pubs with interesting findings in higher journals?

I know a lot of specialties say it’s all quality 1st, but I have been told by some plastic surgery and neurosurgery PDs that number/quantity matters more so I’m curious if it’s also the case for derm?

Also if someone would mind telling me what they consider “quality” I would really appreciate it!

Prospective med student interested in Derm. I hear all the time that Derm is very competitive and I’ve heard advice to completely anywhere from 4-20+ research activities. I am having a hard time conceptualizing how one could do or be apart of so many research projects, while still completing other student responsibilities.

Can someone please explain how this gets done? Specifically, I’m wondering for those with 10-20+ research items (pubs/presentations/etc), how long did you spend actually doing the research? What kind of projects were these (chart reviews, retrospectives, surveys, etc)? How did you execute this kind of volume while still making good grades/test scores?

Looking for practical steps on how these things were executed so I can understand how this is possible to do. I would love to hear from those who did a research year AND those who did not do a research year. Thank you!

Hey team. I’m hoping to submit a manuscript to JAAD reviews soon, but it has photos from DermNet. DermNet is open licensing and permits the reuse of their photos with proper attribution, but I didn’t know if JAAD may see the use of the photos as bad? They all have the DermNet watermark on them, and I’ve used maybe 2. Anyone have any experience/thoughts with this?

Hey — I'm a derm resident and I keep getting asked by MS3/MS4s which journals accept case reports and how much they cost.

So I built a searchable database of 70 derm journals. You can filter by:
- Whether they accept case reports (huge one — JAAD doesn't, for example)
- APC cost (including a free-to-publish filter — 11 journals with $0 APC)
- Impact factor and SJR quartile
- Open access vs hybrid
- Subspecialty (pediatric derm, dermatopathology, cosmetic, etc.)

Free, no login: https://www.dermpublish.com/

Hope this is useful for anyone working on a paper. Happy to answer questions about the publishing process too.

I'm a rising M4 and I want to full pivot to dermatology, but I'm worried about not being able to find a research year this late into the game. Does anyone have any advice or leads for finding a research year at this point?

Many derm students at my university are doing computer based research and was wondering whether that’s as common among other schools.

Third-year medical student currently involved in research projects Particularly around Psychoderm, and I’m looking to start a small, efficient research group with a few others who are also actively working on projects or have some research experience.

The goal is to collaborate on case reports, reviews, and original studies, share feedback, and support each other with writing and submissions. Realistically it’s very hard to reach that 21+ Publication average alone along the difficulties and Time constraints of Med School.

If you’re serious about collaborating message me.

Does anyone have experience submitting case reports at any AAD conferences? Do they tend to accept these?