Important Information for Applicants
Current Residents
PGY-2
Mavra Masood, MD
Mavra Masood, MD
Dermatology
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Hobbies: In my free time I enjoy exploring local coffee shops, reading poetry, learning languages, practicing calligraphy, and going to the VMFA.
Aref Moshayedi, MD
Aref Moshayedi, MD
Dermatology
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Hobbies: photography, cooking, baking, traveling, hiking, graphic design
PGY-3
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Candler Clawson, MD
Candler Clawson, MD
Dermatology
Hometown: Columbia, SC
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Hobbies: traveling, eating out, listening to audiobooks, binge watching Gilmore Girls, and obsessing over Taylor Swift
Marisa Riley, MD
Marisa Riley, MD
Dermatology
Hometown: Haymarket, VA
Undergraduate: University of Scranton
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Hobbies: tennis, golf, exploring new restaurants, weight-lifting, listening to new bands
PGY-4
David Salomonsky, MD
David Salomonsky, MD
Dermatology
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Hobbies: Running, golf, eating peanut butter, hanging out with my family and friends!
Roxana Shirazi, MD
Roxana Shirazi, MD
Dermatology
Hometown: Centreville, VA
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Hobbies: Cooking Persian food, crafting new iced shaken espresso recipes, kayaking, nature walks, checking out new restaurants with friends and family
About the Program
Our competitive residency accepts two applicants each year, and we work closely with residents to design a personalized training experience. Rotations and didactics occur primarily at the VCU Medical Center, its associated clinics and the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). Residents also have the opportunity to rotate through the offices of community physicians who provide subspecialty training in areas like pediatric care and cosmetic procedures.
We also encourage residents to participate in research during their time at VCU.
Curriculum
We are proud to offer a range of diverse, comprehensive educational experiences for our residents. Our program’s curriculum includes the following:
Our attending physicians provide a valuable educational experience for the residents. At the start of most resident continuity clinics, the attending physician supervising that clinic will lead a teaching session consisting of slides, board review material and a multitude of other topics. These meetings occur several times each week.
The Department of Dermatology hosts weekly grand rounds sessions covering a variety of dermatologic subject matter. Past topics have included the following, among many others:
- Dermoscopy
- Laser therapy
- Wound healing
- Alopecia
- Mycosis fungoides
- Patch testing, among many others.
Featuring speakers from academic medical centers across the country who are experts in their field of study, grand rounds are well-attended by faculty, residents and community physicians.
Given the multitude of complex pathology seen in our daily clinics and on our hospital consult service, this conference is designed as a forum for discussion of these cases. Residents lead patient presentations with emphasis on physical examination findings, challenges in diagnosis/management and other relevant learning points. Both residents and faculty participate.
In the era of evidence-based medicine, residents are expected to develop and exercise analytical skills in relation to dermatologic literature. Journal club is designed to provide residents with this opportunity. With faculty members present to facilitate the discussions, residents summarize selected journal articles with a focus on practical applications and critical review of the studies.
In these weekly meetings, each resident organizes and prepares educational material based on the dermatology core curriculum which is then taught to his or her co-residents. To ensure that all necessary material is covered, a resident-designed study schedule is provided to accompany these sessions.
The dermatopathology curriculum utilizes a multifaceted approach to teaching. Residents go to a weekly conference attended by both faculty and community dermatopathologists. Challenging cases are presented, with an emphasis on clinical-pathological correlation. Residents are encouraged to share difficult cases from the clinical setting or from the inpatient consult service. This is followed by various slide reviews and a comprehensive dermatopathology lecture series.
On a weekly basis, a fellowship-trained dermatologist will provide additional didactic lectures covering key concepts in pediatric dermatology, surgical dermatology and dermatopathology.
Apply Now
The VCU Department of Dermatology participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), and those interested in our program can apply using the Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS) offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Application Requirements
- Completed ERAS application
- Medical school transcripts
- Dean’s letter
- Four letters of recommendation from physicians in the U.S. or Canada
- United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores
- Step 1 is required
- Step 2 is optional but preferred
- ECFMG certificate (for international applicants)
For the 2022 ERAS® cycle, our program will strongly encourage all applicants to complete a supplemental ERAS application, offered through the AAMC’s ERAS program. Applicants also will be required to complete the MyERAS application.
The additional information will help our program staff learn more about applicants’ medical education journey, including more meaningful information about work, volunteer, and research experiences, and help us better identify applicants who fit our program environment and mission.
This supplemental ERAS application will be delivered on a survey platform outside the MyERAS application and must be completed between September 1 and September 30.