The linked roles of research and mentorship in dermatology matching success

Abstract

To the Editor: We read the response of Yeh et al1Yeh C, Desai AD, Wilson BN, et al. Cross-sectional analysis of scholarly work and mentor relationships in matched dermatology residency applicants. J Am Acad Dermatol. Published online June 29, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2021.06.861Google Scholar to our recent study2Ogidi P, Ahmed F, Cahn BA, Chu B, Lipoff JB. Medical schools as gatekeepers: a survey and analysis of factors predicting dermatology residency placement. J Am Acad Dermatol. Published online September 20, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2021.09.027Google Scholar with great interest and appreciate their further analysis of scholarly work and mentorship in the dermatology match process. Our analysis of dermatology residents highlighted the importance of research and exposure in dermatology match success while hypothesizing the importance of mentorship.2Ogidi P, Ahmed F, Cahn BA, Chu B, Lipoff JB. Medical schools as gatekeepers: a survey and analysis of factors predicting dermatology residency placement. J Am Acad Dermatol. Published online September 20, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2021.09.027Google Scholar As Yeh et al suggest with their study, research is an important factor in dermatology match success. Furthermore, mentorship, research output, and residency program presence are all linked factors that may improve an applicant's match success; however, there are limitations to both of our analyses. We note that the trend observed in the study by Yeh et al was documented using data from residents at the top 25 Doximity reputation-ranked residency programs. As academic dermatology hubs, these programs may value an applicant's research experience and subsequent research mentorship more than the other 118 residency programs that train the majority of dermatologists. Further analysis of our data showed that, regardless of an institution's reputation or research output reported by Doximity, students benefited from having access to dermatology mentors: 1174 (83.5%) of 1406 residents attended medical schools with a home dermatology residency affiliation. Certainly, the research productivity from mentorship contributed to success in the match; however, it remains unclear how much of this effect is attributable to other benefits of mentorship, such as professional networking, letters of recommendation, and residency application advising. Although the number of applicants with home dermatology residency affiliation is not available for comparison, there are 143 dermatology programs compared with 193 MD/DO-granting schools and many more foreign schools. It is important to note that the school affiliation with a residency program itself does not necessarily mean that a student will access a mentor and find support. Among schools with residency affiliations, there are still variations in the number of students matching. In a study of matched urology residents, students applying from Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine significantly found match success compared with any other school.3Kutikov A. Bonslaver J. Casey J.T. et al.The gatekeeper disparity—why do some medical schools send more medical students into urology?.J Urol. 2011; 185: 647-652https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2010.09.113Google Scholar Interestingly, the study detailed that Northwestern's third-year and fourth-year students were assigned to a mentor in the field as a part of the clerkship year experience. Institutional curricular choices and requirements such as this one may positively benefit students interested in dermatology, and further studies analyzing this effect are warranted. A limitation of our and Yeh et al's data sets is that we could assess the outcomes of only matched dermatology residents rather than all applicants, including unmatched applicants. Future research may consider assessments of differences between matched and unmatched applicants. In conclusion, as previous studies have documented, professional societies, dermatologists at other institutions, and even social media can provide access to mentors who may not be accessible at one's own institution.4Fernandez J.M. Behbahani S. Marsch A.F. A guide for medical students and trainees to find virtual mentorship in the COVID era and beyond.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021; 84: e245-e248https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2020.12.075Google Scholar,5Zheng D.X. Mulligan K.M. Scott J.F. #DermTwitter and digital mentorship in the COVID-19 era.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021; 85: e17-e18https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2021.03.101Google Scholar None disclosed. Scaling the gates: Mentor relationships and scholarly work facilitate dermatology residency placementJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 86Issue 5PreviewTo the Editor: We read with interest the study by Ogidi et al1 investigating the association between medical school characteristics and the number of matched dermatology residency applicants. The authors reported that from 2017 to 2020, more students from medical schools affiliated with dermatology residency programs (8.9 vs 3.9; P < .001) and those with dermatology clerkship rotations (10.7 vs 7.3; P < .001) matched into dermatology residencies than those from medical schools without dermatology residency programs and those without dermatology clerkship rotations. Full-Text PDF CME examinationJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 87Issue 3Preview Full-Text PDF