Virtual mentorship in dermatology: The beginning of a new era of dermatology training in India

Abstract

To the editor, The dermatology training in resource-constrained settings such as India largely focuses on clinical dermatology due to the large patient base and limitation of subspecialty trained dermatologists only in the tier-one cities, making it difficult for the trainees to find a suitable mentor and pursue their interest in a subspecialty of interest. “Mentorship” is a process whereby an experienced “mentor” gains a strong sense of satisfaction by guiding a junior “mentee” to learn, develop ideas, and aid in personal or professional development in an area of interest.1Standing Committee on Postgraduate Medical and Dental EducationAn enquiry into mentoring. A SCOPME Report. Department of Health, London1998Google Scholar,2Narang I. Das A. Sarkar R. Mentorship in dermatology-a beginner's guide.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2021; 12: 907-911https://doi.org/10.4103/idoj.idoj_293_21Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar The need for mentorship in dermatology can arise at the pre-training, in-training, early or late (>10 years) after graduation.2Narang I. Das A. Sarkar R. Mentorship in dermatology-a beginner's guide.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2021; 12: 907-911https://doi.org/10.4103/idoj.idoj_293_21Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar Recently, the dermatology mentorship program in India has garnered attention with the launch of 2 mentorship initiatives by the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists, and Leprologists (IADVL). In February 2022, the GuruDerma—An IADVL Virtual Mentorship Program was launched. In Hindi, “Guru” means “an experienced teacher.” Following a merit-based protocol, selected applicants were paired with senior expert dermatology “mentors” from India, having expertise in different fields such as leadership, work-life balance, setting up a clinical practice, dermatopathology, autoimmune diseases, immunobullous disorders, cosmetic dermatology, HIV/AIDS, pediatric dermatology, and skin of color. In a period of 8 weeks, the mentor “virtually” met the designated mentees 6 times. The initial meeting aimed at the establishment of a mentor–mentee relationship and identify the mentees’ academic, professional, and personal goal, followed by regular meetings to train the mentees to achieve their predetermined goals (Fig 1).2Narang I. Das A. Sarkar R. Mentorship in dermatology-a beginner's guide.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2021; 12: 907-911https://doi.org/10.4103/idoj.idoj_293_21Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar,3Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and LeprologistsCall for applications from interested members for the IADVL mentorship program.https://www.iadvl.org/announcements.php?AnnouncementId=620bdf7e9f2d29554542bc62Google Scholar The IADVL Leadership Pipeline Program was started in February 2022, with the aim to hone the leadership skills of young to middle-aged dermatologists, by training them for the betterment of IADVL in future. After inviting applications, the selected candidates met the mentors “virtually,” every weekend for 5 consecutive weeks.4Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and LeprologistsCall for applications from IADVL members for the IADVL leadership pipeline program 2022.https://www.iadvl.org/announcements.php?AnnouncementId=620dea609f2d296d10541f22Google Scholar The Skin of Color Society (SOCS) Mentorship Program 2022–2023 chose Dr. Shreya Deoghare (SD) to undertake a 1-year mentorship under Dr. Rashmi Sarkar (RS). This was very successful because the mentor (RS) recognized the mentee’s (SD) interest in skin of color and pigmentary disorders during the introductory session; conducted several interactive teaching sessions; paired SD with her other mentees with similar interests from the IADVL GuruDerma mentorship program; thereby facilitating networking, and at the conclusion, guided the mentees to design their own research projects (Fig 1). The challenges of a virtual mentorship program that need to be addressed include the loss of visual cues, the requirement for a stable internet connection, and the time zone difference for mentees from different countries. Before the start of this formal mentorship program by IADVL, few dermatologists in India5Nayak P. Sarkar R. Otrofanowe E. et al.Virtual mentorship in dermatology.Int J Dermatol. 2022; 61: 895-899https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.16189Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar including the author (SD) herself, approached senior and distinguished faculty (RS) members through the mentorship program by the International Society of Dermatology (ISD) and SOCS, respectively. These recently launched IADVL mentorship program will make it simpler for a number of young dermatologists in India to identify and connect with distinguished and subspecialty trained dermatologists in their own country; eliminating the competition with international applicants that was the case with the ISD and SOCS Mentorship Program. Table I lists the virtual mentorship opportunities available for Indian dermatologists.Table IVirtual mentorship opportunities available for Indian dermatologistsSr. NoNameAreas of interest1.IADVL GuruDermaDepends on the mentor – Phototherapy, Immune-bullous disorders, Contact dermatitis, Cosmetic dermatology, Pediatric dermatology, HIV/AIDs, Urticaria, Dermatophytosis, Tropical dermatology, Dermatopathology, Pigmentary Dermatology2.IADVL Leadership Pipeline ProgramTraining the future leaders, who have the potential to be a committee member of IADVL3.ISD Mentorship ProgramDepends on the mentor4.SOCS Mentorship ProgramPigmentary disorders, Skin of Color, General Dermatology, Aesthetic DermatologyIADVL, The Indian Association of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprosy; ISD, the International Society of Dermatology; SOCS, The Skin of Color Society. Open table in a new tab IADVL, The Indian Association of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprosy; ISD, the International Society of Dermatology; SOCS, The Skin of Color Society. None disclosed.