Big Wigs in Dermatology

[ehlersdanlos]

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In the "What are my chances" threads, posters reference getting letters from the big wigs.

How do I find out who the big wigs are?

I need help figuring this out, and am running out of time because I am a third year without any derm related activities. Any help at all would be desired!

(Please PM me if you don't want to post in the thread.)

 

[asmallchild]

In the "What are my chances" threads, posters reference getting letters from the big wigs.

How do I find out who the big wigs are?

I need help figuring this out, and am running out of time because I am a third year without any derm related activities. Any help at all would be desired!

(Please PM me if you don't want to post in the thread.)

A lot of this depends on what kind of applicant you are. If your Step scores are off the charts, you're AOA, etc etc, I would just focus on getting letters from your home department, perhaps one away, and be done with it.

If you are missing things on your application package, the quality of your letters will matter more.

As an aside, you don't simply stroll into a bigwig's office and ask for a letter. It often requires putting in time (and often, more time than a simple 4 week rotation as a 4th year) to really get a meaningful letter.

 

[Dral]

Well, how do you plan to connect with them in a meaningful way to get a letter?

You will likely do away rotations at the end of 3rd year/beginning of 4th year. Most places you rotate at will have a 'big wig', but the question arises whether you will be able to get a letter from them.

The best way to find out is to attend the AAD in March and try to meet people. You can ask around then. You can ask them how receptive their program is to outside rotators...then apply using VSAS and hope for the best. They are often very busy people and it is thus difficult to find time to spend with them.

Remember, you want a quality letter from someone who knows you and can really speak to your abilities...not just someone who asks for your CV and regurgitates it in a letter (not saying that's bad on their part, but it looks bad on your part because they had to write the letter that way since they didn't get to know you well enough).

 

[ehlersdanlos]

Hey @asmallchild and @Dral

Thanks for the replies. I want to take a research year because I want to strengthen my application and because I eventually want to go into academics. The rest of my app is good for Step scores and rotations so far. Ideally I want to set up a research year with big wigs so I can knock out two birds with one stone, but I need to figure out who is considered a big wig or not. I feel that it might be strange and not kosher to ask who the big wigs are if I went to AAD...

 

[Dral]

Ok, well good place to start: look up the authors/editors of Derm texts and google search them. Most of them tend to be some of the big names.

 

[Tamahawk]

Without putting much additional thought into this, I would start by considering a research year at UPenn, UCSF, Harvard, Mayo Clinic, Stanford,
MD Anderson, Wake Forest, or perhaps Yale, or NYU. I've known people who have done varying amounts of research at each place and they have all done very well in the match.

That said, I'm sure there are other places that are fine too.

 

[qw098]

Without putting much additional thought into this, I would start by considering a research year at UPenn, UCSF, Harvard, Mayo Clinic, Stanford,
MD Anderson, Wake Forest, or perhaps Yale, or NYU. I've known people who have done varying amounts of research at each place and they have all done very well in the match.

That said, I'm sure there are other places that are fine too.

+1 strong list.

I'd add Northwestern to that list too.

 

[deltamed]

Hey @asmallchild and @Dral

Thanks for the replies. I want to take a research year because I want to strengthen my application and because I eventually want to go into academics. The rest of my app is good for Step scores and rotations so far. Ideally I want to set up a research year with big wigs so I can knock out two birds with one stone, but I need to figure out who is considered a big wig or not. I feel that it might be strange and not kosher to ask who the big wigs are if I went to AAD...

Easy. Chiefs at the large programs are "big wigs" (as in most academic attendings will know who they are and they will have a lot of political clout).

Other than that look up who has a lot of grant money - ie has multiple RO1 grants and has held them for many years. This is public info.

In terms of rotating many of these "big wigs" do mostly research/admin so may just do 1 specialty clinic a week or a month. If you can do a subspecialty rotation there may be some facetime. Otherwise probably not unless you are doing a research year in their lab.

 

[ehlersdanlos]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been following all of your advice and doing some intense googling.

From my afternoon of searching, it seems to me that "big wigs" don't publish as much as other people in their departments? In this case, would it be advisable that I still attempt to pursue a research year with them or should I go for a probably not as big name, but very prolific PI?

 

[deltamed]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been following all of your advice and doing some intense googling.

From my afternoon of searching, it seems to me that "big wigs" don't publish as much as other people in their departments? In this case, would it be advisable that I still attempt to pursue a research year with them or should I go for a probably not as big name, but very prolific PI?

Arguably if you work with a chairman (or vice chairman) at a big department this may give more political clout in the admission process than a prolific publisher. Of course it depends on the specific situation though.

Keep in mind either way you'd be lucky. Often times you wont have a choice (or an opportunity for either one) so you take what you can get.