In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many insightful practitioners and great teachers and mentors. Some are bright stars in our special universe–others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share, from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. This column allows us to gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them.
David A. Wetter, MD, is a consultant in the department of dermatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2009 and holds the academic rank of professor of dermatology.
Dr Wetter earned his bachelor of arts from Saint Louis University and his medical degree from Mayo Medical School (where he was selected by his peers as the valedictory speaker in 2004). His Mayo Clinic training includes an internship in internal medicine, residency in dermatology, and fellowship in advanced clinical dermatology.
Dr Wetter’s dermatologic clinical and research interests include medical dermatology, rheumatologic skin disease, and hospital dermatology. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed articles that have been published in leading dermatologic and internal medicine journals.
In addition, he has provided clinical and research mentorship for many residents and medical students and has been selected 3 times as the department of dermatology Teacher of the Year (and has been inducted into the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame) by the Mayo Fellows Association.
Dr. Wetter cherishes his time with his wife (a rheumatologist) and their 3 children. He is also an ardent sports fan and karaoke enthusiast.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. I enjoy the seamless interplay between patient care, education, and clinical research; and the abundant opportunities for a fulfilling career afforded by these interactions. It is an immense privilege to hear our patients’ stories and to experience the confidence and trust they place in us. Teaching the next generation of dermatologists is extremely rewarding and working together with them to diagnose and treat patients who are suffering from skin disease is perhaps when I feel most invigorated in the practice of dermatology.
Q. Are an understanding and appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. Being a good dermatologist requires the ability to relate to people on a deeply human level and to strive to understand the hopes and experiences of our patients from their perspective. What is the shared human experience and how do we express and communicate this to one another? Such questions lay at the heart of the patient-doctor relationship (as well as those relationships we have with our loved ones, friends, and colleagues).
Article continues on page 2
{{pagebreak}}
Q. Who was your mentor and why?
A. Mark Davis, MD, provided me with my first dermatologic research opportunity as a medical student, a retrospective study assessing the use of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment of various skin diseases. When I later joined the faculty of Mayo Clinic, Dr Davis connected me with leaders in medical dermatology through organizations such as the Rheumatologic Dermatology Society, which was instrumental in my career development. Now as I see patients with complex skin diseases and mentor students and residents on research projects, I often reflect on the lessons I learned from Dr Davis and try to weave them into my own clinical practice and research endeavors. He is a consummate colleague and I admire his unparalleled enthusiasm and zest for both dermatology and life.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. A few years ago I saw a middle-aged man with chronic psoriasiform erythroderma who had traveled from a distance to Mayo Clinic. He wore vinyl gloves on top of white petrolatum during most of the day to ease the pain of his severe keratoderma. He had received superb care through his local dermatologic providers, but an exact diagnosis remained elusive despite extensive testing (both locally and at Mayo), and his disease had not responded to several potent systemic medications. He confided that he was a high school teacher, coach, and referee; and continued in these roles in the face of frequent comments from students about his skin condition, as well as worsening of his erythroderma from heat and sweating related to his coaching and referee duties. He showed tremendous resilience despite his debilitating skin disease (and I quietly pondered whether I would be as courageous had I also had his skin condition). This patient unknowingly taught me about displaying strength and dignity during both good and bad times, and his example is one that I hope I can emulate when I encounter adversity in my life.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. My parents taught me to “treat others as you would like to be treated.” From others, I have gleaned the importance of living in (and enjoying) the present rather than always looking ahead to the future; ensuring our final destination does not become more important than the daily journey we take to arrive there. Recently, a book I read about developing a philosophy of life espoused that we should periodically imagine our life without the people and possessions that we most treasure; in this way becoming more grateful for the components of our life including our family, vocation, and health. Admittedly I have not always been successful at heeding these pieces of advice, but hopefully by remaining mindful of them I will be able to continually inch closer to the attainment of these goals in both my personal and professional life.
Dr Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is author-editor of 7 books in dermatology and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature.
In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many insightful practitioners and great teachers and mentors. Some are bright stars in our special universe–others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share, from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. This column allows us to gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them.
David A. Wetter, MD, is a consultant in the department of dermatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2009 and holds the academic rank of professor of dermatology.
Dr Wetter earned his bachelor of arts from Saint Louis University and his medical degree from Mayo Medical School (where he was selected by his peers as the valedictory speaker in 2004). His Mayo Clinic training includes an internship in internal medicine, residency in dermatology, and fellowship in advanced clinical dermatology.
Dr Wetter’s dermatologic clinical and research interests include medical dermatology, rheumatologic skin disease, and hospital dermatology. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed articles that have been published in leading dermatologic and internal medicine journals.
In addition, he has provided clinical and research mentorship for many residents and medical students and has been selected 3 times as the department of dermatology Teacher of the Year (and has been inducted into the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame) by the Mayo Fellows Association.
Dr. Wetter cherishes his time with his wife (a rheumatologist) and their 3 children. He is also an ardent sports fan and karaoke enthusiast.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. I enjoy the seamless interplay between patient care, education, and clinical research; and the abundant opportunities for a fulfilling career afforded by these interactions. It is an immense privilege to hear our patients’ stories and to experience the confidence and trust they place in us. Teaching the next generation of dermatologists is extremely rewarding and working together with them to diagnose and treat patients who are suffering from skin disease is perhaps when I feel most invigorated in the practice of dermatology.
Q. Are an understanding and appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. Being a good dermatologist requires the ability to relate to people on a deeply human level and to strive to understand the hopes and experiences of our patients from their perspective. What is the shared human experience and how do we express and communicate this to one another? Such questions lay at the heart of the patient-doctor relationship (as well as those relationships we have with our loved ones, friends, and colleagues).
Article continues on page 2
{{pagebreak}}
Q. Who was your mentor and why?
A. Mark Davis, MD, provided me with my first dermatologic research opportunity as a medical student, a retrospective study assessing the use of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment of various skin diseases. When I later joined the faculty of Mayo Clinic, Dr Davis connected me with leaders in medical dermatology through organizations such as the Rheumatologic Dermatology Society, which was instrumental in my career development. Now as I see patients with complex skin diseases and mentor students and residents on research projects, I often reflect on the lessons I learned from Dr Davis and try to weave them into my own clinical practice and research endeavors. He is a consummate colleague and I admire his unparalleled enthusiasm and zest for both dermatology and life.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. A few years ago I saw a middle-aged man with chronic psoriasiform erythroderma who had traveled from a distance to Mayo Clinic. He wore vinyl gloves on top of white petrolatum during most of the day to ease the pain of his severe keratoderma. He had received superb care through his local dermatologic providers, but an exact diagnosis remained elusive despite extensive testing (both locally and at Mayo), and his disease had not responded to several potent systemic medications. He confided that he was a high school teacher, coach, and referee; and continued in these roles in the face of frequent comments from students about his skin condition, as well as worsening of his erythroderma from heat and sweating related to his coaching and referee duties. He showed tremendous resilience despite his debilitating skin disease (and I quietly pondered whether I would be as courageous had I also had his skin condition). This patient unknowingly taught me about displaying strength and dignity during both good and bad times, and his example is one that I hope I can emulate when I encounter adversity in my life.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. My parents taught me to “treat others as you would like to be treated.” From others, I have gleaned the importance of living in (and enjoying) the present rather than always looking ahead to the future; ensuring our final destination does not become more important than the daily journey we take to arrive there. Recently, a book I read about developing a philosophy of life espoused that we should periodically imagine our life without the people and possessions that we most treasure; in this way becoming more grateful for the components of our life including our family, vocation, and health. Admittedly I have not always been successful at heeding these pieces of advice, but hopefully by remaining mindful of them I will be able to continually inch closer to the attainment of these goals in both my personal and professional life.
Dr Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is author-editor of 7 books in dermatology and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature.
In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many insightful practitioners and great teachers and mentors. Some are bright stars in our special universe–others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share, from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. This column allows us to gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them.
David A. Wetter, MD, is a consultant in the department of dermatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2009 and holds the academic rank of professor of dermatology.
Dr Wetter earned his bachelor of arts from Saint Louis University and his medical degree from Mayo Medical School (where he was selected by his peers as the valedictory speaker in 2004). His Mayo Clinic training includes an internship in internal medicine, residency in dermatology, and fellowship in advanced clinical dermatology.
Dr Wetter’s dermatologic clinical and research interests include medical dermatology, rheumatologic skin disease, and hospital dermatology. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed articles that have been published in leading dermatologic and internal medicine journals.
In addition, he has provided clinical and research mentorship for many residents and medical students and has been selected 3 times as the department of dermatology Teacher of the Year (and has been inducted into the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame) by the Mayo Fellows Association.
Dr. Wetter cherishes his time with his wife (a rheumatologist) and their 3 children. He is also an ardent sports fan and karaoke enthusiast.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. I enjoy the seamless interplay between patient care, education, and clinical research; and the abundant opportunities for a fulfilling career afforded by these interactions. It is an immense privilege to hear our patients’ stories and to experience the confidence and trust they place in us. Teaching the next generation of dermatologists is extremely rewarding and working together with them to diagnose and treat patients who are suffering from skin disease is perhaps when I feel most invigorated in the practice of dermatology.
Q. Are an understanding and appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. Being a good dermatologist requires the ability to relate to people on a deeply human level and to strive to understand the hopes and experiences of our patients from their perspective. What is the shared human experience and how do we express and communicate this to one another? Such questions lay at the heart of the patient-doctor relationship (as well as those relationships we have with our loved ones, friends, and colleagues).
Article continues on page 2
{{pagebreak}}
Q. Who was your mentor and why?
A. Mark Davis, MD, provided me with my first dermatologic research opportunity as a medical student, a retrospective study assessing the use of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment of various skin diseases. When I later joined the faculty of Mayo Clinic, Dr Davis connected me with leaders in medical dermatology through organizations such as the Rheumatologic Dermatology Society, which was instrumental in my career development. Now as I see patients with complex skin diseases and mentor students and residents on research projects, I often reflect on the lessons I learned from Dr Davis and try to weave them into my own clinical practice and research endeavors. He is a consummate colleague and I admire his unparalleled enthusiasm and zest for both dermatology and life.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. A few years ago I saw a middle-aged man with chronic psoriasiform erythroderma who had traveled from a distance to Mayo Clinic. He wore vinyl gloves on top of white petrolatum during most of the day to ease the pain of his severe keratoderma. He had received superb care through his local dermatologic providers, but an exact diagnosis remained elusive despite extensive testing (both locally and at Mayo), and his disease had not responded to several potent systemic medications. He confided that he was a high school teacher, coach, and referee; and continued in these roles in the face of frequent comments from students about his skin condition, as well as worsening of his erythroderma from heat and sweating related to his coaching and referee duties. He showed tremendous resilience despite his debilitating skin disease (and I quietly pondered whether I would be as courageous had I also had his skin condition). This patient unknowingly taught me about displaying strength and dignity during both good and bad times, and his example is one that I hope I can emulate when I encounter adversity in my life.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. My parents taught me to “treat others as you would like to be treated.” From others, I have gleaned the importance of living in (and enjoying) the present rather than always looking ahead to the future; ensuring our final destination does not become more important than the daily journey we take to arrive there. Recently, a book I read about developing a philosophy of life espoused that we should periodically imagine our life without the people and possessions that we most treasure; in this way becoming more grateful for the components of our life including our family, vocation, and health. Admittedly I have not always been successful at heeding these pieces of advice, but hopefully by remaining mindful of them I will be able to continually inch closer to the attainment of these goals in both my personal and professional life.
Dr Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is author-editor of 7 books in dermatology and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature.
