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.
Dr. James Q. Del Rosso obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York in 1976. He then graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio, in 1982 followed by a 3-year dermatology residency through Doctors Hospital, Plantation, Florida at Atlantic Skin Disease & Skin Surgery Association (Class of 1986) and is Board Certified in Dermatology by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology (AOBD) since February 1988. He also holds a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Mohs Micrographic Surgery from the AOA and AOBD since 1995.
Starting January 1997, Dr. Del Rosso joined Las Vegas Skin & Cancer Clinics in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. Here he continued his practice of general medical and surgical dermatology and Mohs Micrographic Surgery that still remains very active, and has expanded his clinical research and educational activities significantly over the ensuing years. He is adjunct clinical professor, dermatology, at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, Nevada.
Dr. Del Rosso has been the clinical editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology since this journal’s inception and has served for 4 years through 2012 as editor of the Yearbook of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. In addition, he serves on the Editorial Board of Cutis and the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, the latter as a frequent Guest Editor of the annual Acne & Rosacea issue for the past 6 years. He is also the co-director of the Fall Clinical Dermatology, Winter Clinical Dermatology,and Real World Dermatology for Residents meetings held each year. He is past-president of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, Council for Nail Disorders, American Society for Mohs Surgery, and most recently, the American Acne and Rosacea Society, where he has remained as chair of the Education Committee. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Del Rosso has served as dermatology residency program director at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. What I enjoy the most is not one thing, but the spectrum of what I do as a dermatologist. This includes an active clinical practice in both medical and surgical dermatology; clinical research; clinical teaching; presenting 5 to10 times per month at local, state, national and international meetings (both CME and non-CME); participating as an advisor with selected dermatologists in designated groups that analyze available information to synthesize what is most clinically relevant; serving as an advisor to companies or their affiliates to assist them in gleaning accurate information from study data and writing many dermatology publications which I almost always do myself with little to no writing assistance.
Through hard work, I have been blessed with these opportunities, and get to interact with very smart people. All of these activities, which comprise my work collectively, allow me to be somewhat unique among my colleagues in dermatology, at least that is what many of them tell me. Ultimately, I strive to understand pathophysiology and mechanisms of action of therapies, and work hard to translate and properly simplify relevant correlations that help clinicians achieve better outcomes when treating their patients. As the dynamic and brilliant Coco Chanel said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different,” but to be irreplaceable you must also do great work. I hope my patients and my colleagues believe they can always count on me to do great work.
Q. Are an understanding and appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. I believe it is important to appreciate the beauty of nature throughout the world, and the incredible accomplishments of great artists, writers, musicians and artistic performers. This is important not only in dermatology, but in life itself. Appreciation for what sets something apart in quality and in beauty is energizing, which gives positive strength to our inner spirit and soul. I know that the inner feelings of great pleasure I get from seeing a fantastic musical performance by an artist I love (such as Eric Clapton) or even by an unknown talent, taking in natural beauty such as a clear view of Mount Rainier or watching brown bears up close in Homestead, Alaska, or seeing paintings by Rembrandt at the Hermitage Museum or sculptures by Michelangelo, keeps me feeling alive and wanting for more of that great feeling. These positive feelings translate into how we carry out our work and how we treat people in our day-to-day lives. Positive feelings breed positive attitudes.
Q. What Is Your Greatest Regret?
A. I do not feel I have many regrets at all, however, what I do wish I could reverse is hurting people who were devoted to me, loved me and cared for me, simply because I was repeating the same behavior patterns that were contributing to failure of meaningful relationships over and over again without even realizing what I had been doing for so many years. Now that I have recognized those repeated behavior patterns, even when they take on different disguises, my life has improved substantially and I can catch myself before taking a wrong turn. One other big regret was not getting tickets to see Derek and the Dominoes at Suffolk Community College many years ago when the chance was there. I do not blow many, but I blew that one.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. I would say any patient where I missed a significant diagnosis that created a major problem for that person has had a great effect on me. To my knowledge that has been pretty rare, but I remember one diabetic patient in her late 60s with a bullous disease that I prescribed oral dapsone. I did not take into account as much as I should have her cardiorespiratory status and the methemoglobinemia that can occur with oral dapsone. She developed severe complications related to this that I believe to this day I could have prevented if I had stepped back to look at the overall picture when I saw her in follow up. She and her family were nice and always expressed a strong liking for me. When I told them I felt I could have prevented the problems that developed, the patient’s oldest daughter looked at me and said, “You have taken such good care of our Mom. You did your best genuinely and sincerely and we appreciate that very much. Stop beating yourself.” From this experience, I realized people have to understand that you care and that you will work hard to help them. If you do that, the rest works out eventually. But I was also reminded of how important it is at the end of each visit with every patient, even ones with so-called “simple diagnoses,” such as acne, tinea versicolor or eczema, to ask the question “Am I missing anything in this patient?”
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. I have received some great guidance and advice from some amazing people both professionally and personally. However, what stands out the most is something my father told me more than once. He would say, “If you are the smartest one among the group of friends you hang around with, then you are the smartest dummy in the group.” He always stressed, “You will get smarter and will become more successful if you hang around with people who are smarter and more successful that you are.” He was 100% right. What is important though is that you have to bring something of value to the table, or these smarter people may not want to hang around with you. n
Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Canada. He is author-editor of 6 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.
Dr. James Q. Del Rosso obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York in 1976. He then graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio, in 1982 followed by a 3-year dermatology residency through Doctors Hospital, Plantation, Florida at Atlantic Skin Disease & Skin Surgery Association (Class of 1986) and is Board Certified in Dermatology by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology (AOBD) since February 1988. He also holds a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Mohs Micrographic Surgery from the AOA and AOBD since 1995.
Starting January 1997, Dr. Del Rosso joined Las Vegas Skin & Cancer Clinics in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. Here he continued his practice of general medical and surgical dermatology and Mohs Micrographic Surgery that still remains very active, and has expanded his clinical research and educational activities significantly over the ensuing years. He is adjunct clinical professor, dermatology, at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, Nevada.
Dr. Del Rosso has been the clinical editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology since this journal’s inception and has served for 4 years through 2012 as editor of the Yearbook of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. In addition, he serves on the Editorial Board of Cutis and the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, the latter as a frequent Guest Editor of the annual Acne & Rosacea issue for the past 6 years. He is also the co-director of the Fall Clinical Dermatology, Winter Clinical Dermatology,and Real World Dermatology for Residents meetings held each year. He is past-president of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, Council for Nail Disorders, American Society for Mohs Surgery, and most recently, the American Acne and Rosacea Society, where he has remained as chair of the Education Committee. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Del Rosso has served as dermatology residency program director at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. What I enjoy the most is not one thing, but the spectrum of what I do as a dermatologist. This includes an active clinical practice in both medical and surgical dermatology; clinical research; clinical teaching; presenting 5 to10 times per month at local, state, national and international meetings (both CME and non-CME); participating as an advisor with selected dermatologists in designated groups that analyze available information to synthesize what is most clinically relevant; serving as an advisor to companies or their affiliates to assist them in gleaning accurate information from study data and writing many dermatology publications which I almost always do myself with little to no writing assistance.
Through hard work, I have been blessed with these opportunities, and get to interact with very smart people. All of these activities, which comprise my work collectively, allow me to be somewhat unique among my colleagues in dermatology, at least that is what many of them tell me. Ultimately, I strive to understand pathophysiology and mechanisms of action of therapies, and work hard to translate and properly simplify relevant correlations that help clinicians achieve better outcomes when treating their patients. As the dynamic and brilliant Coco Chanel said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different,” but to be irreplaceable you must also do great work. I hope my patients and my colleagues believe they can always count on me to do great work.
Q. Are an understanding and appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. I believe it is important to appreciate the beauty of nature throughout the world, and the incredible accomplishments of great artists, writers, musicians and artistic performers. This is important not only in dermatology, but in life itself. Appreciation for what sets something apart in quality and in beauty is energizing, which gives positive strength to our inner spirit and soul. I know that the inner feelings of great pleasure I get from seeing a fantastic musical performance by an artist I love (such as Eric Clapton) or even by an unknown talent, taking in natural beauty such as a clear view of Mount Rainier or watching brown bears up close in Homestead, Alaska, or seeing paintings by Rembrandt at the Hermitage Museum or sculptures by Michelangelo, keeps me feeling alive and wanting for more of that great feeling. These positive feelings translate into how we carry out our work and how we treat people in our day-to-day lives. Positive feelings breed positive attitudes.
Q. What Is Your Greatest Regret?
A. I do not feel I have many regrets at all, however, what I do wish I could reverse is hurting people who were devoted to me, loved me and cared for me, simply because I was repeating the same behavior patterns that were contributing to failure of meaningful relationships over and over again without even realizing what I had been doing for so many years. Now that I have recognized those repeated behavior patterns, even when they take on different disguises, my life has improved substantially and I can catch myself before taking a wrong turn. One other big regret was not getting tickets to see Derek and the Dominoes at Suffolk Community College many years ago when the chance was there. I do not blow many, but I blew that one.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. I would say any patient where I missed a significant diagnosis that created a major problem for that person has had a great effect on me. To my knowledge that has been pretty rare, but I remember one diabetic patient in her late 60s with a bullous disease that I prescribed oral dapsone. I did not take into account as much as I should have her cardiorespiratory status and the methemoglobinemia that can occur with oral dapsone. She developed severe complications related to this that I believe to this day I could have prevented if I had stepped back to look at the overall picture when I saw her in follow up. She and her family were nice and always expressed a strong liking for me. When I told them I felt I could have prevented the problems that developed, the patient’s oldest daughter looked at me and said, “You have taken such good care of our Mom. You did your best genuinely and sincerely and we appreciate that very much. Stop beating yourself.” From this experience, I realized people have to understand that you care and that you will work hard to help them. If you do that, the rest works out eventually. But I was also reminded of how important it is at the end of each visit with every patient, even ones with so-called “simple diagnoses,” such as acne, tinea versicolor or eczema, to ask the question “Am I missing anything in this patient?”
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. I have received some great guidance and advice from some amazing people both professionally and personally. However, what stands out the most is something my father told me more than once. He would say, “If you are the smartest one among the group of friends you hang around with, then you are the smartest dummy in the group.” He always stressed, “You will get smarter and will become more successful if you hang around with people who are smarter and more successful that you are.” He was 100% right. What is important though is that you have to bring something of value to the table, or these smarter people may not want to hang around with you.
Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Canada. He is author-editor of 6 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.
Dr. James Q. Del Rosso obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York in 1976. He then graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio, in 1982 followed by a 3-year dermatology residency through Doctors Hospital, Plantation, Florida at Atlantic Skin Disease & Skin Surgery Association (Class of 1986) and is Board Certified in Dermatology by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology (AOBD) since February 1988. He also holds a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Mohs Micrographic Surgery from the AOA and AOBD since 1995.
Starting January 1997, Dr. Del Rosso joined Las Vegas Skin & Cancer Clinics in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. Here he continued his practice of general medical and surgical dermatology and Mohs Micrographic Surgery that still remains very active, and has expanded his clinical research and educational activities significantly over the ensuing years. He is adjunct clinical professor, dermatology, at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, Nevada.
Dr. Del Rosso has been the clinical editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology since this journal’s inception and has served for 4 years through 2012 as editor of the Yearbook of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. In addition, he serves on the Editorial Board of Cutis and the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, the latter as a frequent Guest Editor of the annual Acne & Rosacea issue for the past 6 years. He is also the co-director of the Fall Clinical Dermatology, Winter Clinical Dermatology,and Real World Dermatology for Residents meetings held each year. He is past-president of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, Council for Nail Disorders, American Society for Mohs Surgery, and most recently, the American Acne and Rosacea Society, where he has remained as chair of the Education Committee. Over the past 5 years, Dr. Del Rosso has served as dermatology residency program director at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. What I enjoy the most is not one thing, but the spectrum of what I do as a dermatologist. This includes an active clinical practice in both medical and surgical dermatology; clinical research; clinical teaching; presenting 5 to10 times per month at local, state, national and international meetings (both CME and non-CME); participating as an advisor with selected dermatologists in designated groups that analyze available information to synthesize what is most clinically relevant; serving as an advisor to companies or their affiliates to assist them in gleaning accurate information from study data and writing many dermatology publications which I almost always do myself with little to no writing assistance.
Through hard work, I have been blessed with these opportunities, and get to interact with very smart people. All of these activities, which comprise my work collectively, allow me to be somewhat unique among my colleagues in dermatology, at least that is what many of them tell me. Ultimately, I strive to understand pathophysiology and mechanisms of action of therapies, and work hard to translate and properly simplify relevant correlations that help clinicians achieve better outcomes when treating their patients. As the dynamic and brilliant Coco Chanel said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different,” but to be irreplaceable you must also do great work. I hope my patients and my colleagues believe they can always count on me to do great work.
Q. Are an understanding and appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. I believe it is important to appreciate the beauty of nature throughout the world, and the incredible accomplishments of great artists, writers, musicians and artistic performers. This is important not only in dermatology, but in life itself. Appreciation for what sets something apart in quality and in beauty is energizing, which gives positive strength to our inner spirit and soul. I know that the inner feelings of great pleasure I get from seeing a fantastic musical performance by an artist I love (such as Eric Clapton) or even by an unknown talent, taking in natural beauty such as a clear view of Mount Rainier or watching brown bears up close in Homestead, Alaska, or seeing paintings by Rembrandt at the Hermitage Museum or sculptures by Michelangelo, keeps me feeling alive and wanting for more of that great feeling. These positive feelings translate into how we carry out our work and how we treat people in our day-to-day lives. Positive feelings breed positive attitudes.
Q. What Is Your Greatest Regret?
A. I do not feel I have many regrets at all, however, what I do wish I could reverse is hurting people who were devoted to me, loved me and cared for me, simply because I was repeating the same behavior patterns that were contributing to failure of meaningful relationships over and over again without even realizing what I had been doing for so many years. Now that I have recognized those repeated behavior patterns, even when they take on different disguises, my life has improved substantially and I can catch myself before taking a wrong turn. One other big regret was not getting tickets to see Derek and the Dominoes at Suffolk Community College many years ago when the chance was there. I do not blow many, but I blew that one.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. I would say any patient where I missed a significant diagnosis that created a major problem for that person has had a great effect on me. To my knowledge that has been pretty rare, but I remember one diabetic patient in her late 60s with a bullous disease that I prescribed oral dapsone. I did not take into account as much as I should have her cardiorespiratory status and the methemoglobinemia that can occur with oral dapsone. She developed severe complications related to this that I believe to this day I could have prevented if I had stepped back to look at the overall picture when I saw her in follow up. She and her family were nice and always expressed a strong liking for me. When I told them I felt I could have prevented the problems that developed, the patient’s oldest daughter looked at me and said, “You have taken such good care of our Mom. You did your best genuinely and sincerely and we appreciate that very much. Stop beating yourself.” From this experience, I realized people have to understand that you care and that you will work hard to help them. If you do that, the rest works out eventually. But I was also reminded of how important it is at the end of each visit with every patient, even ones with so-called “simple diagnoses,” such as acne, tinea versicolor or eczema, to ask the question “Am I missing anything in this patient?”
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. I have received some great guidance and advice from some amazing people both professionally and personally. However, what stands out the most is something my father told me more than once. He would say, “If you are the smartest one among the group of friends you hang around with, then you are the smartest dummy in the group.” He always stressed, “You will get smarter and will become more successful if you hang around with people who are smarter and more successful that you are.” He was 100% right. What is important though is that you have to bring something of value to the table, or these smarter people may not want to hang around with you.
Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist in Toronto, Canada. He is author-editor of 6 books in dermatology and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature.
