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.
Sharon E. Jacob, professor of dermatology at Loma Linda University and director of the Pediatric Contact Dermatitis (National) Registry lives with her husband and 3 children in the nearby historic citrus grove enclave of Redlands, CA, known as the “Jewel of the Inland Empire.” She recently founded the Dermatitis Academy as an outreach to the public to create awareness on the issues of contact dermatitis. She earned her bachelors of arts degree with honors in molecular biology from Hampshire College, her medical degree from Temple University, and completed her dermatology residency at the University of Miami.
She is a world-recognized leader in the field of pediatric contact dermatitis and has published widely in the field. Her contributions have resulted in her being honored with Presidential Citation Awards from both the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS), among others. Dr Jacob is President-elect of the ACDS, and a section co-editor for new Pediatric Contact Dermatitis Section in Dermatitis. She also serves as the Section Editor of Allergen Focus for The Dermatologist. In addition to her professional commitments, Dr Jacob enjoys teaching Sabbath school to kindergarteners and loves spending time with her husband and children.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. Immigrating from a small village in England, where the vast majority was destined to enter the factory workforce in the teenage years, to “America’s Finest City” surely was the catapult for education in my own life. And, along this trajectory I learned that the true honor in education is in the gift of giving it to others. Realizing the gap in education for both trainees and practitioners in contact dermatitis, we launched a free webinar series in contact dermatitis paired with complementary foundational educational lectures (boards review) by thought leaders in dermatology, which can be found at www.dermatitisacademy.com/webinars. Since going live in March 2016, we have reached across America and into 41 countries. Being a part of this outreach may very well be one my greatest privileges, as we have the potential to reach anyone with an interest in learning.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. Not joining the FBI. I still want to catch the bad guy.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. My maternal grandfather because he was a distinguished gentleman with depth of character. He educated us early on about vision, service, and core values. He has been the metric for my life. I still can’t see a VW Beetle without remembering the connections my grandfather made between the Beetle and WWII. Every time he saw one, he would comment, “May there never be another World War.”
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. I would have to say the one that left the sand dollar on my desk and reminded me that we should take those opportunities in life to create positive change. For over a decade now, I have cared for children with contact dermatitis, each a similar story with a different face. One particular day I came upon a poem, a sand dollar, and a note on my desk that “Thank you for making me one of your sand dollars.”
The story: ‘Once upon a time, there was an old man who walked on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with sand dollars as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young boy paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing sand dollars into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves. When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of sand dollars on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.” The boy bent down, picked up yet another sand dollar and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said,“It made a difference to that one!” ’ Excerpt adapted from Loren Eiseley’s The Star Thrower.1
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. My dad gave me a piece of advice that stuck with me all these years on the importance of finding happiness and fulfillment in your life: “Just because you are good at something, doesn’t mean you should do it.” Was I happy as a Longworth Congressional intern researching bills for advocacy groups, living in the heart of The Capital? Certainly, but performing molecular biology at the National Institutes of Health was even better, and better yet was being an inner-city Miami dermatologist serving children in an indigent care clinic, and yet, taking the road less traveled, I now am working as a physician-advocate for children’s health…to bring a nickel safety directive to the United States…and have to say this really feels like something I should do.
Q. Which medical figure in history would you want to have a drink with and why?
A. I would like to have a cup of tea with Jozef Jaddahsohn, not because of our careers in contact-dermatitis-patch testing, but because I respect him for his priorities of family and a truly dedicated professional life surrounded by passionate learners. What an honor it would be to listen to what he has to say.
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.
Online Extra
Visit The Dermatologist website at: www.the-dermatologist.com to read more Perspectives columns.
Reference
1. Straube P. The starfish story: one step towards changing the world. https://eventsforchange.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/the-starfish-story-one-step-towards-changing-the-world/. June 5, 2011. Accessed July 20, 2016.
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.
Sharon E. Jacob, professor of dermatology at Loma Linda University and director of the Pediatric Contact Dermatitis (National) Registry lives with her husband and 3 children in the nearby historic citrus grove enclave of Redlands, CA, known as the “Jewel of the Inland Empire.” She recently founded the Dermatitis Academy as an outreach to the public to create awareness on the issues of contact dermatitis. She earned her bachelors of arts degree with honors in molecular biology from Hampshire College, her medical degree from Temple University, and completed her dermatology residency at the University of Miami.
She is a world-recognized leader in the field of pediatric contact dermatitis and has published widely in the field. Her contributions have resulted in her being honored with Presidential Citation Awards from both the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS), among others. Dr Jacob is President-elect of the ACDS, and a section co-editor for new Pediatric Contact Dermatitis Section in Dermatitis. She also serves as the Section Editor of Allergen Focus for The Dermatologist. In addition to her professional commitments, Dr Jacob enjoys teaching Sabbath school to kindergarteners and loves spending time with her husband and children.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. Immigrating from a small village in England, where the vast majority was destined to enter the factory workforce in the teenage years, to “America’s Finest City” surely was the catapult for education in my own life. And, along this trajectory I learned that the true honor in education is in the gift of giving it to others. Realizing the gap in education for both trainees and practitioners in contact dermatitis, we launched a free webinar series in contact dermatitis paired with complementary foundational educational lectures (boards review) by thought leaders in dermatology, which can be found at www.dermatitisacademy.com/webinars. Since going live in March 2016, we have reached across America and into 41 countries. Being a part of this outreach may very well be one my greatest privileges, as we have the potential to reach anyone with an interest in learning.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. Not joining the FBI. I still want to catch the bad guy.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. My maternal grandfather because he was a distinguished gentleman with depth of character. He educated us early on about vision, service, and core values. He has been the metric for my life. I still can’t see a VW Beetle without remembering the connections my grandfather made between the Beetle and WWII. Every time he saw one, he would comment, “May there never be another World War.”
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. I would have to say the one that left the sand dollar on my desk and reminded me that we should take those opportunities in life to create positive change. For over a decade now, I have cared for children with contact dermatitis, each a similar story with a different face. One particular day I came upon a poem, a sand dollar, and a note on my desk that “Thank you for making me one of your sand dollars.”
The story: ‘Once upon a time, there was an old man who walked on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with sand dollars as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young boy paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing sand dollars into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves. When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of sand dollars on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.” The boy bent down, picked up yet another sand dollar and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said,“It made a difference to that one!” ’ Excerpt adapted from Loren Eiseley’s The Star Thrower.1
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. My dad gave me a piece of advice that stuck with me all these years on the importance of finding happiness and fulfillment in your life: “Just because you are good at something, doesn’t mean you should do it.” Was I happy as a Longworth Congressional intern researching bills for advocacy groups, living in the heart of The Capital? Certainly, but performing molecular biology at the National Institutes of Health was even better, and better yet was being an inner-city Miami dermatologist serving children in an indigent care clinic, and yet, taking the road less traveled, I now am working as a physician-advocate for children’s health…to bring a nickel safety directive to the United States…and have to say this really feels like something I should do.
Q. Which medical figure in history would you want to have a drink with and why?
A. I would like to have a cup of tea with Jozef Jaddahsohn, not because of our careers in contact-dermatitis-patch testing, but because I respect him for his priorities of family and a truly dedicated professional life surrounded by passionate learners. What an honor it would be to listen to what he has to say.
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.
Online Extra
Visit The Dermatologist website at: www.the-dermatologist.com to read more Perspectives columns.
Reference
1. Straube P. The starfish story: one step towards changing the world. https://eventsforchange.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/the-starfish-story-one-step-towards-changing-the-world/. June 5, 2011. Accessed July 20, 2016.
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.
Sharon E. Jacob, professor of dermatology at Loma Linda University and director of the Pediatric Contact Dermatitis (National) Registry lives with her husband and 3 children in the nearby historic citrus grove enclave of Redlands, CA, known as the “Jewel of the Inland Empire.” She recently founded the Dermatitis Academy as an outreach to the public to create awareness on the issues of contact dermatitis. She earned her bachelors of arts degree with honors in molecular biology from Hampshire College, her medical degree from Temple University, and completed her dermatology residency at the University of Miami.
She is a world-recognized leader in the field of pediatric contact dermatitis and has published widely in the field. Her contributions have resulted in her being honored with Presidential Citation Awards from both the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS), among others. Dr Jacob is President-elect of the ACDS, and a section co-editor for new Pediatric Contact Dermatitis Section in Dermatitis. She also serves as the Section Editor of Allergen Focus for The Dermatologist. In addition to her professional commitments, Dr Jacob enjoys teaching Sabbath school to kindergarteners and loves spending time with her husband and children.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. Immigrating from a small village in England, where the vast majority was destined to enter the factory workforce in the teenage years, to “America’s Finest City” surely was the catapult for education in my own life. And, along this trajectory I learned that the true honor in education is in the gift of giving it to others. Realizing the gap in education for both trainees and practitioners in contact dermatitis, we launched a free webinar series in contact dermatitis paired with complementary foundational educational lectures (boards review) by thought leaders in dermatology, which can be found at www.dermatitisacademy.com/webinars. Since going live in March 2016, we have reached across America and into 41 countries. Being a part of this outreach may very well be one my greatest privileges, as we have the potential to reach anyone with an interest in learning.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. Not joining the FBI. I still want to catch the bad guy.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. My maternal grandfather because he was a distinguished gentleman with depth of character. He educated us early on about vision, service, and core values. He has been the metric for my life. I still can’t see a VW Beetle without remembering the connections my grandfather made between the Beetle and WWII. Every time he saw one, he would comment, “May there never be another World War.”
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. I would have to say the one that left the sand dollar on my desk and reminded me that we should take those opportunities in life to create positive change. For over a decade now, I have cared for children with contact dermatitis, each a similar story with a different face. One particular day I came upon a poem, a sand dollar, and a note on my desk that “Thank you for making me one of your sand dollars.”
The story: ‘Once upon a time, there was an old man who walked on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with sand dollars as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young boy paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing sand dollars into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves. When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of sand dollars on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.” The boy bent down, picked up yet another sand dollar and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said,“It made a difference to that one!” ’ Excerpt adapted from Loren Eiseley’s The Star Thrower.1
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. My dad gave me a piece of advice that stuck with me all these years on the importance of finding happiness and fulfillment in your life: “Just because you are good at something, doesn’t mean you should do it.” Was I happy as a Longworth Congressional intern researching bills for advocacy groups, living in the heart of The Capital? Certainly, but performing molecular biology at the National Institutes of Health was even better, and better yet was being an inner-city Miami dermatologist serving children in an indigent care clinic, and yet, taking the road less traveled, I now am working as a physician-advocate for children’s health…to bring a nickel safety directive to the United States…and have to say this really feels like something I should do.
Q. Which medical figure in history would you want to have a drink with and why?
A. I would like to have a cup of tea with Jozef Jaddahsohn, not because of our careers in contact-dermatitis-patch testing, but because I respect him for his priorities of family and a truly dedicated professional life surrounded by passionate learners. What an honor it would be to listen to what he has to say.
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.
Online Extra
Visit The Dermatologist website at: www.the-dermatologist.com to read more Perspectives columns.
Reference
1. Straube P. The starfish story: one step towards changing the world. https://eventsforchange.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/the-starfish-story-one-step-towards-changing-the-world/. June 5, 2011. Accessed July 20, 2016.
