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.
Edward W. Cowen, MD, MHSc, is Head of the Dermatology Consultation Service at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. He also oversees the Dermatology Branch clinical research fellowship, a 3-year advanced training program in investigator-initiated clinical and translational research.
Dr Cowen’s primary research interests include chronic graft-versus-host disease, primary immunodeficiency, autoinflammatory skin disease, cancer-related genodermatoses, and adverse drug reactions. He participates in the NIH Undiagnosed Disease Program and has been involved in the description of several novel syndromes, including deficiency of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (DIRA), GATA2 deficiency, ADA2 deficiency, and SAVI syndrome. He is on the editorial board of JAMA Dermatology and is a Director on the American Board of Dermatology. He enjoys teaching residents who rotate at the NIH from Washington, DC area programs as well as residents from around the country.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. There are many enjoyable aspects about working at the NIH, but, at the end of the day, the most stimulating part of my job is interacting with the people here. And that includes physicians/scientists, residents, and fellows as well as the patients who travel to the NIH. I feel I can call (or more likely email) most anyone on the NIH staff and chances are he or she will be willing to go out of their way to share their expertise on a clinical question or be willing to collaborate on a research project. Similarly, all patients at the NIH are volunteers who have agreed to be cared for in a research setting. Most have serious and rare conditions or have failed conventional treatment; therefore, they put an enormous amount of trust in their NIH team. As a result, there is a shared sense of mission between the NIH staff and the patients we care for. As a dermatologist, this team approach to medical care is what makes my job such a satisfying place to work.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. I can’t say I have one major regret, but, knowing what I know now, I wish I had spent about 95% less time as a youth worrying about other people’s opinions of me, and 95% more time thinking about how to enjoy life. Being somewhat of an introvert, I am slowly coming to appreciate that the more chances you take, the more worthwhile your day will be.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. I would say that my hero(s) are my parents, who always put the needs of my sisters and I above their own, and who instilled a sense of compassion and respect for others—and also instilled the notion not to take oneself too seriously. My mentor in dermatology is Maria Chanco Turner, MD, who led the NIH Dermatology Consultation Service for nearly 20 years. Everyone who knows Maria knows she is a dynamo of intellectual curiosity, and Maria combined this energy with an extraordinary commitment to her patients. When I took over the Consultation Service, I had large (and quite fashionable) shoes to fill, but even in retirement, she has a mind that is always active, always questioning, and always telling me what to do.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. A pediatric patient during residency taught me the importance of perseverance when it comes to challenging skin disease. The child developed multiple skin nodules on the dorsal hands and other sites along with disfiguring induration of the face. I searched for a diagnosis for weeks and asked everyone I could find if they had seen a similar case without luck. Then, one day near the end of residency, after an interview with Joseph Morelli, MD, in Denver, I decided that I might as well also ask him about the case. After rifling through a pile of kodachromes on his desk, he presented images of a patient with the exact same appearance—a disease known as self-healing juvenile cutaneous mucinosis. I returned home to tell his parents that we finally had an answer (and that their son would recover completely) and vowed never to be too proud to ask for help for tough cases.
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.
Edward W. Cowen, MD, MHSc, is Head of the Dermatology Consultation Service at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. He also oversees the Dermatology Branch clinical research fellowship, a 3-year advanced training program in investigator-initiated clinical and translational research.
Dr Cowen’s primary research interests include chronic graft-versus-host disease, primary immunodeficiency, autoinflammatory skin disease, cancer-related genodermatoses, and adverse drug reactions. He participates in the NIH Undiagnosed Disease Program and has been involved in the description of several novel syndromes, including deficiency of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (DIRA), GATA2 deficiency, ADA2 deficiency, and SAVI syndrome. He is on the editorial board of JAMA Dermatology and is a Director on the American Board of Dermatology. He enjoys teaching residents who rotate at the NIH from Washington, DC area programs as well as residents from around the country.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. There are many enjoyable aspects about working at the NIH, but, at the end of the day, the most stimulating part of my job is interacting with the people here. And that includes physicians/scientists, residents, and fellows as well as the patients who travel to the NIH. I feel I can call (or more likely email) most anyone on the NIH staff and chances are he or she will be willing to go out of their way to share their expertise on a clinical question or be willing to collaborate on a research project. Similarly, all patients at the NIH are volunteers who have agreed to be cared for in a research setting. Most have serious and rare conditions or have failed conventional treatment; therefore, they put an enormous amount of trust in their NIH team. As a result, there is a shared sense of mission between the NIH staff and the patients we care for. As a dermatologist, this team approach to medical care is what makes my job such a satisfying place to work.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. I can’t say I have one major regret, but, knowing what I know now, I wish I had spent about 95% less time as a youth worrying about other people’s opinions of me, and 95% more time thinking about how to enjoy life. Being somewhat of an introvert, I am slowly coming to appreciate that the more chances you take, the more worthwhile your day will be.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. I would say that my hero(s) are my parents, who always put the needs of my sisters and I above their own, and who instilled a sense of compassion and respect for others—and also instilled the notion not to take oneself too seriously. My mentor in dermatology is Maria Chanco Turner, MD, who led the NIH Dermatology Consultation Service for nearly 20 years. Everyone who knows Maria knows she is a dynamo of intellectual curiosity, and Maria combined this energy with an extraordinary commitment to her patients. When I took over the Consultation Service, I had large (and quite fashionable) shoes to fill, but even in retirement, she has a mind that is always active, always questioning, and always telling me what to do.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. A pediatric patient during residency taught me the importance of perseverance when it comes to challenging skin disease. The child developed multiple skin nodules on the dorsal hands and other sites along with disfiguring induration of the face. I searched for a diagnosis for weeks and asked everyone I could find if they had seen a similar case without luck. Then, one day near the end of residency, after an interview with Joseph Morelli, MD, in Denver, I decided that I might as well also ask him about the case. After rifling through a pile of kodachromes on his desk, he presented images of a patient with the exact same appearance—a disease known as self-healing juvenile cutaneous mucinosis. I returned home to tell his parents that we finally had an answer (and that their son would recover completely) and vowed never to be too proud to ask for help for tough cases.
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.
Edward W. Cowen, MD, MHSc, is Head of the Dermatology Consultation Service at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. He also oversees the Dermatology Branch clinical research fellowship, a 3-year advanced training program in investigator-initiated clinical and translational research.
Dr Cowen’s primary research interests include chronic graft-versus-host disease, primary immunodeficiency, autoinflammatory skin disease, cancer-related genodermatoses, and adverse drug reactions. He participates in the NIH Undiagnosed Disease Program and has been involved in the description of several novel syndromes, including deficiency of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (DIRA), GATA2 deficiency, ADA2 deficiency, and SAVI syndrome. He is on the editorial board of JAMA Dermatology and is a Director on the American Board of Dermatology. He enjoys teaching residents who rotate at the NIH from Washington, DC area programs as well as residents from around the country.
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. There are many enjoyable aspects about working at the NIH, but, at the end of the day, the most stimulating part of my job is interacting with the people here. And that includes physicians/scientists, residents, and fellows as well as the patients who travel to the NIH. I feel I can call (or more likely email) most anyone on the NIH staff and chances are he or she will be willing to go out of their way to share their expertise on a clinical question or be willing to collaborate on a research project. Similarly, all patients at the NIH are volunteers who have agreed to be cared for in a research setting. Most have serious and rare conditions or have failed conventional treatment; therefore, they put an enormous amount of trust in their NIH team. As a result, there is a shared sense of mission between the NIH staff and the patients we care for. As a dermatologist, this team approach to medical care is what makes my job such a satisfying place to work.
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. I can’t say I have one major regret, but, knowing what I know now, I wish I had spent about 95% less time as a youth worrying about other people’s opinions of me, and 95% more time thinking about how to enjoy life. Being somewhat of an introvert, I am slowly coming to appreciate that the more chances you take, the more worthwhile your day will be.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. I would say that my hero(s) are my parents, who always put the needs of my sisters and I above their own, and who instilled a sense of compassion and respect for others—and also instilled the notion not to take oneself too seriously. My mentor in dermatology is Maria Chanco Turner, MD, who led the NIH Dermatology Consultation Service for nearly 20 years. Everyone who knows Maria knows she is a dynamo of intellectual curiosity, and Maria combined this energy with an extraordinary commitment to her patients. When I took over the Consultation Service, I had large (and quite fashionable) shoes to fill, but even in retirement, she has a mind that is always active, always questioning, and always telling me what to do.
Q. Which patient had the most effect on your work and why?
A. A pediatric patient during residency taught me the importance of perseverance when it comes to challenging skin disease. The child developed multiple skin nodules on the dorsal hands and other sites along with disfiguring induration of the face. I searched for a diagnosis for weeks and asked everyone I could find if they had seen a similar case without luck. Then, one day near the end of residency, after an interview with Joseph Morelli, MD, in Denver, I decided that I might as well also ask him about the case. After rifling through a pile of kodachromes on his desk, he presented images of a patient with the exact same appearance—a disease known as self-healing juvenile cutaneous mucinosis. I returned home to tell his parents that we finally had an answer (and that their son would recover completely) and vowed never to be too proud to ask for help for tough cases.
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.
