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. Vincent DeLeo is a native of Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where he obtained a BS degree in psychology and went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine from the School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1969. He joined the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), where he did a medical rotating internship followed by 2 years of training in obstetrics and gynecology. He then joined the Dermatology Residency Training Program sponsored jointly by the USPHS and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. This training included a year-long fellowship in photobiology and photomedicine under the direction of Leonard Harber, MD, and Maureen Poh, MD. Dr. DeLeo returned to Columbia University in 1982 to begin a basic science research fellowship in the Departments of Public Health at the Cancer Center and in dermatology. Dr. DeLeo’s bench research, which was funded by the NIH for 18 years, dealt primarily with photobiology and dermato-toxicology. His clinical interests and expertise have developed in the areas of environmental dermatology, including contact dermatitis and patch testing, photomedicine, porphyria and occupational dermatitis. Dr. DeLeo is presently a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Columbia. He is the Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at both St. Luke’s Roosevelt and Beth Israel Medical Centers in New York City. He is also Director of Residency Training at St. Luke’s Roosevelt. Dr. DeLeo has published more than 200 manuscripts and abstracts and three books including Contact and Occupational Dermatitis, now in its third edition. He is the Editor of the journal Cutis. He is a member of numerous medical and scientific organizations including the American Academy of Dermatology, where he was elected to its Board of Directors (2002 to 2006), and he is a founding member of both the Photomedicine Society and Skin of Color Society. Dr. DeLeo presently has dermatological practices in New York City and Beverly Hills.
Q. WHAT PART OF YOUR WORK GIVES YOU THE MOST PLEASURE?
A. Two things: teaching residents and trying to diagnose and treat really difficult and unusual patients who have been seen by others, good doctors who haven’t been able to make a difference — the challenge.
Q. ARE AN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE HUMANITIES IMPORTANT IN DERMATOLOGY AND WHY?
A. Yes, in the sense that such understanding and appreciation leads one to empathy and a willingness to listen and to continue to learn.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET?
A. The paucity of my education in the humanities.
Q. WHO WAS YOUR HERO/MENTOR AND WHY?
A. There were many. But I think I would choose Dr. Maureen Poh-Fitzpatrick. She fired my interest in bench science and taught me how to think out of the box. She also still has the capacity to make me laugh.
Q. WHAT PATIENT HAD THE MOST EFFECT ON YOUR WORK AND WHY?
A. It was a 4-year-old child, a little girl who was being seen by another mentor, Dr. Leonard Harber, when I was training with him in photo-medicine in the late 1970s. The parents were distraught because this child couldn’t go out in to the sun without crying and claiming that her skin was burning. She had been taken to many doctors, but because there were never any skin lesions, the parents had been told that this was obviously a psychiatric problem. After hearing the history, without skipping a beat, Dr. Harber told the parents that the child had erythropoietic protoporphyria. At that time, he was probably one of maybe five physicians in the world who could have made that diagnosis. It made me want to be a real specialist in an area that might not be commonly important but that could be extremely important and make a real difference, even if only in a small number of individuals.
Q. WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED AND FROM WHOM?
A. Dr. Harber once told me that many patients will tell you that their last doctor was a really bad doctor or made an incorrect diagnosis, etc. The thing to remember, he said, was that 20% of your own patients that day were saying the same things about you to other doctors. So act accordingly.
Online Extra
Q. WHAT IS THE GREATEST POLITICAL DANGER IN THE FIELD OF DERMATOLOGY?
A. Losing recognition in the mind of the public that we are the individuals who specialize in treating diseases of skin, hair and nails. While I believe that extenders and physicians in other specialties do a commendable job at treating some common dermatologic problems, I do not think that they have the background and experience to discern the subtleties of diagnosis and management of many important skin disorders.
Q. WHAT MEDICAL FIGURE IN HISTORY WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE A DRINK WITH AND WHY?
A. Someone who knows that martinis are composed of gin. Actually, Mother Teresa, who understood that the job of caregivers is to relieve pain and distress and to heal the whole person no matter what the diagnosis and prognosis. Only I don’t think she drank alcoholic beverages. But if she did, she would certainly know that martinis are made with gin. Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist based in Toronto. He is author-editor of six books in dermatology, and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature. He is also co-editor of Dermanities (dermanities.com), an online journal devoted to humanities as they relate to dermatology.
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. Vincent DeLeo is a native of Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where he obtained a BS degree in psychology and went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine from the School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1969. He joined the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), where he did a medical rotating internship followed by 2 years of training in obstetrics and gynecology. He then joined the Dermatology Residency Training Program sponsored jointly by the USPHS and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. This training included a year-long fellowship in photobiology and photomedicine under the direction of Leonard Harber, MD, and Maureen Poh, MD. Dr. DeLeo returned to Columbia University in 1982 to begin a basic science research fellowship in the Departments of Public Health at the Cancer Center and in dermatology. Dr. DeLeo’s bench research, which was funded by the NIH for 18 years, dealt primarily with photobiology and dermato-toxicology. His clinical interests and expertise have developed in the areas of environmental dermatology, including contact dermatitis and patch testing, photomedicine, porphyria and occupational dermatitis. Dr. DeLeo is presently a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Columbia. He is the Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at both St. Luke’s Roosevelt and Beth Israel Medical Centers in New York City. He is also Director of Residency Training at St. Luke’s Roosevelt. Dr. DeLeo has published more than 200 manuscripts and abstracts and three books including Contact and Occupational Dermatitis, now in its third edition. He is the Editor of the journal Cutis. He is a member of numerous medical and scientific organizations including the American Academy of Dermatology, where he was elected to its Board of Directors (2002 to 2006), and he is a founding member of both the Photomedicine Society and Skin of Color Society. Dr. DeLeo presently has dermatological practices in New York City and Beverly Hills.
Q. WHAT PART OF YOUR WORK GIVES YOU THE MOST PLEASURE?
A. Two things: teaching residents and trying to diagnose and treat really difficult and unusual patients who have been seen by others, good doctors who haven’t been able to make a difference — the challenge.
Q. ARE AN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE HUMANITIES IMPORTANT IN DERMATOLOGY AND WHY?
A. Yes, in the sense that such understanding and appreciation leads one to empathy and a willingness to listen and to continue to learn.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET?
A. The paucity of my education in the humanities.
Q. WHO WAS YOUR HERO/MENTOR AND WHY?
A. There were many. But I think I would choose Dr. Maureen Poh-Fitzpatrick. She fired my interest in bench science and taught me how to think out of the box. She also still has the capacity to make me laugh.
Q. WHAT PATIENT HAD THE MOST EFFECT ON YOUR WORK AND WHY?
A. It was a 4-year-old child, a little girl who was being seen by another mentor, Dr. Leonard Harber, when I was training with him in photo-medicine in the late 1970s. The parents were distraught because this child couldn’t go out in to the sun without crying and claiming that her skin was burning. She had been taken to many doctors, but because there were never any skin lesions, the parents had been told that this was obviously a psychiatric problem. After hearing the history, without skipping a beat, Dr. Harber told the parents that the child had erythropoietic protoporphyria. At that time, he was probably one of maybe five physicians in the world who could have made that diagnosis. It made me want to be a real specialist in an area that might not be commonly important but that could be extremely important and make a real difference, even if only in a small number of individuals.
Q. WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED AND FROM WHOM?
A. Dr. Harber once told me that many patients will tell you that their last doctor was a really bad doctor or made an incorrect diagnosis, etc. The thing to remember, he said, was that 20% of your own patients that day were saying the same things about you to other doctors. So act accordingly.
Online Extra
Q. WHAT IS THE GREATEST POLITICAL DANGER IN THE FIELD OF DERMATOLOGY?
A. Losing recognition in the mind of the public that we are the individuals who specialize in treating diseases of skin, hair and nails. While I believe that extenders and physicians in other specialties do a commendable job at treating some common dermatologic problems, I do not think that they have the background and experience to discern the subtleties of diagnosis and management of many important skin disorders.
Q. WHAT MEDICAL FIGURE IN HISTORY WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE A DRINK WITH AND WHY?
A. Someone who knows that martinis are composed of gin. Actually, Mother Teresa, who understood that the job of caregivers is to relieve pain and distress and to heal the whole person no matter what the diagnosis and prognosis. Only I don’t think she drank alcoholic beverages. But if she did, she would certainly know that martinis are made with gin. Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist based in Toronto. He is author-editor of six books in dermatology, and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature. He is also co-editor of Dermanities (dermanities.com), an online journal devoted to humanities as they relate to dermatology.
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. Vincent DeLeo is a native of Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where he obtained a BS degree in psychology and went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine from the School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1969. He joined the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), where he did a medical rotating internship followed by 2 years of training in obstetrics and gynecology. He then joined the Dermatology Residency Training Program sponsored jointly by the USPHS and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. This training included a year-long fellowship in photobiology and photomedicine under the direction of Leonard Harber, MD, and Maureen Poh, MD. Dr. DeLeo returned to Columbia University in 1982 to begin a basic science research fellowship in the Departments of Public Health at the Cancer Center and in dermatology. Dr. DeLeo’s bench research, which was funded by the NIH for 18 years, dealt primarily with photobiology and dermato-toxicology. His clinical interests and expertise have developed in the areas of environmental dermatology, including contact dermatitis and patch testing, photomedicine, porphyria and occupational dermatitis. Dr. DeLeo is presently a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Columbia. He is the Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at both St. Luke’s Roosevelt and Beth Israel Medical Centers in New York City. He is also Director of Residency Training at St. Luke’s Roosevelt. Dr. DeLeo has published more than 200 manuscripts and abstracts and three books including Contact and Occupational Dermatitis, now in its third edition. He is the Editor of the journal Cutis. He is a member of numerous medical and scientific organizations including the American Academy of Dermatology, where he was elected to its Board of Directors (2002 to 2006), and he is a founding member of both the Photomedicine Society and Skin of Color Society. Dr. DeLeo presently has dermatological practices in New York City and Beverly Hills.
Q. WHAT PART OF YOUR WORK GIVES YOU THE MOST PLEASURE?
A. Two things: teaching residents and trying to diagnose and treat really difficult and unusual patients who have been seen by others, good doctors who haven’t been able to make a difference — the challenge.
Q. ARE AN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE HUMANITIES IMPORTANT IN DERMATOLOGY AND WHY?
A. Yes, in the sense that such understanding and appreciation leads one to empathy and a willingness to listen and to continue to learn.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET?
A. The paucity of my education in the humanities.
Q. WHO WAS YOUR HERO/MENTOR AND WHY?
A. There were many. But I think I would choose Dr. Maureen Poh-Fitzpatrick. She fired my interest in bench science and taught me how to think out of the box. She also still has the capacity to make me laugh.
Q. WHAT PATIENT HAD THE MOST EFFECT ON YOUR WORK AND WHY?
A. It was a 4-year-old child, a little girl who was being seen by another mentor, Dr. Leonard Harber, when I was training with him in photo-medicine in the late 1970s. The parents were distraught because this child couldn’t go out in to the sun without crying and claiming that her skin was burning. She had been taken to many doctors, but because there were never any skin lesions, the parents had been told that this was obviously a psychiatric problem. After hearing the history, without skipping a beat, Dr. Harber told the parents that the child had erythropoietic protoporphyria. At that time, he was probably one of maybe five physicians in the world who could have made that diagnosis. It made me want to be a real specialist in an area that might not be commonly important but that could be extremely important and make a real difference, even if only in a small number of individuals.
Q. WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED AND FROM WHOM?
A. Dr. Harber once told me that many patients will tell you that their last doctor was a really bad doctor or made an incorrect diagnosis, etc. The thing to remember, he said, was that 20% of your own patients that day were saying the same things about you to other doctors. So act accordingly.
Online Extra
Q. WHAT IS THE GREATEST POLITICAL DANGER IN THE FIELD OF DERMATOLOGY?
A. Losing recognition in the mind of the public that we are the individuals who specialize in treating diseases of skin, hair and nails. While I believe that extenders and physicians in other specialties do a commendable job at treating some common dermatologic problems, I do not think that they have the background and experience to discern the subtleties of diagnosis and management of many important skin disorders.
Q. WHAT MEDICAL FIGURE IN HISTORY WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE A DRINK WITH AND WHY?
A. Someone who knows that martinis are composed of gin. Actually, Mother Teresa, who understood that the job of caregivers is to relieve pain and distress and to heal the whole person no matter what the diagnosis and prognosis. Only I don’t think she drank alcoholic beverages. But if she did, she would certainly know that martinis are made with gin. Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist based in Toronto. He is author-editor of six books in dermatology, and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature. He is also co-editor of Dermanities (dermanities.com), an online journal devoted to humanities as they relate to dermatology.
