The residency program offered at UGA aims to produce excellent clinicians with an emphasis on research (clinical and/or bench top) with a focus on collegiality and collaboration within the hospital. All three years are spent at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) of the College of Veterinary Medicine, under the supervision of Drs. Michaela Austel (Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology), Paulo Gomes (Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology) and Frane Banovic (Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Dermatology). The clinical work includes animals presented to the hospital as a primary visit and those referred by veterinarians and other services at the VTH. The current annual hospital and field caseload for Dermatology is approx. 2200 cases.
The UGA Teaching Hospital is a new $100m, state-of-the-art, tertiary referral center and is well equipped with video otoscope, digital radiography, fluoroscopy, ultrasonography, 64 slice CT, nuclear scintigraphy, 3T and 7T MRI; chemotherapy and linear accelerator; flexible and rigid diagnostic and surgical endoscopy; microsurgery, radiosurgery; qualified pharmacists and large pharmacy; access to other specialists in all major disciplines. In addition, there is a fully accredited clinical pathology lab on site and a state-licensed diagnostic lab on campus. An original, first author, hypothesis-driven research project is required which must be presented at the NAVDF and accepted for publication prior to the completion of the residency. Other research publications, case reports etc. are strongly encouraged. Grant submission for extramural grants is encouraged under faculty mentorship.
Advancement to the 2nd and subsequent years of the residency is dependent upon satisfactory progress which is evaluated every 6 months. The major aim of this program is for residents to take the ACVD examinations during the same calendar year of program completion. In every 12 month period, the resident will spend approximately 10 months on-clinic duty and approximately 2.5 months off-clinics fulfilling their scholarly requirements for research and publications. In addition to one to two supervising on-clinic faculty, the resident is aided by two technicians and 4-6 senior veterinary students on 3-week dermatology rotations. Specialists from all disciplines are available for consultation and an extensive support infrastructure, typical of a veterinary college, is available. The resident is encouraged to attend and present at a national or international conference every year, as well as attend lectures and seminars in the College of Veterinary Medicine or on the university campus.
The resident will be responsible for (1) participating in the daily activities of the dermatology service of the hospital including primary case responsibilities and clinical case rounds; (2) providing assistance in instruction and supervision of veterinary students assigned to the dermatology rotation; (3) providing emergency weekend and night-time support for dermatology cases admitted by the small animal emergency interns (33%, shared with two other dermatology residents) with faculty support; (4) presenting one 45-minute seminar to the College each year and active participation in weekly dermatology journal club and basic science rounds; (5) three times a month dermatohistopathology rounds led by board certified pathologists; (6) fulfilling all other requirements for the credentials under the ACVD Residency guidelines. Clinical case rounds are held at least once daily and a faculty member is always on site.
Dr. Michaela Austel maustel@uga.edu