Core Residency Sites and Rotations

San Francisco Veterans Hospital (SFVA)

Comprising 4 months of the first-year resident experience and 2-3 months per year thereafter, the SFVA rotation introduces residents to both medical and surgical dermatology, with an emphasis on cutaneous oncology and geriatric dermatology. Residents at the VA spend at least one day per week with direct exposure to Mohs micrographic surgery, excisions, and surgical repairs. Telemedicine is practiced as both live interactive and store-and-forward modalities with senior residents participating in a dedicated telemedicine month at the VA. The dermatology residents based at the VA also perform inpatient consultations at that site. 

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG)

At San Francisco's vibrant county hospital, dermatology residents work with a uniquely diverse patient population and gain exposure to a tremendous range of dermatologic diseases. A high-volume, high-yield clinical experience, the ZSFG rotation begins to increase resident autonomy, preparing trainees for the pace and range of dermatologic practice while providing supervision from outstanding UCSF faculty based at this site. While at ZSFG, residents also perform surgical procedures, review their biopsy specimens with dermatopathology faculty at a weekly scope conference, spend one half-day each week in a dedicated pediatric dermatology clinic, and perform inpatient consultations. Trainees also rotate through a nationally recognized weekly clinic specifically dedicated to caring for HIV-infected patients. 

UCSF Health/Mount Zion Practices

Our dermatology residents spend several months each year at our UCSF / Mt. Zion campus, where the Department of Dermatology is headquartered. The general dermatology clinics at Mt. Zion provide exposure to medical dermatology that ranges from common diseases to complex referral or consultation cases from practitioners across the western United States. The Mt. Zion site also houses a tremendous range of exceptional subspecialty practices led by highly recognized faculty, most of which are incorporated into specific Mt. Zion resident rotations. Some of these specialty clinics include a large pediatric dermatology practice, psoriasis, and phototherapy center, and clinics focused on hair and nail disease, skin of color, cutaneous lymphomas, occupational and environmental dermatoses, pigment disorders, melanoma, high-risk skin cancer patients, vascular anomalies, autoimmune diseases, large or rare tumors, ulcers and wounds, acne and rosacea, hidradenitis suppurativa and others. Busy dermatologic surgery and dermatopathology units are also based at Mt. Zion. 

UCSF dermatology residents spend about four to five months over three years on pediatric-dermatology-focused rotations at Mt. Zion under the supervision of our pediatric dermatology faculty. In addition to a large general pediatric dermatology practice, these rotations include exposure to a multidisciplinary vascular anomalies conference, pediatric laser therapy, multidisciplinary rheumatology and graft vs. host disease clinics, disorders of cornification clinic, and others. Each month, one of the two residents in pediatric dermatology serves on a special rotation with substantial time set aside for inpatient consultations at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. 

In addition to the surgical exposures at the VA and ZSFG described above, our residents have one month set aside each year for a dedicated dermatologic surgery rotation that occurs at our Mt. Zion campus under the supervision of our four dermatologic surgeons. This rotation involves substantial exposure to Mohs micrographic surgery, complex repairs, other surgical procedures, and a wide variety of cosmetic procedures.  There is a dedicated monthly resident cosmetics clinic as well.  

Residents also have one month set aside each year for a dedicated dermatopathology rotation that also occurs at our Mt. Zion campus. We feel that an in-depth curriculum in and exposure to dermatopathology is critical to an understanding of skin disease, and residents are taught directly by our world-renowned dermatopathology faculty. 

Residents also rotate on a month-long, dedicated, adult inpatient consult service at our UCSF University Hospital at least twice during their training. This outstanding rotation is overseen by members of our faculty with nationally recognized expertise in the subspecialty of consultative dermatology. 

Continuity Clinics 

Residents are assigned each year to weekly half-day continuity clinics at one of our four core sites (UCSF Mt. Zion Adult, UCSF Mission Bay Pediatrics, SFVA, ZSFG). The goals of the resident continuity clinics are: to optimize longitudinal care for those patients who need complicated diagnostic work-ups, prolonged monitored therapies, or have other difficult-to-manage issues; and to increase familiarity with a consistent group of patients, recapitulating what a graduate would expect to face in their eventual practice. In addition, these practices have an incorporated didactic component consisting of a bi-weekly conference on relevant topics to the continuity clinic site and patient population including medication management, therapeutic ladders, ethics, and other topics.  

Electives/Selectives 

With the approval of the Department of Dermatology's Resident Education and Program Evaluation Committee (REPEC), each senior resident may be offered the opportunity to pursue their academic interests beyond the Department's curriculum for one month. Interested residents are required to submit a well-structured and meritorious proposal for an elective activity to the REPEC. Designed to afford residents added flexibility to advance their academic careers, the elective month can provide a valuable opportunity.  Electives may take place at UCSF or with advanced planning and approval at other national and international locations (contingent on UCSF travel restrictions).    The department seeks to tailor training when possible for those residents who are performing well and have a serious academic interest. While on most Mt. Zion rotations residents have the opportunity to use unscheduled half-days to gain additional exposure in areas of interest (selective time). In addition to utilizing dermatology departmental resources and faculty, we partner with the UCSF GME Pathways Program, which offers extensive curricula and experiential opportunities for medical students, residents, and students from other health professions in basic research, clinical research, global health, health professions education, health equity and vulnerable populations, and health systems leadership.  Most residents participate in these GME Pathways as second-year or third-year dermatology residents. 

Sample Rotation Schedule

Here is a sample rotation schedule

Regents Policy 4405: Policy on Affiliations with Healthcare Organizations that Have Adopted Policy-Based Restrictions on Care

UCSF Dermatology residents do not rotate at any healthcare organizations that have adopted policy-based restrictions on care. View the Regents Policy.