“It is hard to put into words how impactful my participation in the Contact Dermatitis fellowship has been on both my career goals and personal growth. Dr. Hylwa, Dr. Neeley, and Dr. Ophaug are the most passionate mentors I have had the pleasure of working with. They genuinely care about their fellows and provided encouragement to tease out my best qualities as a future physician. The atmosphere in the clinic is warm and collaborative, contributing to lasting friendships with your mentors and co-fellows. When I had a health emergency during the year, the staff went above and beyond to be supportive and made accommodations in the clinic, so that I could still participate in a meaningful way. Professionally, the fellowship offers nearly limitless access to impactful publication opportunities and my soft skills grew exponentially through a high volume of patient interviews in the clinical setting. I expected to struggle with my return to clinical activities after a research year, but found I was far more confident during my 4th year home and away rotations, due to my time in the fellowship. As a tertiary care center, the exposure to complex contact dermatitis cases is second to none and strongly influenced my intended career path after residency. I am privileged to have spent a year in the Contact Dermatitis fellowship and would not have matched into dermatology residency without the mentorship and encouragement I received. “ 

“The contact dermatitis research fellowship provided an incredible opportunity for professional and personal growth. The clinical and research aspects are both excellent. In clinic, I was able to hone my abilities as a clinician through taking histories, coordinating a research trial, and working closely with Dr. Warshaw and Dr. Hylwa, who are amazing role models. It was fun to get to know the patients over three visits and I enjoyed the detective work that went into identifying their allergens. In terms of research, I learned how to carry out research projects from start to finish including coming up with the question, designing the study, collecting the data, analyzing the data, and writing the manuscript. There was never a shortage of projects to work on and research fellows have been very productive historically with 5+ publications. At the end of the day, I learned a ton about contact dermatitis and conducting research, as well as formed great relationships with my co-research fellow, the medical assistants, Dr. Warshaw, and Dr. Hylwa” 

“Pursuing Dr. Warshaw’s research fellowship was undoubtedly the best decision I made in medical school. Dr. Warshaw and Dr. Hylwa are dedicated mentors and unwavering advocates, and have helped foster my professional and personal growth. I loved the unique opportunity to see patients with them in their robust patch testing clinic as well as participate in meaningful research projects. Dr. Warshaw and Dr. Hylwa are so generous in sharing their time and expertise with their fellows. They taught me how to write research grants, design clinical and epidemiological studies, prepare talks, and publish studies. My fellowship year was immensely productive and fun! This experience prepared me well and helped me to match into an excellent dermatology residency. I am forever grateful for this experience and their continued mentorship.” 

“After spending a year as one of the dermatology clinical research fellows for Dr. Erin Warshaw and Dr. Sara Hylwa, I would highly recommend this position to anyone pursuing dermatology residency. As a fellow, I was given ample research opportunities in the field of dermatology, which lead to both an extremely productive year and also strengthened my skills as an investigator. I was also able to spend time with both Dr. Warshaw and Dr. Hylwa in clinic, learning from what I would consider two of the most dedicated and patient-oriented clinicians that I have encountered. Finally, these two physicians advocate fiercely for their fellows, and I am certain that this fellowship and their support are major reasons I matched into dermatology residency.” 

“My year as a clinical research fellow working with Dr. Warshaw and Dr. Hylwa was overwhelmingly positive, productive, and educational. This unique fellowship afforded me the opportunity to work in a specialized, tertiary referral patch testing clinic while simultaneously conducting research in the field of allergic contact dermatitis – creating a very holistic learning experience that appeals to both the future clinician and future investigator. Attentive mentorship from Dr. Warshaw and Dr. Hylwa fostered the development of personalized research projects that aligned with my unique interests within Dermatology. Throughout my research year, I felt that both my mentors were invested in my endeavors, and dedicated extra time ensuring that our publications, grant proposals and presentations were of the highest quality. This fellowship year was certainly an essential stepping stone in my path to matching into Dermatology and I will be forever grateful for the experience and the relationships I formed along the way.”