Explanations

It occurs to me, for any readers I have that aren't Mom (do they exist?), that I should explain what exactly I'm doing here in the "Warm Heart of Africa". (Great country motto.) Several months ago, when I was still mincing around on the fence between Ob-Gyn and dermatology as a future career, I set up a three-week away rotation in "Infectious Dermatology" here in Malawi. It's run by a young dermatologist from U of C who specializes in dermatology in developing regions, particularly East Africa and her native Pakistan. She is, as you might suspect, sort of a badass.

I realized after my dermatology rotation at U of C that derm wasn't the right route for me; women's health stuff just calls my name/pulls my heartstrings/pushes my buttons in a way that no other field really does. But hey - I'd already applied for and been accepted to the program, Pritzker had graciously agreed to pay my way, and I still think derm is pretty neat-o. And it even fit my schedule perfectly.

So off I went and here I am. The other med students here all want to be dermatologists when they grow up (with the possible exception of one second-year student, who I may be slowly winning over to Ob-Gyn), but luckily the learning curve in our clinic is so steep that the slight experience advantage they'd have at home is totally wiped out here. There was never any chance that any American medical student, even a gung-ho derm one, would ever recognize zinc deficiency on the first go 'round.

One thing I have come to appreciate, however, is how uniquely suited dermatologists are to short global health missions in developing regions. Unlike other specialties, where you really need to 1) know the patient's history (Does it hurt? When? How long has it been going on? etc.) and 2) be able to follow up with the patient (prenatal visits, blood pressure checks, etc.), dermatology needs none of that. It's all in the visuals. Dr. Sethi doesn't speak much Chichewa - and she doesn't need to. She simply takes a look at a patient's rash, asks whether it hurts and/or itches, and can make a diagnosis in 90% of the cases. It's great to watch. And I imagine most American dermatologists could do the same, with a little practice - it's a speciality that is uniquely visually oriented. I remember a colleague of my Dad's, a dermatologist who often bemoaned the fact that his patients wanted him to talk to them. Why bother? He knew within the first seven seconds what the problem was and how to treat it.

So lots of potential for global health involvement for any young dermatologists out there. It's not enough to turn my head - just love those ovaries! - but I can definitely appreciate the appeal.