Mentee: Michaela Crawford, BS
Mentor: Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, FAAD
Weill Cornell Medicine
Thank you to the Skin of Color Society for selecting me to work with Dr. Alexis! It was an honor to spend a month at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City learning about dermatology. I met Dr. Alexis at the 19th Annual Skin of Color Society Scientific Symposium in New Orleans, LA in 2023. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to meet and learn from him.
My month at Weill Cornell Medicine was a transformative experience that will shape my future career. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing patients with hair disorders. I learned all about the different kinds of alopecia and the various treatments available. I was particularly impressed by Dr. Alexis’s kind and gentle nature with his patients. He has an exceptional ability to soothe their deepest concerns by acknowledging their worries and involving them in shared decision making. He is truly a skin of color expert, with an extensive knowledge and impressive accuracy in diagnoses.
Beyond clinical skills, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of research. Dr. Alexis is at the forefront of dermatological research, constantly seeking new and better treatments for dermatologic disease. I witnessed the innerworkings of clinical trials and the impact on patients. His dedication to research inspired me to learn more about the latest developments in dermatology. Perhaps the most important lesson Dr. Alexis taught me was the significance of staying up to date with the literature. He treats his patients with revolutionary drugs after clinical trials demonstrate their efficacy. He taught me what to look for when searching the literature and even gave me my first hardcopy of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). I was able to learn about new drugs that have recently entered the market and see their use in a clinical setting. Lastly, we were able to identify some interesting case reports for me to write up and submit for publication.
I am deeply grateful for the knowledge and skills I acquired under Dr. Alexis’ mentorship. I learned far more than I expected. Thank you once again to the Skin of Color Society and Dr. Alexis for this incredible opportunity. I look forward to continuing my journey in dermatology with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in treating diverse patient populations.