Mentee: Nicole Trepanowski, BS
Mentor: Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Because of the generosity of the Skin of Color Society Observership Grant, I was able to develop a mentorship with Dr. Rebecca Hartman in the Department of Dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. My career goals include becoming an academic dermatologist, working with underserved populations, and conducting research to investigate how minoritized individuals can be better served in the field of dermatology.
This Observership propelled me towards my career goals because Dr. Hartman and I worked on a research project investigating differences among Hispanic nationalities in skin cancer prevention practices using a large national dataset, which is currently under submission at a dermatology journal. Additionally, I was able to gain dermatology clinical experience by shadowing Dr. Hartman in clinic at the Jamaica Plain Veterans Hospital, which serves an underserved population with a high burden of skin cancer, and in a melanoma clinic at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. During our time together, Dr. Hartman and I also hosted an educational event at a local women’s shelter teaching women about skincare and basic skin conditions. These experiences would not have been possible without the support of the Skin of Color Society Observership Grant.
Both Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino individuals are underrepresented as physicians proportional to their population representation in the U.S. (Voorhees, et. al). In dermatology, only 4.2% of practicing dermatologists identify as Hispanic/Latino despite making up 17.8% of the population, and 3% of practicing dermatologists identify as African-American despite making up 13.3% of the population (Voorhees, et. al). As the daughter of a Hispanic immigrant and the first future physician in my family,
I am grateful to have been supported by the Skin of Color Society as I pursue a career in academic dermatology with a focus on melanoma and healthcare disparities. Participating in the Skin of Color Society Observership Program set me on the path towards achieving my goal of improving the field of dermatology for underrepresented individuals. This experience enabled me to develop a life-long mentor and gain valuable clinical and research experience which I will carry forward in my career.