My participation in the Skin of Color Society mentorship program this past year was nothing short of amazing. From the many conversions with my mentor to the monthly mentoring sessions, this experience has had a positive impact on my journey to becoming a dermatologist.

My mentor is Dr. Lucas Anthony and I am so grateful for her mentorship. She lives in Florida and I attend medical school in Kansas City, Missouri so the majority of our interaction this past year was virtual. We typically check in on a monthly basis and I always leave our conversations feeling rejuvenated about my goals. I updated her on which clinical rotation I was on and she gave very good advice on how to maximize my rotations and be a better student. She also gave me a lot of encouragement and support during times of stress. As I approach the application season, we decided together that confidence is something I continuously need to work on in order to be successful. One of my favorite things about my mentor-mentee relationship with Dr. Lucas Anthony is her ability to provide me with reassurance. She always knows what to say to ease my anxiety. I was so happy to finally meet her in person a year later at the Skin of Color Symposium!

As I reflect on the past year, I am so grateful to have gotten a mentor through the Skin of Color Society. This mentorship experience has been monumental in my pursuit of dermatology. I really appreciated having a mentor that was very active and involved in our relationship. She never made me feel like I was “bothering” or “annoying” her; she genuinely wanted to help in any way she could. This mentorship was especially useful because she taught me strategies that were very helpful when researching residency programs and applying to away rotations. As I continue on this journey, I am confident that the connection I have with Dr. Lucas Anthony will continue to grow and blossom.

Over this past year, I really enjoyed my time being a member of the Skin of Color Society. My mentor, Dr. Kenyatta Mireku, has been very great asset during my time as a medical student. She has provided me her experience of being a medical student and things she did to become a competitive applicant for dermatology residency. Dr. Mireku gave me some of her contacts for research in order to get some publications. She even encouraged me to enter my research to the SOCS Scientific Symposium, which I did. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend to the symposium due to having exams during that same week. I do plan on attending to the symposium next year. Overall, this program has been an indispensable experience to guide me through my medical school journey so far. I plan on being part of the Skin of Color Society throughout my medical career and hopefully be able pass down my knowledge and experience to any future medical students that are interested in dermatology.

As a student without a dermatology home program, I am so thankful to the Skin of Color Society’s Mentorship program and to Dr. Pierre. Dr Pierre is the first mentor in Dermatology I have had and has provided me with invaluable guidance and direction. He is a goal-oriented mentor and I always look forward to our check-in sessions. Any question or concern regarding my plans or endeavors, I have an objective, knowledgeable ear. We discuss strategy, residency, resilience, and the makings of a patient-centered dermatologist. I hope that one day I can meet him in person and thank him again for everything he has done for me.

Chrislene Olukoga 
2021 SOCS Mentorship Program Summary

First, I’d like to thank the Skin of Color Society for organizing this wonderful mentorship program for dermatology residents in North America. I was paired with Dr. Vineet Mishra for this mentorship program for the past year. Although I am in Vancouver, Canada, I was able to connect virtually with Dr. Mishra. We discussed about the issues of Skin of Color in dermatology during our meet-up. We also discussed about my career goals and Dr. Mishra shared useful tips to help me succeed in residency. Based on our conversation, I was inspired to investigate the issue of dermatology education in the area of skin of color for Canadian dermatology residents. I published a commentary titled “Dermatology education in skin of colour: where we are and where do we go?” in the Canadian Medical Education Journal. I was also connected with Dr. Mishra on the research level as I am currently working on some research projects that demonstrate our common interests. I am looking forward to meeting Dr. Mishra in person when he will be attending the AAD Innovation Conference in July 2022. Thank you again for this wonderful program that helps residents connect with experts and advocates in the areas of Skin of Color!

Harry Liu, MD
2021 SOCS Mentorship Program Summary

I found the SOCS mentorship experience to be very beneficial. The first time I met with my mentor, Dr. Mhlaba, was shortly after starting my fourth year of medical school. We had a call to introduce ourselves, and we discussed my interests in dermatology and skin of color. Dr. Mhlaba was very supportive in giving advice to help me select away rotation programs that are strong in skin of color, and she even connected me with a current resident at the program that I eventually rotated at. She also assisted by recommending residency programs with skin of color experts that I should research and consider applying to. At the beginning residency interview season, Dr. Mhlaba gave me a practice interview, which was extremely beneficial in helping me prepare for the questions I would be asked. After the conclusion of interview season, I had follow-up questions about one particular program that I was interested in. Dr. Mhlaba connected me with one of her colleagues who had done residency at this program, who was able to have a phone call with me to answer my questions. Our ability to meet in person was limited due to factors related to Covid-19, but I was always met with support anytime I reached out, and Dr. Mhlaba would make sure to check in on me occasionally during crucial steps of the application process. I was very appreciative of the insight and information that I received from my mentor, and it made a big difference in how I approached fourth-year and residency applications. For this reason, I found the SOCS mentorship program to be quite useful.

Seneca Hutson
2021 SOCS Mentorship Program Summary