Dermatology News
Updates from the UNMC Department of Dermatology
New Residents
On June 30th, UNMC Dermatology welcomed three new residents, Dr. Erica Lee, Dr. Robert Borucki, and Dr. Alfredo Siller to our growing department. The class of 2024 hit the ground running, as they have started rotations, attending lectures, and been present in clinics at the VA. This is an exciting time for our department as a whole and we are looking forward to what each individual will be bringing to the dermatology department. 
Name: Rob Borucki, MD
Hometown: Columbia, SC

Reasons for choosing UNMC Dermatology's resident program: I was initially drawn to the people and culture that is being built in the department. I think the excitement everyone has for the new residency program is contagious. I am excited to be a part of building and growing a new program and to work with a great group of people!
Reason for going into dermatology: I discovered dermatology late as a medical student but was immediately fascinated by the way diseases can show up in a visible and unique way in the skin, and the dermatologist’s complete mastery in their diagnosis and treatment.
Favorite thing about dermatology: I love the fast pace and variety of clinic, and the ability to make an immediate and lasting improvement in patients’ lives.

Special interest areas in dermatology: Rheum-derm, blistering diseases, clinical trials

Fun Fact: I’ve played the piano all my life and minored in music in college.
 
Favorite thing about Omaha: I haven’t spent enough time in Omaha to have a favorite yet, but I’m most excited about exploring all the restaurants in a new city!
Name: Erica Lee, MD

Hometown: Waimea, Hawaii

Reasons for choosing UNMC Dermatology's resident program: Having had the opportunity to spend the year here as a post-doctoral research fellow, I really loved the supportive faculty and how close-knit the entire department is. It has been amazing to watch the department grow and I’m super excited to be a part of it!

Reason for going into dermatology: One of the reasons I wanted to go into dermatology is to be able to go back and serve my hometown on the Big Island of Hawaii. The area I am from is very medically underserved in all specialties, but especially dermatology, and I feel super fortunate that I will be in the position to fill that need.

Favorite thing about dermatology: Dermatology is the only field where you can do everything! I love that I will become an expert on all things skin, from the clinical to the pathologic to the surgical, and everything in between.

Special interest areas in dermatology: Pediatric dermatology

Fun Fact: I went to the same high school as Barack Obama.

Favorite thing about Omaha: Coneflower Creamery!
Name: Alfredo Siller Jr, MD
Hometown: McAllen/
Temple, TX
Reasons for choosing UNMC Dermatology's resident program: I immediately fell in love with the energy and camaraderie at UNMC and felt that our dermatology program’s start up mentality would best prepare me for a life-long career in serving our most vulnerable patient populations.
Reason for going into dermatology: I was drawn to dermatology by my innate curiosity for immunologic, rheumatologic, and infectious diseases/disorders and loved how the clinical encounters centered around the physical exam. There is always something new to learn in dermatology and the scope of practice can be very intellectually stimulating when dealing with complex medical cases and deeply satisfying when treating patients with varied dermatologic procedures.

Favorite thing about dermatology: The ability to foster lifelong relationships with my patients and the opportunity to make a difference in the dermatologic health disparities of underserved populations is what I love most about a career in dermatology.
 
Special interest areas in dermatology: Complex Medical Dermatology, Inflammatory Skin Disease, Pigmentary Disorders, Surgical Dermatology, Medical Education, and Dermatologic Health Disparities Research
 
Fun Fact: My cat loves to go camping!

Favorite thing about Omaha: Great food, low cost of living, and no traffic!
Specialty Clinics

As we add new physicians to the team, we have also added Dermatology subspecialty and multidisciplinary clinics (MDC) to offer to patients. These new specialty clinics include:
  • Multidisciplinary Rheum-Derm Clinic (MDC) is held twice a month by co-directors Dr. Megan Arthur, dermatologist, and Dr. Jennifer Medlin, rheumatologist.
  • Autoimmune Bullous/Blistering Disease Clinic (MDC) is held monthly and led by Dr. Corey Georgesen.
  • Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Lymphoma Clinic (MDC) is held monthly with Dr. Ashley Wysong and Dr. Matthew Stephany who work alongside several Nebraska Medicine specialists in oncology and pathology.
  • HIV / Infectious Disease Dermatology Clinic (MDC) is going to start up again after being closed down in March 2020 due to COVID. This is a monthly clinic at the Specialty Care Center held by Dr. Jennifer Adams.
  • Bullous Disease/Autoimmune Blistering Skin Conditions Clinic is led by Dr. Corey Georgesen, board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist. This is a monthly clinic to see patients with bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus and other autoimmune blistering conditions of the skin.
  • Hansen's Disease National Site - UNMC Dermatology is the referral center in the Midwest for this disease and Dr. Jennifer Adams sees patients on a regular and referral basis for cutaneous leprosy.
  • Skin of Color / Ethnic Skin Dermatology Clinic started in July 2021 and is led by Dr. Kristie Hayes twice a month.
  • Transplant Dermatology Clinics (pre-transplant evaluation & post-transplant) will be coming in September 2021. This new clinic will be led by Dr. Melodi Whitley and Dr. Matthew Stephany who will work closely with other Nebraska Medicine multidisciplinary clinics for our Nebraska Medicine transplant patients.
  • Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP) National Center - Dr. Megan Arthur and Dr. Jennifer Adams see patients with different types of porphyria and are trained in the placement of Scenesse.

New Faculty
UNMC Dermatology continues to add new faculty members to the team! We have four new doctors starting with us this fall.
Matthew Stephany, MD
Assistant Professor
Medical Director, General Dermatology

Started August 2021

Dr. Stephany was born in Omaha and raised in Gretna, Nebraska. He attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) where he earned degrees in Chemistry and Biology. Dr. Stephany was on faculty at UNO in the Chemistry Department for three years prior to attending medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Dr. Stephany is currently completing dermatology training at the University of Oklahoma. He is a general dermatologist with a particular interest in transplant dermatology and cutaneous lymphoma. He will also be joining Nebraska Medicine as Medical Director of Medical Dermatology and a member of the clinic leadership team.

Dr. Stephany met his wife while attending UNMC and they have two children, daughter Evelyn, and son Miles. Dr. Stephany enjoys sports and travel. His favorite trip was to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Laura Catherine C. Vargo, MD
Assistant Professor 

Started August 2021

Dr. Vargo was born and raised in Elkhorn, Nebraska (maiden name Christensen). She attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where she earned a degree in Chemistry before returning to Omaha to attend medical school at UNMC on the Regents Scholarship. During her medical training, she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and graduated with distinction. She completed an intern year in internal medicine at UNMC before moving to Kansas City to complete her dermatology training at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). Following residency, she practiced general dermatology at Stormont Vail Health in Topeka, Kansas while her husband finished his plastic surgery training.

Dr. Vargo is excited to finally be returning to her hometown. She practices general dermatology and enjoys seeing a wide breadth of dermatologic conditions including skin cancer, acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Outside of dermatology, Dr. Vargo enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
Nicole Harter, MD
Associate Professor
Chief of Pediatric Dermatology

Coming Soon... September 2021

Dr. Nicole Harter is a board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist. Dr. Harter comes to Omaha from Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) where she has served on faculty at University of Southern California (USC) as a full-time academic pediatric dermatologist, focusing on complex medical dermatology, laser treatments, and dermatologic surgery. She also served as associate program director of CHLA's pediatric dermatology fellowship program. Dr. Harter's research has been widely published in medical literature, as well.

"I could not be more excited about the opportunity to establish and grow a comprehensive pediatric dermatology division with UNMC and Children's in Omaha," Dr. Harter said. "I am passionate about bringing exceptional, innovative and compassionate pediatric dermatologic care to the greater region."

Dr. Harter attended medical school at the University of Arizona, where she was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Societies and received the Outstanding Senior Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement. She completed her internship in pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, her dermatology residency at Los Angeles County and University of Southern California (LAC+USC), and her fellowship in pediatric dermatology at Northwestern Medical Center and Lurie Children's Hospital.
Melodi Javid Whitley, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Director of Transplant Dermatology

Coming Soon... October 2021

Dr. Whitley was born in the Washington, DC suburb of Rockville, Maryland where she spent all of her childhood. She attended the University of Maryland, College Park where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature. She went on to receive a post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award to perform HIV research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. After completion of this fellowship, she attended Duke for medical and graduate school as a participant in the Medical Scientist Training Program. She received her MD and PhD in Molecular Cancer Biology in 2017. Dr. Whitley completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Duke University Hospital and a residency in dermatology at Duke University where she also served as Chief Resident.

As a dermatology resident, she developed and participated in the Physician Scientist training track and was the recipient of a post-doctoral fellowship to conduct research in tumor immunology. During this time, she developed an interest in studying cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and caring for patients with high-risk skin cancers. She will bring this expertise to her role as Director of Transplant Dermatology at UNMC Dermatology.

Dr. Whitley met her husband while at Duke and they have two boys, Michael and Matthew. The whole family is excited to call Omaha home and to become part of the UNMC community.
Community Service & Outreach
We were so excited this summer to be able to volunteer for in-person events again!

On June 5th, several members of our UNMC and Nebraska Medicine Dermatology team were able to attend the Cattleman’s Ball in Columbus, NE. This year it was hosted by the Mueller family. After the past year that we have all had, it was a wonderful time to get together and raise money for cancer research.

The Cattleman’s Ball of Nebraska is a fundraising event for cancer research that also benefits the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Part of the money raised also goes back to the community’s health and wellness programs.

We were also able to set up a sun safety table for the opening games of the College World Series (CWS) in June. The Women's Dermatologic Society (WDS) was gracious to sponsor both events and donate items for our team to hand out. We had sunscreen, UV patches, and color-changing wrist bands that would indicate UV exposure. Both were wonderful opportunities to support and reach the community to promote sun safety.
New Team Members
Dr. Elliot Blue is our 2021-2022 PGY-2 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at UNMC Department of Dermatology. Dr. Blue’s medical journey began after graduating summa cum laude from Augustana University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. He attended medical school at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. As a medical student, Dr. Blue was a Scholarship Pathways Scholar and received a Certificate in Bioethics as well as the Excellence in Neurosciences (Bioethics) Award. Dr. Blue completed a preliminary medicine internship in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Throughout his medical training, Dr. Blue has prioritized service and research. He has published scholarly work in the areas of medical dermatology, dermatopathology, and stem cells, and regenerative medicine. Additionally, he has facilitated numerous poster and oral presentations, many focused on dermatologic topics.
 
Dr. Blue will be assisting the research team in progressing current research studies, enrolling patients, developing new research projects, and presenting research findings. He will also be working closely with medical students interested in dermatology research.
Elliot Blue, MD
Post-Doctoral
Research Fellowship
Elizabeth Mata
Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowship
Liz is currently a third-year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson. She will be joining our Dermatology Department for a year-long predoctoral research fellowship.
She graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and also went on to complete a Master’s of Nursing. She became interested in dermatology during her first year of medical school after doing research in hidradenitis suppurativa and atopic dermatitis. During her research year, she will be focusing on dermatologic conditions affecting Hispanic, Native American, and underserved populations. She is looking forward to working with all the amazing people in the Department of Dermatology.

Liz loves to travel and spend time with her family. She enjoys trying new food, baking, and drinking coffee.
Gabby Jensen, Office Associate has joined our UNMC administrative team. Although she is originally from Winter Park, Florida she has spent the past ten years in Jackson, Wyoming. Gabby graduated from The University of Central Florida with her B.S. in Hospitality Management which eventually led her to a private estate managing day-to-day operations under The Grand Tetons. Gabby is looking forward to assisting with planning and coordinating community service and outreach events with outside partners along with supporting Dr. Sutton, Dr. Stephany, and Dr. Harter.

Gabby and her husband, Jeff have a son Nico and enjoy swimming in the pool, playing golf, and exploring new places of interest.
Gabrielle Jensen
Office Associate
Summer Research Students
For the last three years, UNMC Dermatology has provided medical students with the opportunity to perform research in the field of dermatology through the Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP). With faculty mentorship, students enhance their ability to seek out information, analyze and apply it to a solution of a defined problem. The students spent a significant amount of time this summer (8-10 weeks) on their research endeavor. 

Monica Angeletti

What is your project?  
Tumor microenvironment of squamous cell carcinoma in HIV patients. 
What interests you about dermatology? 
Dermatology is such a dynamic field and I'm fascinated in the overlap it has with other specialties like rheumatology, infectious disease, oncology, and allergy/immunology. I love the visual aspect of diagnosis, as well. 
Tell me about yourself:
I'm originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, and I graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a B.S. in Biological Sciences in 2020. Besides research, I'm also involved with the Underserved Health Care Enhanced Medical Education Track, The MUNA Box Project, and Dermatology Interest Group Association (DIGA). I love to cook, read, travel, and play piano in my spare time. One fun fact about me is that I used to work part-time as a pianist at Von Maur in college! 
Kim Nguyen

What is your project? 
I am working with Dr. Megan Arthur to characterize the frequency and spectrum of scarring and non-scarring alopecia in lupus patients.
What interests you about dermatology? 
Although I never had the chance to formally learn dermatology until medical school, the field of dermatology has always fascinated me. Growing up, acne, eczema, sun damage, and xeroderma pigmentosum severely affected the people closest to me. Because of this, I would spend hours leisurely learning about dermatological treatments and prevention tips to improve the quality of life of those around me. Having the opportunity to learn about dermatology in medical school has only reinforced this interest! 
Tell me about yourself:
I’m from Lincoln, Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!). My hobbies include writing, film photography, traveling, and trying new foods.
Bo Kitrell

What is your project? 
I am working on a project that ascertains the chronicity of non-melanoma skin cancers. I am doing this by recruiting patients with a history of 5 or more non-melanoma skin cancers to participate in a five-year prospective study looking at their co-morbidities, risk factors, and overall impact on their quality of life. This assessment will be done by chart review and a bi-annual survey completed by each patient. 
What interests you about dermatology? 
I love people and get energy from interacting with people, so the fast-paced nature and the variable patient population in dermatology excite me greatly. I also enjoy that the entire spectrum of dermatology, from a patient gaining more self-confidence through the clearing of a rash or acne to the drastic increase in patient survival through early skin cancer detection and removal, has an enormous and recognizable impact on the lives of patients. Lastly, I love that the skin and hair display many other underlying processes or diseases in the body; thus, dermatology is a hybrid of several other specialties, and the knowledge of many specialties and their disease processes is crucial in making an accurate dermatological diagnosis. 
Tell me about yourself:
I am from Ashland, Nebraska, and am the second oldest of five boys. I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I got my undergraduate degree in civil engineering and also played fullback for the football team. My hobbies include hiking, lifting weights, going to concerts, and reading. 
Camilla Reimer

What is your project? 
I am working on a retrospective case-control study evaluating the quantitative effects that Nebraska Medicine's inpatient dermatology consultative services have had on patient care outcomes for those admitted to the hospital with a primary dermatologic condition.  
What interests me about dermatology? 
Dermatology fascinates me because the skin serves as the body's canvas of unique communication to the external world. Through the skin, the body can express what is happening both inside and outside - from infections and diseases to environmental exposures. I am drawn to dermatology because it is the field that focuses on interpreting the most intricate of details in this communication to understand what is being expressed by and occurring within and around the patient.  
Tell me about yourself:
I was born and raised in Mead, Colorado, but after falling in love and marrying a Nebraska man, my heart has found its home here in Nebraska. I am a natural adventurer who loves to try any and every new experience. I love hiking, skiing, scuba diving, canyoneering, snorkeling, and all types of traveling. When I am not studying medicine, you can find me spending my time outside and planning my next adventure (while avidly using my sun protection gear, of course). 

Andrea Vetter

What is your project?  
This summer, I updated the UNMC Squamous Cell Carcinoma database, which will include all patients seen by Nebraska Medicine pathology from 2010-2019. Using the database, I compared tumor depth of invasion and presence of perineural invasion in metastatic vs non-metastatic tumors. 
What interests you about dermatology? 
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to shadow a dermatologist. That experience taught me about the wide range of conditions that dermatologists treat. I was especially interested in the Mohs procedure to treat skin cancer, which is what prompted my decision to conduct research with the dermatology department, specifically involving SCC.  
Tell me about yourself:
I am from Fargo, North Dakota, where I grew up with my 8 sisters. My dad is a physician and his love for his work sparked my interest in medicine. I attended the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and graduated in May 2020. I just completed my first year at UNMC and got married! In my free time, I enjoy running, going to the lake, and spending time with friends and family. 
Stacie Schlange

What is your project? 
My project aims to determine whether primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma that metastasized to lymph nodes shares genetic markers with the respective lymph node metastases through the use of immunohistochemistry. 
What interests you about dermatology? 
I love that dermatology is a highly visual field with an enormous range of pathologies. I am especially interested in skin cancer and skin cancer prevention.  
Tell me about yourself:
I grew up in Springfield, Nebraska, and attended college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I took a gap year between college and medical school and worked for Dermatology Specialists of Omaha on their Mohs surgery team. In my free time, I enjoy cooking new recipes, playing golf and sand volleyball, and going on walks or hikes with my husband. 
Bellevue Inpatient eConsults
The Inpatient eDermatology Program has officially launched! 

Currently, we are seeing patients admitted to Bellevue Medical Center. We are using eDermatology, whereby photos or videos are utilized to evaluate patients in the hospital setting. The patient can be evaluated, interviewed, triaged, and treated remotely by the UNMC Department of Dermatology. This is extremely valuable for hospitals without a dermatologist to see patients with cutaneous disease during their hospital stay. 

We aim to eventually expand our Inpatient eDermatology throughout the state of Nebraska, especially for those hospitals without access to dermatologic care. 
Chair's Corner
The last quarter has been a time of reflection at UNMC Dermatology as we officially passed our 3 year anniversary as a department. I am so grateful for all of the support from UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, and the entire Omaha community.

A few highlights:
  • Successfully recruited 11 board-certified dermatologists to UNMC Dermatology.
  • Received national ACGME accreditation for a new dermatology residency program in dermatology.
  • Matched #1/#2/#3 ranks in first national NRMP Residency Match
  • Developed medical student didactic curricula (M1/M2), five clinical rotations in dermatology, and a residency preparatory course for medical students who match in dermatology.
  • Designed a formal medical student mentorship program with a 100% match rate for students in dermatology (6/6).
  • Created a foundational research infrastructure for translational and clinical/outcomes research.
  • Produced ambulatory clinic visits year-over-year growth of 83% and 23% in 2020 and 2021 despite the pandemic.
  • Built a comprehensive dermatology clinical program with 6 Nebraska Medicine locations and the following specialty and subspecialty services:
  • Comprehensive Medical and Pediatric Dermatology
  • Inpatient Dermatology Service
  • Mohs & Dermatologic Surgery
  • Comprehensive Varicose Vein Clinic
  • Teledermatology Program – eConsult, eVisit, Video Visit, Phone Visit
  • Laser & Aesthetic dermatology
  • Phototherapy & Photodynamic Therapy Program
  • Multidisciplinary Clinics in Rheum-Derm, HIV dermatology, cutaneous lymphoma, autoimmune bullous diseases
  • Transplant Dermatology
  • Formed collaborations and launched dermatology programs with VA-Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System (VA-NWIHCS) and Children’s Hospital and Medical Center of Omaha.
  • Established a robust teledermatology platform for synchronous and asynchronous direct-to-patient, ambulatory, and inpatient care.
  • Excellence in patient experience with top decile scores nationally.

As we work on updating our strategic plan for 2022-2027, it is apparent that we have continued work to solidify dermatology in the educational curriculum of UNMC students and beyond, to expand our innovative research protocols and collaborations, to expand our community service and outreach programs, and to alleviate suffering from skin, hair, and nail disorders in our community and region. We are off to a fantastic start, but still have work to do to reach "escape velocity" as a new department. My goal is that we continue to build a strong foundation to ensure a successful UNMC Department of Dermatology well into the future. We are grateful for so much support from our larger UNMC family and as we position UNMC Dermatology for the long-term, we need your help!
Tom Thompson, NU Foundation
Ways to Support our Department
Developing new clinical programs, innovative education strategies, and cutting-edge research protocols depends on support from our philanthropic partners. UNMC alumni, grateful patients, and community partners have expressed an interest in learning more about our program, our opportunities to enhance the impact we have at UNMC and across Nebraska, and our vision to become a national leader in treatment, physician training, and outreach. If you would like to learn more about private gifts and partnerships in these or other areas, or about volunteering for our programs, we welcome the chance to share them with you.  We are grateful for every gift, as well as each person who would like to be a part of the team serving our dermatologic community.

We have immediate needs in the following areas:
  • Research Pilot Start-up Fund
  • Education Funding -- Resident Education Fund, Medical Student Research Scholarships, Endowed Research Fellowship
  • Patient Care and Clinical Support
  • Endowed Faculty Sponsorship

For more information please contact:

Visit us on the web at www.unmc.edu/dermatology
UNMC Department of Dermatology
985645 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5645