Howard University Program

Program Identity & Fit

Howard University's Dermatology Residency is a historically black, mission-driven academic program based at the nation's only teaching hospital on an HBCU campus, with a founding commitment to training physicians for African American and underserved communities. Residents rotate across a varied consortium of sites—Howard University Hospital, the VA Medical Center, Children's National Medical Center, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center—providing exposure to general dermatology, pediatric dermatology, dermatopathology, laser therapy, and Mohs/dermatologic surgery. The program emphasizes structured, trainee-centered didactics including NIH grand rounds, joint regional conferences, an incoming-resident bootcamp shared with regional programs, and funded attendance at national meetings such as the Skin of Color Society and National Medical Association conventions, reflecting an identity centered on skin of color expertise and health equity. Research is present through journal clubs and conference presentation opportunities but is not positioned as the program's central pillar; instead the program appears to value social consciousness, community engagement, and clinical breadth across diverse care settings.