University of Minnesota Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Minnesota Dermatology residency is an academic, university-based program that trains residents across five distinct clinical environments—M Health Fairview, Minneapolis VA, Hennepin Healthcare (safety-net), M Health Masonic Children's Hospital, and Fairview Maple Grove—giving broad exposure to varied practice styles and patient populations from tertiary/quaternary referral cases to underserved county-hospital medicine. The curriculum layers a strong procedural, pediatric, allergy, and dermatopathology foundation onto core medical dermatology, and the program operates its own ACGME-accredited Micrographic Surgery/Dermatologic Oncology fellowship with a high-volume Mohs unit (500+ case minimums, exceeding 700 cases in recent years) serving as the state's tertiary referral center, alongside a Pediatric Dermatology fellowship—signaling institutional investment in procedural and subspecialty pipeline development. A separate 2+2 Investigative Residency track exists for research-focused trainees, and while research experience is not required for the categorical program, it is explicitly stated as "highly desirable," reflecting a program that values but does not mandate a research trajectory. The program begins at PGY-2 following a preliminary/transitional year and explicitly requires letters from both dermatology and internal medicine, underscoring emphasis on a well-rounded medical foundation before specialty training.