Jan. 22, 2023 — In the University of Florida College of Medicine Department of Dermatology, a profound commitment to community service radiates through the dedicated efforts of its faculty, staff and trainees. With a threefold approach of CHOMP Melanoma, the Sun Protection Outreach Teaching by Students program, or SPOTS, and dermatology specialty nights at the Equal Access Clinic Network, the team strives to make a tangible impact beyond the clinic.

“It’s important to convey to the community that if they have a need for us, we are here for them, and we will always be here for them,” said clinical associate professor Marjorie Montanez-Wiscovich, M.D., Ph.D., a community and belonging leader in the dermatology department. “We’re out in our community. We’re serving our community. And we want people to know that trying to educate people, trying to make a difference — that’s what this is all about.”

Montanez-Wiscovich joined UF in 2018 after completing her medical school, graduate school and residency training in Cleveland at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and MetroHealth Medical Center. She quickly became involved with CHOMP Melanoma and the Equal Access Clinic Network, two programs providing free health care, like skin cancer screenings and treatment services, to residents of Gainesville and surrounding areas.

At the Equal Access Clinic Network, the dermatology department coordinates a monthly specialty clinic located at 410 NE Waldo Road where anyone with a referral can seek care regardless of their income or insurance status. Patients can receive assistance with transportation to appointments, medication management, laboratory testing, surgery and more. Care is provided by a dedicated team of faculty, resident and student volunteers led by clinical assistant professor Michael Lavery, M.D., residency program and dermatopathology director Kiran Motaparthi, M.D., and dermatopathology fellow Macartney Welborn, M.D.

Two or three times a year, CHOMP Melanoma also hosts a community clinic at UF HealthStreet, where anyone can schedule an appointment or walk in day-of for a complimentary physical exam and cancer screening. Volunteers hand out educational pamphlets on skin cancer detection and prevention to interested patients. At the most recent event in November, Montanez-Wiscovich said, 40 patients were screened in one day — a record high for the program. CHOMP Melanoma’s next community day is planned for April 27.

The department’s third community outreach initiative, SPOTS, is part of a national group of medical schools with student chapters that visit local middle and high schools to teach teens and young adults about sun safety, self-exams and more. SPOTS began as a collaboration between the medical schools of Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Montanez-Wiscovich started the UF chapter with medical students from the Dermatology Interest Group, currently led by second-years Jamie Warner and Ashley Bissenas. In 2022, SPOTS at UF visited Eastside High School and P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, educating 75 young students. In 2023, the group more than doubled its impact, reaching 200 students in Alachua County.

“We are hoping that more and more middle schools and high schools hear about us,” Montanez-Wiscovich said.

Warner added that the opportunities to help patients and truly make a difference in their lives through SPOTS, the Equal Access Clinic Network and CHOMP Melanoma have kept her motivated and grounded as she prepares for the dermatology residency match application process in her fourth year of medical school. And the College of Medicine’s many community service programs, especially the Equal Access Clinic Network, are what drew her to train at UF in the first place.

“I have said for a long time that whatever residency program I attend or institution I end up working at, I will either volunteer at a free dermatology night if it exists, or if it doesn’t, I will create my own,” Warner said. “I am passionate about providing free care to those in need. The ability to catch a melanoma early or help treat a teen’s acne before it scars irreversibly is something to be treasured and not something I am willing to give up.”