Refinery29 - Why Aren't There More Black Dermatologists?

Featured in Refinery29 Article “Why Aren't There More Black Dermatologists?”

“Getting into derm is like The Amazing Race or The Apprentice. It’s a constant hustle,” says Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, who serves as the Director of Ethnic Skin Care for the University of Miami Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery. “You can be a straight-A student and not get in. Some people have to try three times to get in, and that is discouraging.”

Like with many career paths, a student’s success is also greatly influenced by mentorship. If Black children grow up seeing Black dermatologists, they are more likely to consider the field and have a resource or advocate should they pursue a similar career. Fortunately, many health organizations have recognized this disparity, and the American Academy of Dermatology’s Minority Mentorship Program works to pair medical students from underrepresented populations with practicing dermatologists. “We try to reach out to students to shadow derms early in their medical school career so they can be exposed to it and have a cheerleader — that way it feels attainable,” says Dr. Woolery-Lloyd. There are even attempts to reach students at the high school and undergraduate levels. Some programs also offer stipends that help pay for away rotations and summer research, minimizing the financial barriers to entry for minority doctors.

“If it’s a program that doesn’t have any Black faculty, but they are seeing patients every day in Brooklyn, those residents would be very competent overall,” says Dr. Woolery-Lloyd. “Now let’s say you practice in Idaho, and in that residency, they don’t have a skin-of-color specialty or resident who is interested [in diverse populations] — those residents aren’t going to be as well trained.” This lack of training can lead to serious misdiagnoses for Black women, like mistaking a cancerous mole for an innocuous skin tag.

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