The University of Arizona Division of Dermatology will host a by-invitation-only open house for a new Multispecialty Laser and Aesthetics Program on Tuesday, July 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Banner – University Medicine Multispecialty Services Clinic at 7165 N. Pima Canyon Drive.
Dermatology, which moved to the Catalina Mountain foothills site in 2018, is one of 12 divisions in the Department of Medicine, the largest department at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson.
This open house is the first of several planned at the clinic to introduce various services that focus largely on the visual side of dermatology, ENT (ear, nose and throat), ophthalmology, and plastic surgery to help patients across a broad field of medical and aesthetics needs.
According to Rebecca Thiede, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine and associate program director for the Advanced Dermatology Residency Program, this new and exciting program has the capability to serve a variety of patients seeking treatment that ranges across aesthetic improvement. This includes breast cancer patients looking to minimize surgical scars, kids and adults who suffer from vascular birthmarks, tattoo removals, and managing skin photodamage.
“The reason why this began is there’s just such a tremendous need for these services. There’s a large void in the community, particularly in Arizona, for an interdisciplinary approach for complex and diverse patients that can benefit from these treatments. In fact, we’ll be the largest multidisciplinary laser program in the entire state,” said Dr. Thiede, who earned her medical degree and completed her residency training at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson.
Dermatology’s Dr. Thiede and Gerald Goldberg, MD, and the Department of Otolaryngology’s David Chen, MD, director of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, will be the initial physicians treating patients as part of the program at the Pima Canyon location. In addition, Geoffrey Grunter, MD, chair of the Department of Surgery, and Aaron Mason, MD, section chief for plastic and reconstructive surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, are partnering in this initiative.
To that end, Banner has invested in about a dozen new laser modalities that offer state-of-the-art technological advantages to patients as well as trainees – medical students, resident physicians and fellow physicians – to advance their learning at the forefront of dermatology’s latest techniques.
Clara Curiel-Lewandrowki, MD, Dermatology division chief, professor of medicine and co-director of the Skin Cancer Institute at the UArizona Cancer Center, underscored that aspect and the college’s mission to train the next generation of physicians.
“This also represents a unique opportunity for our trainees to be exposed to cutting-edge technology in the laser and aesthetic fields, by experts that collaborate and work in a multidisciplinary fashion to maximize patients outcomes,” she said.
“The laser portfolio ranges from ablative to non-ablative devices that give us more flexibility. This capability to select among different technologies leads to better clinical results while minimizing discomfort and downtime” for recovery. Those skills, too, will be passed on to trainees, Dr. Thiede added.
Beyond this initial event on July 25, other open houses are planned this summer and fall to introduce the program to the broader UArizona Health Sciences campus and community providers who may take advantage of services offered on their patients’ behalf.
Dr. Curiel-Lewandrowski and the program leadership are appreciative of the institutional support received to date, and the team is looking forward to an effective and impactful implementation of these services.
“One of the key differentiators of this program, in addition to the multidisciplinary structure and breadth of devices and aesthetics techniques, is co-implementation of novel imaging modalities that can guide clinical decision making when selecting these tools. It isn’t just aesthetics and lasers. It’s aesthetics and lasers guided by science,” she said.
Google Maps directions to 7165 N. Pima Canyon Drive, Tucons, AZ 85718
ALSO SEE:
“UA/Banner Dermatology Cut Ribbon on New Consolidated Clinic Site” | Posted July 5, 2018
“UA/Banner Dermatology Consolidating Clinics at New Pima Canyon Location by Mid-June” | Posted April 23, 2018