Throughout this one-year fellowship, Mohs and other surgical procedures will be performed under the supervision of the program director, Duane C. Whitaker, MD, a past president of the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS) and an experienced ACMS-approved Mohs surgeon and a past ACMS president.
As the training year progresses, the fellow transitions to greater independence based on demonstrated clinical and surgical skills. Fellows work in tandem on a daily basis with the faculty providing continuous feedback and mentoring. The Program Director will directly observe the fellow conducting patient interviews, physical examinations, as well as performing all cutaneous surgical procedures, including destruction techniques, excision, and Mohs micrographic surgery.
Training Locations
Residents and fellows spend their training between the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System (SAVAHCS), Pima Canyon outpatient clinic and the University of Arizona Cancer Center – North Campus.
Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS)
The Tucson VA Medical Center, the flagship facility for SAVAHCS, has one of the busiest VA dermatology departments in the country, with a high percentage of patients diagnosed and treated for skin cancer. In 2014, construction of the brand new Mohs unit was completed, which includes a laboratory and two dedicated reconstruction rooms.
Pima Canyon Outpatient Clinic
To meet the continued demand to provide Dermatology service in Tucson, the University of Arizona Dermatology division and Banner-University Medical developed the layout for the outpatient dermatology clinical unit of Banner – University Medical Center Tucson. This freestanding building opened in June 2018, and it also includes the University of Arizona Dermatology division's research and academic administration functions. The Pima Canyon Campus is the primary clinical and administrative site for the UA Division of Dermatology. Residents' weekly continuitiy clinics are held at this location with the availability of 17 exam and procedure rooms and a phototherapy treatment room. The building also holds a newly modeled, tech-friendly conference room dedicated to trainees' educational activities as well as Dermatology Faculty and Resident offices, where each resident has their own laptop computer and work space.
UA Cancer Center – North Campus
The UA Cancer Center (UACC) – North Campus is a clinical unit of Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and affiliated with the research facilities of the University of Arizona Cancer Center on the UA Health Sciences main campus north of Speedway Boulevard. UACC – North Campus is the site for the Cutaneous Oncology Program clinics, which Dr. Clara Curiel directs and the Mohs surgery suite, which Drs. Jason DuPont and Duane Whitaker direct. These weekly procedural and oncology clinics offer trainees a rich experience in a wide variety of operative procedures. To meet the increasing demand for treatment of the high incidence of skin cancer in our state the UACC constructed a new Mohs facility at North Campus in 2012, which houses four treatment rooms and a state-of-the art laboratory.