Reconstructing Dermatology Education: The Backward Design and Curricular Content Expansion

Background

Despite the high prevalence of skin conditions, access to dermatologists remains limited, leaving patients to rely on primary care doctors, paediatricians or emergency medicine providers for diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, dermatology education in medical school is often insufficient, with limited hours dedicated to the specialty. The widespread need for dermatologic care and the curricular time devoted to training medical students in dermatology topics are misaligned, which underscores the importance of enhancing dermatology training within the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Approach

To address this gap, we expanded the existing curriculum to create a dermatology course which showcased foundational subjects such as anatomy, physiology, histology, pathology and biochemistry in the context of the body's largest organ: the skin. We collaborated with dermatologists, physicians, scientists and education specialists to systematically design and align all aspects of the course content and assessments with specific learning objectives to ensure practical, real-world relevance.

Evaluation

The course received positive feedback from students, who appreciated the diverse representation of skin conditions across various skin tones, the case-based learning experiences, use of in-person and remote learning formats and the use of practice questions and interactive modules. All students successfully passed the course.

Implications

Curriculum design is an iterative process, and we hope to refine the course based on student feedback and our experiences. We hope that by giving students more time in the curriculum devoted to understanding skin diseases, they will feel more confident diagnosing and managing skin conditions in medical school and beyond.