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UTHSCSA dermatology resident Michaela Marek removes a suspicious lesion from a patient’s neck at the Travis Park Dermatology Clinic.
Courtesy photo

Travis Park Dermatology Clinic:

Free, student-run dermatology clinic benefits

San Antonio community, medical education

By Michelle A. Nguyen and Margaret E. Brown

In the basement waiting room of Travis Park United Health Science Center at San Antonio, students, residents,
Methodist Church in downtown San Antonio, a church vol- faculty, community dermatologists and church volunteers
unteer checks in a homeless patient. In a patient room, first- work together to serve the dermatologic needs of San Anto-
and second-year medical students gather round as a dermatol- nio’s uninsured.
ogy resident performs a shave biopsy of a suspicious lesion on
a patient’s neck. Down the hall, a third-year medical student STARTED IN 2009
independently interviews a patient, examines her skin and In November 2009, the medical students of the University
presents the patient’s story to the attending dermatologist. of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio partnered with
At this free dermatology clinic, run by the Center for Travis Park United Methodist Church to set up a dermatology
Medical Humanities and Ethics at the University of Texas clinic in the church basement. With a waiting area, six patient

12 San Antonio Medicine • February 2014