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A pediatric dermatologist is a dermatologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating children, including newborns and infants. This medical doctor first becomes a dermatologist. Extra study and training are needed to become a pediatric dermatologist.

How to become a pediatric dermatologist

Becoming a pediatric dermatologist requires many years of education. To become this type of medical doctor, a person must successfully complete:

  1. College, earning a bachelor’s degree.
  2. Medical school, becoming a medical doctor (MD) or doctor of osteopathy (DO).
  3. Internship, 1 year.
  4. Residency program in dermatology (at least 3 years) and pass the board exams.
  5. Fellowship (advanced medical study and training) in pediatric dermatology (1 to 3 years).

Who is a board-certified pediatric dermatologist?

After successfully completing a fellowship in pediatric dermatology, the doctor can take the board exams. If the doctor passes these exams and meets other requirements, the doctor becomes a board-certified pediatric dermatologist.

All board-certified pediatric dermatologists are:

  • Board-certified in dermatology.
  • Board-certified in pediatric dermatology.

Some also are board-certified in pediatrics.

The Pediatric Dermatology fellowship at UNC

UNC Pediatric Dermatology is an active clinical training experience under the mentorship of Drs. Dean Morrell, Diana McShane and Beth Nieman. Clinical activities are located at the UNC Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center 410 Market Street Suite 400 in Chapel Hill’s Southern Village market center (our core location), UNC’s Hillsborough multidisciplinary clinic and our Raleigh office (near Rex Hospital). In-patient activities occur at UNC Children’s Hospital located approximately 1 mile from our core location. Opportunities for clinical research and teaching are available.

Interested individuals should contact Dr. Morrell via email () to discuss positions and required information. Interviews will be scheduled on an individual basis.

Additional pediatric dermatology matching information is available though: https://www.sfmatch.org/

Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Interviews for 2023-2024: An Individualized Approach in Response to Varying Institutional Rules

The process for interviewing fellowship candidates for pediatric dermatology has changed dramatically since the 2020-2021 recruitment season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last 2 interview cycles, all pediatric dermatology fellowships conducted virtual interviews. Due to currently variable institutional policies nationally, the Society for Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Directors Committee voted on a course of action for the 2023-2024 interview cycle. A majority of fellowship directors voted to allow each institution to make the choice that is best for their program and within their institutional guidelines, whether virtual only or hybrid (virtual or in-person) interviews.

For 2023-2024

Pediatric dermatology programs will interview fellowship applicants according to their discretion and as directed by their local institutional GME policies.

All programs must offer a virtual interview option to each applicant.

No applicant will be penalized for choosing to interview virtually at programs offering in-person interviews, including applicants from the same institution.

Applicants should recognize that many programs are bound by local GME rules and regulations and thus interview style choice is beyond their control.

We recognize there are costs- financial, environmental, educational, and other- to interviewing in person. We are committed to equity and inclusion, and as such, no program may inquire about the reason a candidate selects to be interviewed in-person or virtually.

We are committed to ongoing evaluation of safeguards to maintain equity for applicants as it relates to in-person visits as part of the interview process, including in-person interviews, open houses, or second looks.

Each program will outline their application and interview timeline on their program’s website.

These recommendations are subject to change in the case of updated COVID-19 pandemic or other restrictions required from a public health and safety standpoint. Health and safety considerations should supersede the guidance offered by these recommendations.

The Fellowship Directors’ Committee acknowledges that there are no perfect solutions, and no process will address all stakeholder preferences. These recommendations were developed to communicate the approach to fellowship interviews, which, for individual programs who select all virtual or a hybrid model, may in part reflect the local and institutional culture and environment. This document provides guidance based on currently available information as of May 2023.

This statement was composed by Kelly M. Cordoro, MD and Yvonne Chiu, MD, immediate past and current chair, respectively, of the SPD Fellowship Directors Committee, on behalf of and approved by the SPD Fellowship Director’s Committee.  The language in this document was adapted from the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine 2022-2023 guidance document: https://www.im.org/resources/ume-gme-program-resources/resources-fellowship-application