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Mohs Surgeons Leading the Future Project Updates and Program Information
By Jeffrey F. Scott, MD, FACMS
As we approach the new year, I want to highlight an exceptional opportunity for members of the Mohs College to participate in the highly regarded one-year leadership program, Mohs Surgeons Leading the Future (MSLF), supported by the ACMS Foundation. Currently led by Dr. David Carr, the MSLF program features an innovative tripartite curriculum comprised of a year-long immersive project centered on important initiatives for the ACMS, one-on-one mentorship with a leader from the Mohs College, and leadership training focused on leadership of self, others, and within a system. Selected curriculum topics include building your leadership EQ, stakeholder analysis, giving and improving feedback, legislative and regulatory issues, and leading teams and large organizations. Notably, the program includes both leadership mentors and project mentors/advisors, so participants have the opportunity to work closely with a variety of Mohs College leaders who will help guide your project and facilitate your leadership growth.
As a former participant in the MSLF program, I can attest to the profound impact it had on my career advancement, leadership development, and overall understanding of the strategic goals of the ACMS. The MSLF program has been active for three years, and the application deadline for the next cohort of participants is approaching fast — January 1, 2024. Applicants at all career stages are encouraged to apply, although applicants must be an Associate or Fellow member of the ACMS at the time of application submission. For more information, please follow this link: https://www.mohscollege.org/acms-foundation/mohs-surgeons-leading-the-future.
The current cohort of MSLF participants are working hard on their projects and will provide updates at the ACMS Annual Meeting which will substantially benefit the Mohs College membership. The first group, which includes Drs. Christine Ahn, Misty Eleryan, Rachel Kyllo, and Franki Lambert Smith, and which is mentored by Drs. Howard Rogers and John Albertini, is attempting to better characterize the adequacy of the Mohs workforce. The team is updating a supply model to predict the number of board-certified Mohs surgeons based on 2023 data, and they are also investigating how the geographic distribution of Mohs surgeons affects surgical scheduling wait times for low- and high-risk skin cancers. The group is currently contacting Mohs practices to determine wait times and surveying the Mohs College membership to examine how the geographic distribution of Mohs surgeons may impact patient care. Please consider filling out their ACMS survey on workforce adequacy, which you can access here: https://www.mohscollege.org/index.php?url=members/information/member-research-surveys.
The second group, which includes Drs. Patricia Richey, Laura Rosenzweig, Kathryn Shahwan, and Ramone Williams, and which is mentored by Dr. Thomas Knackstedt, is creating a digital flipbook resource for Mohs histotechs and surgeons focusing on common slide processing errors, slide artifacts, and troubleshooting methods. The flipbook will include high-quality photographs and videos organized and indexed by topic for easy access during a busy clinic. If ACMS members have any slides (or photos of slides) with artifacts or any videos depicting the harvesting and/or processing of Mohs layers at challenging anatomic sites that they would be willing to contribute to this valuable membership resource, please contact the group’s members at Prichey9@gmail.com; kathryn.shahwan@osumc.edu; lbrosenzweig@gmail.com; ramone.f.williams@gmail.com.
I would like to close by highlighting the successes of previous cohorts of MSLF participants. The 2021-2022 cohort, which worked on defining high-value care in Mohs surgery, recently had their manuscript accepted to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, entitled “Identifying critical quality metrics in Mohs surgery: A national expert consensus process.” Additionally, the 2022-2023 cohort, which began the process of characterizing the Mohs surgeon workforce, recently had their manuscript accepted to Archives of Dermatological Research, entitled “Mohs surgeon workforce survey: a spectrum of clinical, academic, and leadership activities.” Finally, the 2022-2023 cohort also created a digital flipbook to help educate patients on common postoperative healing scenarios, including spitting sutures, pin-cushioning, pigmentary changes, and many others. The flipbook is free to all ACMS members and can be accessed here: https://www.mohscollege.org/for-physicians/current-members/clinical-resources.
In just three short years, the MSLF program has produced important resources for our membership, generated scientific manuscripts, and helped create a pipeline for leadership within the Mohs College. The future is bright, and I anticipate continued benefits to our membership from this thoughtfully conceived year-long leadership program.