My name is Ashaki Patel and I am
a third-year dermatology resident at the Medical College of Wisconsin in
Milwaukee. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago before moving to Saint Louis for
both my undergraduate studies and medical school at Saint Louis University. It
was during my dermatology rotation in medical school that I was first
introduced to the idea of using energy-based devices to treat skin disorders.
Witnessing how microwave thermolysis had such a positive impact on patients’
quality of life left a lasting impression on me! I knew that if I ever became a
dermatology resident, I would learn how to incorporate energy- based devices
into my practice.
Fast forward to dermatology
residency where I was introduced to other energy-based devices including the
pulsed dye laser. With the help of my mentor, Dr. Valerie Carlberg, I was able
to establish a continuity clinic focused on learning how to treat vascular
birthmarks in children using the PDL. As I learned more about lasers
and energy based devices, I was impressed by their versatility in the treatment
of a wide array of cosmetic and medical dermatologic conditions. However,
during residency I also came to the realization that training and exposure to
lasers and energy-based devices is greatly varied across dermatology residency
programs. My mentor Dr. Paul Friedman and I chose to study this at a
dermatology residency-level by sending out a nationwide survey to dermatology
residents. Our survey sought to look at what laser education is like across the
country, and how we can improve it. We presented these results at
the ASLMS annual meeting in May 2021.
My goal as student board
representative is to use the results from our survey to help make laser
education more standardized across residency programs and help make laser
education more accessible through ASLMS. I’m extremely grateful to all of my
mentors, without whom I would not be in this position, and I look forward to
serving on the board of ASLMS.
Outside of lasers and energy-based
devices, I also enjoy reading mystery novels, traveling with my family and
better-half, re-creating dishes from our travel adventures, and drone
videography!