Dermatology News
Updates from the UNMC Department of Dermatology
| | Welcome Dr. Georgeanne Cornell! | | |
Earlier this month, we were thrilled to officially welcome Dr. Georgeanne Cornell to the team as our second dermatopathologist!
Dr. Cornell recently completed her Dermatopathology fellowship at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO, following her Dermatology residency at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. Originally from Columbia, Missouri, she’s excited to remain in the Midwest to practice.
Dr. Cornell was drawn to dermatology because of how it rewards close observation. She shared that subtle skin findings—often missed at first glance—can dramatically shift the diagnostic picture. She enjoys the challenge of distinguishing between similar conditions and the satisfaction of helping patients through careful attention to detail.
Outside of work, Dr. Cornell shares her home with her two energetic German Shorthaired Pointers, Poncho and Peanut, and two cats, Waffles and Milli. She says nothing makes her happier than a midday nap paired with a sweet treat.
Fun fact: Her high school dance team won a national championship during her senior year!
Dr. Georgesen is excited to have another dermatopathologist on the team, and we know Dr. Cornell will make a wonderful impact on both our team and our patients.
| | Nebraska's First Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship | | |
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Department of Dermatology is launching Nebraska’s first pediatric dermatology fellowship, set to begin in 2026. Led by Dr. Nicole Harter, a double board-certified dermatologist, the program aims to train future specialists in a field that currently faces a shortage of providers across the U.S. and Canada. With only 476 board-certified pediatric dermatologists nationwide, most located along the coasts, this fellowship will help expand access to care in the Midwest.
Dr. Harter, who joined UNMC and Children’s Nebraska in 2021, is passionate about educating the next generation of pediatric dermatologists. She emphasizes the subspecialty’s unique blend of procedural work and complex diagnoses, often involving rare genetic or immunological conditions. The fellowship will not only offer hands-on training but also foster long-term relationships with patients, improving their quality of life from infancy through young adulthood. Dr. Harter looks forward to mentoring fellows in what she calls “the best part of our specialty.”
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2025 Medical Student Summer Research Program & Year-Long Research Students
The Department of Dermatology is excited to welcome two new yearlong student fellows and five new medical student summer research program students (MSSRP). The yearlong fellowship is offered to students during a gap year in medical school to gain experience in research. Our new year-long research fellows are Anya Kumar and Megan Lorenz. Anya studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and is interested in dermatologic oncology, autoimmune conditions, and care for skin of color. Megan, from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, is curious about expanding access to dermatologic care in rural areas, autoimmune conditions, skin cancer treatment, and vulvar dermatology. These students will work with our department on current studies, clinical trials, and be mentored by faculty curious about similar topics.
The MSSRP program provides rising second year medical students an opportunity to gain research experience over an 8-week period. Our five new MSSRP students are Naudia Bergen, Mira Gill, Mohamad Hazim, Mackenzie Kilton, and Meena Rahmanzai. Naudia is working with Dr. Megan Arthur on “Assessing the Impact of Implementing E-Module Module Learning for Dermatology Bedside Diagnostics and Procedures with Resident Physicians and Medical Students: A Pre- and Post-Survey Analysis to Determine Skill and Confidence.” Working with Dr. Sarah Lonowski, Mira Gill’s project is “A Retrospective Analysis of Teledermatology Use in Nebraska.” Mohamad is working with Dr. Corey Georgeson on “Evaluating the Role of IgG4-Specific Staining in Improving the Diagnostic Yield of Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid: A Retrospective Study.” Mackenzie Kilton’s project, working with Dr. Jesse Hirner, is “Use of Janus Kinase (JAK) Inhibitors in the Management of Cutaneous Immune-Related Adverse Events.” Lastly, Meena is working with Dr. Erin Barrett on “A Systematic Review Examining Rural Healthcare Delivery Models and Their Associated Outcomes.” The department of dermatology is excited to see the results of all our students’ hard work.
The picture was taken at our annual research potluck to welcome our new year-long students and celebrate the end of the summer for our MSSRP students. We are thankful to Dr. Barrett for hosting us!
Larry Robins
Research Project Coordinator
| | | Department Family Get-Together 🎉 | | |
In August, our department enjoyed a fun-filled family get-together at Omaha Sports and Games! We had a wonderful turnout, and it was great to see so many colleagues, friends, and family members spending time together and enjoying the variety of games and activities offered at the venue.
A special thank-you goes to our faculty for their generous donations, which allowed us to treat everyone to Javi’s Tacos. The food was a big hit and helped make the evening even more enjoyable.
We are grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make this event such a success. It was a great reminder of the strong sense of community we share within the department.
Karle Olnes
Department Administrator
| | New Mohs Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship Welcomes Inaugural Fellow | | We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Mohs Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center—marking a historic milestone for both our department and the state of Nebraska. This ACGME-accredited fellowship is the first of its kind in Nebraska and represents our commitment to advancing excellence in skin cancer care, surgical education, and venolymphatic medicine. As Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery and Surgical Medical Director, I am incredibly proud of the clinical and academic groundwork our team has laid to bring this vision to life. | This July, we welcome our inaugural fellow, Dr. Hannah Porter, to the program. Dr. Porter completed her dermatology residency at the University of Vermont, where she distinguished herself as a talented clinician and scholar. She is recently completing an advanced fellowship in cutaneous oncology at Oregon Health & Science University, gaining specialized experience in the multidisciplinary management of complex skin cancers. Dr. Porter brings a passion for surgical excellence, patient-centered care, and academic medicine, and we are excited to have her join us as we train the next generation of leaders in Mohs surgery and dermatologic oncology. | |
Dr. Vanessa Voss and I will serve as fellowship directors for our program. As part of her fellowship, Dr. Porter will spend dedicated time with members of our multidisciplinary skin cancer team, including experts in medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, ENT, and plastic surgery. This collaborative environment ensures our fellows are immersed in comprehensive, team-based care and are well-prepared to manage the full spectrum of complex skin cancers. We are proud to offer this unique and robust training experience here at UNMC.
Dr. Adam Sutton
Associate Professor, UNMC Department of Dermatology
Director, Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery, Nebraska Medicine
Division Chief, Mohs & Dermatologic Surgery, UNMC Department of Dermatology
Mohs Fellowship Program Director
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Resident's Corner
It has been a busy but exciting time for the residency program! At the end of June we celebrated the graduation of our incredible senior residents—Dr. Fernandez, Dr. Kwan, and Dr. Lloyd-McLennan—with a heartfelt ceremony honoring their contributions and bright futures. Dr. Fernandez headed to Arizona to begin an Informatics Fellowship that is close to family; Dr. Kwan will be starting his dermatology career with lots of exciting travel plans (including a much anticipated trip to Japan!); and Dr. Lloyd-McLennan, who just welcomed a beautiful baby girl, is preparing for a Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship at Stanford.
During the ceremony, Dr. Arthur and Dr. Adams shared touching reflections on each graduate, highlighting the lasting impact they’ve had on our program. On behalf of the residents, our new chief, Dr. Grinnell, offered equally moving words of gratitude and admiration. As a token of appreciation, the graduates gifted each attending a personalized mug with the definition of a dermatologist: See also: rockstar, legend—a perfect tribute to the mentorship that shaped their journey.
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As one year comes to a close, another begins. We were thrilled to kick off a new chapter by welcoming four incredible new residents—Dr. Donohue, Dr. Poondru, Dr. Ravipati, and Dr. Yim—to our dermatology program! As none of them hail from Nebraska, the entire team has gone all in to show them true Midwest hospitality and warmth. To celebrate, Dr. Harter generously hosted a welcome barbecue at her beautiful home, where residents and faculty gathered to enjoy perfect weather, great food, and even better company.
The event was made possible thanks to the behind-the-scenes magic of our amazing admin dream team—Karle, Katie, and our one-of-a-kind program coordinator, Paige— who went above and beyond to make the day so special. We were also lucky to have our beloved VA "residency mom," Shalah, join the celebration, making the day feel even more complete. We’re beyond excited for this new chapter and are constantly reminded of how grateful we are for the love and support from our UNMC Dermatology family. This truly is a special place.
Dr. Morgan Zabel (PGY-3 Resident Physician)
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Chair, UNMC Department of Dermatology
Associate Professor, UNMC Department of Dermatology
Associate Program Director
Director of Tropical and Infectious Disease Dermatology, Nebraska Medicine
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It has been an absolute privilege to lead our Department of Dermatology over the past year as the Interim Chair. We have continued to shatter goals together as a team- taking exceptional care of patients while moving all aspects of our academic mission forward. This year, the institution kicked off a national chair search for permanent leadership. I am honored and humbled to share that Dean Britigan has asked me to serve as the William W. Bruce MD Distinguished Chair of Dermatology and I have happily accepted. As a native Nebraskan and early faculty in the Department, I am filled with pride in what we have built for Nebraskans and am driven with a sense of purpose of all the mountains left to conquer ahead. For now though, let me keep you updated on what we have been up to:
NEW FACES: Throughout this summer’s newsletter you will get the chance to familiarize yourself with some of the new folks in the department that are working to expand dermatologic access & quality of care to Nebraskans in innovative ways. Whether it be our new faculty (Dr. Georgeanne Cornell), Mohs surgery and cutaneous oncology fellow (Dr. Hannah Porter), or our new class of four first year residents (with four more matching to start in July 2026), they each bring their passion and unique perspective to the department. We have an all-star team assembled and ready to accomplish amazing things this coming year!
NEW PLACES: Since the official launch of the new Department of Dermatology in May 2018, no one could anticipate the rate of growth of our team nor the overwhelming need for dermatologic services in our region. We have outgrown our initial departmental home in the Lauritzen Outpatient Center on main campus and have been working closely with UNMC and Nebraska Medicine leadership, as well as philanthropic partners, to build a long-term home for UNMC Dermatology. We are currently working closely with architects and NM ambulatory leadership to expand our comprehensive dermatology service. More details to come this year, but we welcome you to reach out and join the efforts to build the Dermatology Field of Dreams (our permanent departmental home)!
SAME STELLAR QUALITY: It is remarkable that as the Dermatology Department has dramatically expanded clinical access, clinical trials and research, along with educational programs, there has never been sacrifice of the high-quality standards our team delivers in all they do. The Nebraska Medicine dermatology clinics consistently achieve top patient satisfaction across all sites, while our Pediatric Dermatology Division was recently recognized as top 10% of patient experience for dermatology at children’s hospitals nationwide. We now have 14 specialty or multi-disciplinary care clinics across our sites (the national average for an academic dermatology department is 3.94)- re-affirming our reputation as the regional academic referral center for complex dermatologic care. Our faculty had over 160 publications while enrolling in 8 new clinical trials this past year (trials that ensure that Nebraskans have access to cutting-edge treatments). All of this was accomplished while teaching the next generation- an expanded number of resident physicians (now at 11), the first Mohs and cutaneous oncology fellowship in the state, and recent approval for the first pediatric dermatology fellowship in the state.
The need is still tremendous in Nebraska, but so is our passion and resolve. Join me as we celebrate just how far we have come and gear up for the road ahead!
Gratefully yours,
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Erin Dahms,
NU Foundation
| | Ways to Support our Department |
Developing new clinical programs, innovative education strategies and cutting-edge research protocols depend on support from our philanthropic partners. UNMC alumni, grateful patients, and community partners have expressed an interest in learning more about our program, our opportunities to enhance the impact we have at UNMC and across Nebraska, and our vision to become a national leader in treatment, physician training, and outreach. If you would like to learn more about private gifts and partnerships in these or other areas, or about volunteering for our programs, we welcome the chance to share them with you. We are grateful for every gift, as well as each person who would like to be a part of the team serving our dermatologic community.
We have immediate needs in the following areas:
- Research Pilot Start-up Fund
- Education Funding -- Resident Education Fund, Medical Student Research Scholarships, Endowed Research Fellowship
- Patient Care and Clinical Support
- Endowed Faculty Sponsorship
For more information please contact:
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UNMC Department of Dermatology
985645 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5645
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