Spotlight On: Ali Alikhan, MD
What made you decide on a career in dermatology?
Extremely positive experiences throughout medical school - amazing mentorship, excellent patients and fantastic research opportunities. Each new experience built upon previous positive experiences, and the day came when I realized I would not be happy doing anything else.
What is a typical day like for you?
In academic practice, every day i …
What made you decide on a career in dermatology?
Extremely positive experiences throughout medical school - amazing mentorship, excellent patients and fantastic research opportunities. Each new experience built upon previous positive experiences, and the day came when I realized I would not be happy doing anything else.
What is a typical day like for you?
In academic practice, every day i … 
1. Why did you choose a career in dermatology?
My stepfather worked for a pharmaceutical company that made dermatologic products. I went to my first AAD when I was in middle school, so that definitely planted the seed. During medical school, I loved how dermatologists got to be detectives and figure out complex cases that other specialties were stumped on. During my internship, I fell in love w … 
What made you decide on a career in dermatology?
When I was 16 years old, I had a rash on my trunk, which baffled the pediatrician. When it wasn’t going away, they took me to see Dr. Alvin Friedman-Kien at NYU. From the door, he took one look and told me I had pityriasis rosea. I was fascinated by the sound of the long Latin name and I was hooked. From that moment on, I strived to get good gr … 
What made you decide to pursue a career in dermatology?
My path to dermatology (and medicine in general) was not direct. Shortly after my parents immigrated to this country, I was born in North Carolina. We grew up in humble circumstances. We did not have doctors in our family, nor did we see doctors due to a lack of access to medical care. Growing up, I knew I wanted to help people but did not … 
In Part One of my article,
I reviewed positions available to dermatologists within the pharmaceutical industry and shared advice on how one could explore these opportunities.
For Part Two, I interviewed my friend and colleague, Dr. Anca Debu, who shared her experience as a dermatologist working for a mid-sized pharmaceutical company over the past 18 months.
JJ: What drove your decision to w … 