My name is Dr. Elliot Battle, I am a cosmetic dermatologist in Washington DC.
My advice to every resident and every future dermatologist is to take as much time as you did when you chose medical schools and residency programs to choose the right venue for your future.
A lot of my colleagues choose the first job that was offered to them, we have such a broad choice now; from general to cosmetics to private practice to solo and every piece of that makes a difference. If you cannot find your ideal practice or the ideal place to work for, create your own and that’s what I did. When I came out of research at Harvard I created my own practice called Cultura because I wanted to focus on skin of color, I wanted a UN environment. I wanted to minimize doing general derm and maximize cosmetics.
My practice has been in existence for 13 years – we are world renowned in what we do because I pursued my dream and I couldn’t find my dream in other people. So be very selfish as you choose your dream, be very selfish in choosing your city. Be very selfish–you’ve earned it. You’ve earned every right to find your ideal environment, just be selfish in choosing that. And good luck!
