Dermatology: Community Health
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Our Mission
Our mission is to carry forward the goal of public health through:
- Increasing access to dermatologic care for underserved communities in the Boston area
- Promoting awareness and appreciation of diversity of care for those with skin disease
- Training the next generation of health of dermatology providers the ideals for cultural sensitivity and competency
- Providing education and service-oriented outreach programs in the community
The Radiance Clinic
Dr. Kourosh and her team of dermatology residents from the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency Program offer a free tattoo removal clinic for survivors of human trafficking who have been forcibly branded with tattoos and young people escaping gangs, whose tattoos cause them to be targeted by gangs and crime rings, and prevent them from getting jobs. The goal of this initiative is to help patient's be safe and give them a clean slate for a new life, removing the stigma and harmful associations of the past. This program collaborates with non-profit and government organizations assisting human trafficking survivors and high-risk youth, and local police departments.
To learn more about this program, please email us.
Summer Sun Safety
Did you know that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States? Anyone can get skin cancer, no matter the color of one's skin. During May and June we provide informational sessions on how to choose a sunscreen, the latest research, and skin cancer prevention tips.
Legislative Advocacy for Underserved Patients
As the State Advocacy Leader for the American Academy of Dermatology, Dr. Kourosh is actively engaged with meeting with members of Congress and works to promote legislation that will improve patient access to dermatologic care and necessary treatments, while advocating that funds be made available to advance medical research.
Do the high out-of pockets costs of some specialty medicines prevent you from being able to access those medications? Some medically necessary specialty medications can cost patients hundreds to thousands in out of pocket expenses for specialty drugs. As a State Advocacy Leader we are able to meet face-to-face with our members of Congress to help ensure that patients with chronic, disabling and life threatening conditions have access to the treatments that they need.
Additionally, Dr. Kourosh has nominated and mentored a dermatology residents from Mass General to obtain scholarships from the American Academy Dermatology to come to Washington and work on legislative advocacy initiatives with her. In this way, our Dermatology Department at Mass General is contributing to the education of future dermatologists as public health workers and patient advocates for the most underserved and indigent patients in our state.
Leadership
A. Shadi Kourosh, MD, MPH, Director of Community Health in the Department of Dermatology, is committed to the promotion of diversity, patient advocacy, and solving public health problems for patients with skin disease. She developed the Skin Advocate iPhone app, a free iPhone application that connects patients with the appropriate non-profit advocacy organizations for their skin conditions. Dr. Kourosh also advocates for patients at the national level as the State Advocacy Leader for Massachusetts in the American Academy of Dermatology's delegation to Congress to protect medical research and affordable care for patients with skin disease. In addition to caring for patients at the Department of Dermatology's Boston location, Dr. Kourosh serves as the Dermatology Department's Director of Community Health and the staff dermatologist for the MGH Health Centers in Chelsea and Revere, increasing access to dermatologic care for underserved communities in the Boston area. During her training Dr. Kourosh received awards for Leadership in the specialty of Dermatology and for outstanding Professionalism and Humanism as a physician. She was recently awarded the Women’s Dermatologic Society’s Award for Community Advancement for the programs she has founded for the underserved patients of the Boston area.
Dr. Kourosh is grateful for the mentorship of Dr. Ernesto Gonzalez who is a pioneer at Massachusetts General Hospital for his leadership in the areas of diversity and increasing access to underserved communities He is committed to diversity caring for vulnerable patient populations.
Dermatology and the BHCHP Collaboration
Mass General Dermatology is honored to be part of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s (BHCHP) mission to provide the highest quality health care for all homeless men, women, and children in the greater Boston area.
Skin disease is common amongst people experiencing homelessness, and untreated disease can lead to hospitalizations and infections. Mass General Dermatology is committed to providing high quality dermatologic care for the patients of BHCHP through the collaborative programs.