In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many of our profession’s innovators and great teachers still among us. This column was created so that we may gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them. Some are bright stars in our special universe — others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. Dr. Ashfaq Marghoob specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin cancers. He received his MD degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1987, completed residencies in family medicine and dermatology at SUNY-Stony Brook’s University Hospital and completed a fellowship in melanoma at New York University Hospital. After residency, Dr. Marghoob joined a multi-specialty group and practiced dermatology. However, after 5 years of private practice, he decided to utilize his fellowship training and concentrate on skin cancer. Currently, he is working at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centers in Manhattan and is the Director of the outpatient Memorial Sloan-Kettering Skin Cancer Center in Hauppauge (Long Island). In addition to seeing patients, he is also involved in clinical research and has published many papers on topics related to malignant melanoma, dysplastic nevi, congenital melanocytic nevi, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Much of his research interests are focused on early recognition of skin cancer by utilizing imaging instruments, such as dermoscopy and confocal laser microscopy. He has published two books on dermoscopy and lectures on this topic frequently. Q. What would be your advice to a new doctor? A. Try and remind yourself every day why you entered the field of medicine. Always uphold your values and remember that your profession is to help patients and to be their advocate. One can easily forget this when life becomes stressful and is moving too fast. Always follow your heart and not your wallet. Happiness lies in the heart! Keep your work exciting and enjoyable since more than half of your life will be spent working. If you enjoy your work, work and play become one and the same. Otherwise, you will live half your life trying to make the other half happy. That would be a shame! Q. What part of your work gives you most pleasure? A. I enjoy the clinical encounter, which remains fascinating and mysterious. How is it possible to step into a room and meet a complete stranger and, within a few seconds, feel completely at ease with him or her as if you have known each other for years? How is it possible to learn the soul of a person within minutes? It is an honor and a privilege for me to be allowed to glimpse into the lives of so many of my patients. The ability to help my patients from the medical, psychological and emotional perspective is wonderful. For example, the ability to alleviate patients’ fears and to offer hope is a gift! Lastly, my research gives me great pleasure. The ability to ask a question, design a study, obtain an answer and implement that into daily practice is an exciting aspect of my work. Q. Which patient has had the most effect on your work, and why? A. A young patient with advanced stage IV melanoma who beat all the odds (so far) and has lived an inspirational life for the past 7 years has had the biggest effect on me. He has taught me the meaning of courage and hope, and the importance of a good physician-patient relationship. He taught me that this relationship is a two-way street. The most important lesson he has taught me is that an individual is not a statistic. Q. What is your favorite book? Film? Why? A. Favorite book is “1776.” It is exceptionally well written and it made me appreciate how literate, committed and idealistic the Founding Fathers of the United States were. Furthermore, it made me realize that human wants and desires never change. The heroes for some are the terrorists to others. This struggle seems to be timeless. Ultimately, the history as we know it is written by the victors. My favorite movie is “The Mission.” Why do human beings insist on forcing their ideology on others? In this process, many people are used as pawns, some gain power and many lives are lost or shattered. Entire cultures have been destroyed in this process. Why? Why? Why? Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received, and from whom? A. “Never settle for mediocrity” – Dr. Alfred Kopf Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist based in Toronto, Canada. He is author-editor of five books in dermatology, and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature. He is also co-editor of Dermanities (dermanities.com), an online journal devoted to the humanities as they relate to dermatology.
SPOTLIGHT ON: ASHFAQ MARGHOOB, MD
In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many of our profession’s innovators and great teachers still among us. This column was created so that we may gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them. Some are bright stars in our special universe — others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. Dr. Ashfaq Marghoob specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin cancers. He received his MD degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1987, completed residencies in family medicine and dermatology at SUNY-Stony Brook’s University Hospital and completed a fellowship in melanoma at New York University Hospital. After residency, Dr. Marghoob joined a multi-specialty group and practiced dermatology. However, after 5 years of private practice, he decided to utilize his fellowship training and concentrate on skin cancer. Currently, he is working at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centers in Manhattan and is the Director of the outpatient Memorial Sloan-Kettering Skin Cancer Center in Hauppauge (Long Island). In addition to seeing patients, he is also involved in clinical research and has published many papers on topics related to malignant melanoma, dysplastic nevi, congenital melanocytic nevi, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Much of his research interests are focused on early recognition of skin cancer by utilizing imaging instruments, such as dermoscopy and confocal laser microscopy. He has published two books on dermoscopy and lectures on this topic frequently. Q. What would be your advice to a new doctor? A. Try and remind yourself every day why you entered the field of medicine. Always uphold your values and remember that your profession is to help patients and to be their advocate. One can easily forget this when life becomes stressful and is moving too fast. Always follow your heart and not your wallet. Happiness lies in the heart! Keep your work exciting and enjoyable since more than half of your life will be spent working. If you enjoy your work, work and play become one and the same. Otherwise, you will live half your life trying to make the other half happy. That would be a shame! Q. What part of your work gives you most pleasure? A. I enjoy the clinical encounter, which remains fascinating and mysterious. How is it possible to step into a room and meet a complete stranger and, within a few seconds, feel completely at ease with him or her as if you have known each other for years? How is it possible to learn the soul of a person within minutes? It is an honor and a privilege for me to be allowed to glimpse into the lives of so many of my patients. The ability to help my patients from the medical, psychological and emotional perspective is wonderful. For example, the ability to alleviate patients’ fears and to offer hope is a gift! Lastly, my research gives me great pleasure. The ability to ask a question, design a study, obtain an answer and implement that into daily practice is an exciting aspect of my work. Q. Which patient has had the most effect on your work, and why? A. A young patient with advanced stage IV melanoma who beat all the odds (so far) and has lived an inspirational life for the past 7 years has had the biggest effect on me. He has taught me the meaning of courage and hope, and the importance of a good physician-patient relationship. He taught me that this relationship is a two-way street. The most important lesson he has taught me is that an individual is not a statistic. Q. What is your favorite book? Film? Why? A. Favorite book is “1776.” It is exceptionally well written and it made me appreciate how literate, committed and idealistic the Founding Fathers of the United States were. Furthermore, it made me realize that human wants and desires never change. The heroes for some are the terrorists to others. This struggle seems to be timeless. Ultimately, the history as we know it is written by the victors. My favorite movie is “The Mission.” Why do human beings insist on forcing their ideology on others? In this process, many people are used as pawns, some gain power and many lives are lost or shattered. Entire cultures have been destroyed in this process. Why? Why? Why? Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received, and from whom? A. “Never settle for mediocrity” – Dr. Alfred Kopf Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist based in Toronto, Canada. He is author-editor of five books in dermatology, and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature. He is also co-editor of Dermanities (dermanities.com), an online journal devoted to the humanities as they relate to dermatology.
In dermatology, we are fortunate to have many of our profession’s innovators and great teachers still among us. This column was created so that we may gain insight from these practitioners and learn more about them. Some are bright stars in our special universe — others unsung heroes. All of these colleagues have much to share from wisdom to humor to insights into dermatology and life. Dr. Ashfaq Marghoob specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin cancers. He received his MD degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1987, completed residencies in family medicine and dermatology at SUNY-Stony Brook’s University Hospital and completed a fellowship in melanoma at New York University Hospital. After residency, Dr. Marghoob joined a multi-specialty group and practiced dermatology. However, after 5 years of private practice, he decided to utilize his fellowship training and concentrate on skin cancer. Currently, he is working at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centers in Manhattan and is the Director of the outpatient Memorial Sloan-Kettering Skin Cancer Center in Hauppauge (Long Island). In addition to seeing patients, he is also involved in clinical research and has published many papers on topics related to malignant melanoma, dysplastic nevi, congenital melanocytic nevi, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Much of his research interests are focused on early recognition of skin cancer by utilizing imaging instruments, such as dermoscopy and confocal laser microscopy. He has published two books on dermoscopy and lectures on this topic frequently. Q. What would be your advice to a new doctor? A. Try and remind yourself every day why you entered the field of medicine. Always uphold your values and remember that your profession is to help patients and to be their advocate. One can easily forget this when life becomes stressful and is moving too fast. Always follow your heart and not your wallet. Happiness lies in the heart! Keep your work exciting and enjoyable since more than half of your life will be spent working. If you enjoy your work, work and play become one and the same. Otherwise, you will live half your life trying to make the other half happy. That would be a shame! Q. What part of your work gives you most pleasure? A. I enjoy the clinical encounter, which remains fascinating and mysterious. How is it possible to step into a room and meet a complete stranger and, within a few seconds, feel completely at ease with him or her as if you have known each other for years? How is it possible to learn the soul of a person within minutes? It is an honor and a privilege for me to be allowed to glimpse into the lives of so many of my patients. The ability to help my patients from the medical, psychological and emotional perspective is wonderful. For example, the ability to alleviate patients’ fears and to offer hope is a gift! Lastly, my research gives me great pleasure. The ability to ask a question, design a study, obtain an answer and implement that into daily practice is an exciting aspect of my work. Q. Which patient has had the most effect on your work, and why? A. A young patient with advanced stage IV melanoma who beat all the odds (so far) and has lived an inspirational life for the past 7 years has had the biggest effect on me. He has taught me the meaning of courage and hope, and the importance of a good physician-patient relationship. He taught me that this relationship is a two-way street. The most important lesson he has taught me is that an individual is not a statistic. Q. What is your favorite book? Film? Why? A. Favorite book is “1776.” It is exceptionally well written and it made me appreciate how literate, committed and idealistic the Founding Fathers of the United States were. Furthermore, it made me realize that human wants and desires never change. The heroes for some are the terrorists to others. This struggle seems to be timeless. Ultimately, the history as we know it is written by the victors. My favorite movie is “The Mission.” Why do human beings insist on forcing their ideology on others? In this process, many people are used as pawns, some gain power and many lives are lost or shattered. Entire cultures have been destroyed in this process. Why? Why? Why? Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received, and from whom? A. “Never settle for mediocrity” – Dr. Alfred Kopf Dr. Barankin is a dermatologist based in Toronto, Canada. He is author-editor of five books in dermatology, and is widely published in the dermatology and humanities literature. He is also co-editor of Dermanities (dermanities.com), an online journal devoted to the humanities as they relate to dermatology.
