Course Overview
The Professional Diploma
This course is the third part of the three-part Professional Diploma of Skin Cancer Medicine. The education pathway is Professional Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine, Advanced Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine and Professional Diploma of Skin Cancer Medicine.
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Professional Diploma of Skin Cancer Medicine |
Entry Requirements and course requisites
This course is for general practitioners only. Participants must have completed the Advanced Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine (or a qualification deemed equivalent).
Recognition of Prior Learning
Professionally accredited qualifications and prior studies may be recognised for entry into this course. Please send an email to credit@healthcert.com for an individual assessment of your prior qualifications and experience. This email should contain information about your educational history and work experience that specifically pertain to the content and procedures covered in the Professional Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine and Advanced Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine. Please include any applicable certificates and course outlines from previous education. The relevant Course Chair will make a determination on your application within three working days.
Doctors who have completed The University of Queensland certificate courses in skin cancer medicine and therapeutics will gain credit into the professional diploma program, providing the relevant HealthCert assessment has been completed.
Doctors who have completed the Certificate in Primary Care Dermatology with the RACGP (modules 1-5) may complete the relevant HealthCert assessment for the Advanced Certificate in Skin Cancer Medicine and then progress to the Professional Diploma of Skin Cancer Medicine (please ask a HealthCert Education Advisor for the process).
Other professionally recognised qualifications and prior studies may be recognised for entry into this course. Please ask a HealthCert Education Advisor for an individual assessment of your prior qualifications and experience.
Course Contents
This course will focus on lesion and field directed treatments as well as skin imaging, drug therapy, special situations, treatment of rare/aggressive skin cancers and studies of both melanoma and non-melanoma treatments.
The theory sessions cover:
- Merkel cell carcinoma and rare/aggressive skin cancers
- Cutaneous cryosurgery and electrosurgery
- Lesion- and field-directed treatments
- Chemoprevention
- Advanced histopathology
- Dermal imaging
- Factors influencing the choice of treatment
- Managing special cases and complications, including immuno-supressed patients
Course participants will:
- Participate in discussion boards and evaluate skin cancer cases
- Receive a comprehensive course folder and research/readings in the field
- Access video presentations from experts in the field with the opportunity to replay
- Participate in webinars with experts and professional colleagues
- Receive ongoing support post-course through webinars and case review
course OUTLINE
Module 1: Topical treatments and lesion-directed treatments
Module 2: Field treatments including PDT, Diclofenac, IngenolMebutate, 5-FU and Imiquimod
Module 3: Management of special cases including immunosuppressed patients
Module 4: Chemoprevention in skin cancer medicine
Module 5: Factors influencing the choice of treatment
Module 6: Cryo and electrosurgery
Module 7: Merkel Cell carcinoma and rare/aggressive melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers
Module 8: Skin imaging techniques for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer
Expert conclusion: Treatment of metastatic melanoma including recent advances in melanoma treatment
Examination preparation: This exam preparation webinar will summarise the course content and provide the opportunity for course participants to submit questions that will be answered during the webinar. The focus will be on preparing for the final examinations.
Patient cases with problem solving analysis and decision making will be included throughout.

Prof Harald Kittler
MD
Professor at the Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Prof Richard Usatine
MD PhD
Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery at the University of Texas, USA
Founder and medical director of the University Health System Skin Clinic in San Antonio, USA
Professor Richard Usatine is the Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery at the University of Texas. He is the author of nine books and over 120 papers, founder of the Interactive Dermatology Atlas on the web, and is the most recognised skin cancer presenter in the USA. Since 2000, he has been chosen yearly by his peers to be included in The Best Doctors in America. He is also the national chair of the yearly Skin Course put on by the American Academy of Family Physicians, and is the founder and medical director of the University Health System Skin Clinic in San Antonio.
Richard has been involved in Global Health through his work in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Haiti and Ethiopia. In 2000, Richard Usatine was recognised as the national recipient of the Humanism in Medicine Award, by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Prof Luc Thomas
MD, PhD
Professor and Chairman Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Lyon, France
Professor Luc Thomas was Board-certified in dermatology in 1989 at Lyon 1 University. He was trained as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School in 1990 and 1991, and obtained his PhD degree at Lyon 1 University in 1993. He became full professor of dermatology in 1996, first class professor in dermatology in 2009, and Chairman of the Department of Dermatology of Lyon 1 University - Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud in 2003. He obtained his Board certification in Clinical Oncology in 2013.
Luc’s main research fields include skin oncology, early diagnosis of melanoma, dermoscopy, skin surgery and nail diseases. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed scientific articles in international journals, is the co-editor of four books published in several languages and co-author of more than 25 books. He has lectured at many international meetings, is an associate editor of Dermatology, a member of the board of the International Dermoscopy Society, a past member of the board and treasurer of the French Society of Dermatology from 2000 to 2003, and treasurer of the World Congress of Dermatology in Paris in 2002.

Prof Philipp Tschandl
Executive board member of the International Dermoscopy Society, Secretary of the National Dermatopathology Society in Austria, and member of the Fostering Trainee Education Committee of the EADV.
Professor Philipp Tschandl graduated from the Medical University of Vienna where he also obtained his PhD degree. His main research field is skin cancer, especially its early diagnosis through dermatoscopy, and the teaching of that method. He is an executive board member of the International Dermoscopy Society, secretary of the National Dermatopathology Society in Austria, and member of the Fostering Trainee Education Committee of the EADV.
Philipp is teaching dermatology in the core curricula of Human and Dental Medicine, lectures continuously on dermatoscopy at national and international meetings and workshops, and co-organised the 4th World Congress of Dermoscopy 2015 in Vienna. He has published more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is co-author of a major dermatoscopy textbook which has been translated into multiple languages.

A/Prof Iris Zalaudek
MD PhD
Head of the Dermatology Clinic of the University of Trieste, Italy
Associate Professor Iris Zalaudek is a board-certified dermatologist and Head of the Dermatology Clinic of the University of Trieste, Italy. Since 2016, she has been President of the International Dermoscopy Society, and was previously the Research Director of the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Unit at the Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Her main research fields are related to dermato-oncology and include non-invasive skin imaging techniques, as well as topical and systemic treatment of skin cancer. Moreover, she is engaged in the development of modern teaching methods such as online distant courses and tele-dermatologic services. She is Director of the Master of Science program entitled "Dermoscopy and Preventive Dermato-Oncology" of the Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Iris has published more than 450 articles, of which 358 (267 full papers) have been cited in PubMed. Her combined publications have received an impact factor of 1003 and a h-index value of 36 (by April 2017). In 2003 her work was awarded by the Hans-Weitgasser Price from the Styrian Association of Dermatologists and in 2008 she was awarded the Best Researcher of the Medical University of Graz, Austria.

A/Prof John Pyne
MBBS MMed PhD FSCCA
Senior lecturer MMed (Skin Cancer) Program School of Medicine, The University of Queensland Associate
Professor of Skin Cancer Medicine, University of New South Wales
Associate Professor John Pyne was conferred with a Master of Medicine at The University of Queensland, then held a position of Program Director for The University of Queensland Skin Cancer Masters from 2007 until 2013. The thesis for John’s PhD was on the correlations between dermatoscopy and histopathology for BCC and SCC. He is also a past President and Fellow of the Skin Cancer College of Australasia.
John has a main interest in the optical imaging of early primary non-lymphoid cutaneous malignancy and correlations with histopathology. He is currently investigating surgical margins in management of these cancers. John has teaching appointments at The Universities of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Sydney.

Dr Simon Clark
MBChB FRCPA Specialist
Honorary Lecturer in Pathology, The University of Queensland
Dr Simon Clark runs the pathology component of the postgraduate certificate courses in skin cancer medicine at The University of Queensland and lectures in the Masters of Medicine course. He has been involved in dermatopathology education for more than 20 years, training registrars in dermatology, pathology and plastic surgery. More recently he has been active in GP education. One of the best known dermatopathologists in Australia, Simon was recently appointed a visiting professor in dermatology at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.MBChB FRCPA Specialist

Dr Aimilios Lallas
MD PhD MSc
Dermatologist-Venereologist, Aristotle University, Greece
Dr Aimilios Lallas is a Board-Certified Dermatologist-Venereologist. He is currently occupied at the First Department of Dermatology of the Faculty of Medicine of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. Aimilios specialises in skin cancer diagnosis with non-invasive techniques, as well as in the management of skin cancer patients. He possesses a PhD diploma on skin cancer prevention.
Aimilios’ main fields of research interests are in the dermoscopy of skin tumours, the application of the method in general dermatology, and the improvement of the management of oncologic patients. He is co-author of approximately 190 scientific papers, editor of four books and author of several chapters on dermoscopy.
Aimilios is currently the General Secretary of the International Dermoscopy Society and the General Secretary of the 5th World Congress of Dermoscopy, which will be held in Thessaloniki, Greece on 14-16 June 2018.

Dr Elvira Moscaarella
MD
Dermatologist, Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Dr Zoe Apalla
MD PhD
Consultant Dermatologist at State Hospital for Skin and Venereal Diseases, Thessaloniki, Greece
Dr Zoe Apalla was board certified in dermatology in 2008 at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She was trained in dermatopathology at the St John’s Institute of Dermatology in London in 2010 and obtained her PhD degree at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2013.
Zoe has worked as a consultant in the First Dermatology Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 2010. She oversees the Supportive Oncology Outpatient Clinic and the Skin Cancer Outpatient Clinic, and the department’s dermatopathology laboratory. She also holds General Dermatology and Inflammatory Dermatoses Outpatient Clinics.
Zoe’s main research fields include skin oncology, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, topical treatments, photodynamic therapy and dermatoscopy. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles in international journals and has lectured at many international and national congresses and meetings.

Dr Teresa Troiani
PhD
Second University of Naples, Italy
Dr Teresa Troiani is an oncologist committed to clinical and translational research. After completing her medical school studies, she was awarded a Fellowship in Oncology at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. Teresa has worked there since 1998, studying the role of growth factors and their receptors in neoplastic transformation and the novel therapeutic strategies targeting growth factor receptor signalling.
Teresa’s long-term interest is translational oncology, developing new therapeutic strategies and initiating clinical trials. She worked with Dr Gail Eckhardt for two years, publishing several papers in international journals. Teresa then returned to Naples. She has run a series of translational research projects, with both clinical and basic science investigational arms, at an academic medical centre. During her career, she has learnt that to fight cancer is a big challenge and only by connecting the preclinical with the clinical work is it possible to make one piece of the wider puzzle.
Trimester 2 | 2018
Application Deadline: 4 May 2018
Course Starts: 7 May 2018
Exams Open: 30 Jul 2018
Course Ends: 24 Aug 2018
Trimester 3 | 2018
Application deadline:
31 Aug 2018
Course starts: 3 Sep 2018
Exams open: 26 Nov 2018
Course ends: 21 Dec 2018
Trimester 1 | 2019
Application Deadline: 4 Jan 2019
Course Starts: 7 Jan 2019
Exams Open: 1 Apr 2019
Course Ends: 26 Apr 2019
PROGRAM FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS
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GP REGISTRARS: Doctors in training who are on a recognised pathway to General Practice Registration through a recognised training provider receive a HealthCert Scholarship.
*Two- and Three-Course Bundles including the Professional Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine (face-to-face).
PROGRAM FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS
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GP REGISTRARS: Doctors in training who are on a recognised pathway to General Practice Registration through a recognised training provider receive a HealthCert Scholarship.
* Two- and Three-Course Bundles including the Professional Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine (online).
Course Delivery and Assessment
This final stage of the Professional Diploma
In order to meet the requirements of professional and academic learning, the course assessment includes professional requirements and two online examinations.
- Develop a report/explanation of how the learning from this course will help you with your professional development.
- Complete a literature review of three articles nominated by the course chair.
- Document with photographs 25 related cases including application of the knowledge
- There is a knowledge-based examination and an application-based examination which are both equally weighted. It is therefore not possible to pass this course on knowledge alone; knowledge must be successfully applied to patient cases in order to pass the course. The pass mark for online examinations is 80 percent.
HealthCert recommends completion of all requirements at your convenience within six to nine months of the completion of the course.
CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION
RACGP: 40 Category 1 QI&CPD points
ACRRM: 30 PRPD points
This certificate course:
- Is recognised by Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP).
- Is accredited by the Skin Cancer Institute (SCI) and may be used as part of an application for Certified Skin Cancer Doctor credentials.
- Has been collaboratively designed with, and is annually reviewed by, Professor David Wilkinson, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Macquarie University.
- Qualifies for a Clinical Attachment in France at the University of Lyon.
- Qualifies for a Clinical Attachment in Austria at the University of Vienna.
EDUCATION PATHWAYS
Membership of the Skin Cancer Institute is recommended and doctors may apply for Certified Skin Cancer Doctor credentials.
Postgraduate Pathways
RPL with The University of Queensland
The Professional Diploma of Skin Cancer Medicine is guaranteed for RPL for the unit IMED7010, part of the Graduate Certificate of Medicine (Skin Cancer) which is the first step in the Master of Medicine (Skin Cancer) at The University of Queensland. There are no further requirements for this RPL, it is automatic and guaranteed and provides a saving on fees.
View The University of Queensland, Master of Medicine (Skin Cancer) program here.
Postgraduate Diploma in Dermatology
Postgraduate Diploma in Dermatology studied through the Rila Institute of Health Sciences and awarded by the University of Plymouth (UK).
There are three modules in the Postgraduate Diploma. Medical professionals who successfully complete the HealthCert Professional Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine, Advanced Certificate of Skin Cancer
The Postgraduate Diploma is mainly delivered online. No practical workshops will be required due to the APCL from the HealthCert qualifications. Overall there will be a time saving of 40 percent of the postgraduate program due to the APCL.
When the Postgraduate Diploma has been successfully completed, medical professionals can apply for credit from the Postgraduate Diploma to the Master of Science in the specialism awarded by the University of Plymouth.
For more information, please click here.
Certified Clinical Attachments Pathway
Clinical Attachments are optional and available on a 1:1 or small group basis. These provide the opportunity to observe skin cancer medicine treatments and ask questions of the expert performing the treatments. In addition to clinical attachments in Australia, university teaching hospitals at the University of Lyon and the University of Vienna are available for clinical attachments. HealthCert certificates and university statements are awarded for participating in clinical attachments.
The Medical University of Vienna is the largest medical organisation in Austria, as well as one of the top-level research institutions in Europe and provides Europe's largest hospital, the Vienna General Hospital, with all of its medical staff. The Vienna General Hospital has about 100,000 patients treated as inpatients and 605,000 treated as outpatients each year.
The dominant areas of study covered by The Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 are science and medicine. Attached to the university are the "Hospices









