Under the direction of Lawrence A. Schachner, M.D., the mission of the division of Pediatric Dermatology is to provide excellent clinical care and promote research and education in skin diseases of infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The division sees approximately 60 pediatric dermatology outpatients’ visits weekly in our UHealth Tower office at 1295 N.W. 14th Street, Ste. K, and at the Mailman Center for Child Development at 1601 NW 12th Avenue, 1st floor. Of these approximately 3,000 office visits per year, 25% are new patients. The clinic is staffed by physicians and residents from Pediatrics Dermatology and students can elect a pediatric dermatology rotation with Dr. Schachner, who serves as attending physician. Due to the complexity of diseases seen in the division, several specialty clinics have been created to meet the needs of our patients in a multi-disciplinary manner.
The clinics are staffed by Dr. Schachner. Dr. Schmidt, and by part-time faculty Dr. Gonzalez. Visiting physicians, fellows, residents from pediatrics and dermatology departments as well as medical students can elect this rotation with our faculty.
The Jackson Memorial Hospital Pediatric Dermatology Clinic serves between 40 and 50 patients per clinical session each Monday afternoon. Yearly visits total over 2,000. An estimated one third of the visits involve new patients. Residents from pediatrics, dermatology, family practice and internal medicine attend this clinic; additionally, medical students on the pediatric rotation and students on the dermatology rotation also attend. The clinics are staffed by Dr. Schachner and Dr. Schmidt.
Dr. Schachner and Dr. Schmidt also staff the inpatient consultations at Holtz Children’s Hospital. A study published in the Archives of Dermatology by members of the division indicated that 23% of all dermatology inpatient consultations at Jackson Memorial Hospital are from the Department of Pediatrics, making it the second most frequent recipient of consultations at the medical center.
Lawrence A. Schachner, M.D.
Lawrence A. Schachner, M.D., is Professor Emeritus and Former Chair of the Department of Dermatology, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, and Co-Director of the Division of Pediatric Dermatology. Dr. Schachner has written over 150 scientific publications and is best known as the lead author of the textbook Pediatric Dermatology. In 2004, Dr. Schachner was named “Practitioner of the Year” by the Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. The nearly 800 dermatologists in the state lauded him for his longtime commitment to pediatric dermatology. He is past president of the American Society for Pediatric Dermatology and has been cited in numerous periodicals of best doctors, including The Best Doctors in America 1992 to present, Who’s Who in America, and the Guide to Top Doctors. Dr. Schachner’s interests include bioengineered skin in pediatric wounds, skin infections and infestations in children, sun protection in childhood, cutaneous signs of child and sexual abuse, and new therapeutic modalities for acne, eczema, and epidermolysis Bullosa.
Fernanda Bellodi Schmidt, M.D.
Fernanda Bellodi Schmidt, M.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Dr. Philip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery. She has authored book chapters, scientific manuscripts, and articles for newspapers and electronic media on various skin conditions that affect children and adolescents.
She has started the Pediatric Dermatology clinics at the Mailman Center for Child Development in 2018, where she sees patients with all types of skin disorders. She has a special clinical interest in congenital and acquired melanocytic lesions, ichthyoses and other disorders of keratinization, vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, connective tissue disorders, and use of systemic immunosuppressive therapies in children. Dr. Schmidt also staffs the weekly pediatric dermatology clinics at Jackson Memorial Hospital Ambulatory Care Center East and the inpatient consultations at Holtz Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Schmidt provides telehealth consultations for the pediatric mobile clinic and regularly precepts medical students, pediatric and dermatology residents and fellows in her clinics.
