GENERAL INFORMATION

Academic Directors

Rainer Hofmann-Wellenhof, MD
Professor of Dermatology
Department of Dermatology
Medical University of Graz
Graz, Austria

H. Peter Soyer, MD, FACD
Professor of Dermatology
Queensland Institute of Dermatology
School of Medicine, Southern Clinical Division
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia

AIMS

Dermoscopy (surface microscopy, oil epiluminescence microscopy, dermatoscopy) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique allowing the visualization of diagnostic submacroscopic structures of pigmented and non-pigmented skin tumors not visible for the naked eye. Several studies have shown that dermoscopy represents an important adjunct for the diagnosis of skin tumors in general and early melanoma in particular. Training in dermoscopy improves the diagnostic performance and is a prerequisite for the dermoscopic examination. This virtual diploma course is designed for all colleagues interested in learning dermoscopy for diagnosing and managing pigmented skin lesions more effectively.

Learning objectives

To diagnose skin tumors more accurately
To correlate clinical & dermoscopic criteria with corresponding histopathology
To manage equivocal pigmented and non-pigmented skin tumors effectively

Who should attend?

This e-learning diploma course is designated for all physicians or nurses with special interest in dermoscopy for the diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions.

Course Format

Number of participants: 50
Language of instruction: English
Award: Diploma in Dermoscopy. A distinction will be given to a few colleagues with extraordinary performance.
Location: Virtual Medical Campus (VMC) of the Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Course fee

Diploma course fee: 4300 Euro
The course fee includes access to 10 modules of the virtual diploma course and to the virtual examination after successful completion of all modules.

CME credit

DFP (Diplomfortbildungsprogramm) Österreichische Ärztekammer (300 DFP-Punkte)

Terms and Conditions

Payments must be made in part (€ 1700) prior to deadline of registration (September 30, 2008). Places will be awarded depending on the day of registration. All registrations are pre-registrations until payment is received on the course account (all bank charges are the responsibilities of the client). If we do not receive payment before the deadline of registration we reserve the right to cancel the course booking. Upon receipt of your registration form and payment you will be sent a confirmation e-mail.

The second payment of € 1300 is due on January 31, 2009 and the final payment of € 1300 is due May 31, 2009. If we do not receive the payment of the whole course fee the virtual examination cannot be performed.

A special discount of € 500 will be provided to all colleagues, who participated at one of the International Short Courses held in Graz during the last years. For all these colleagues the first payment is thus reduced to € 1200.

Method of payment

Bank Transfer to:
Medical University Graz
Raiffeisenlandesbank Steiermark AG
Kaiserfeldgasse 5-7
8010 Graz
Reason for Transfer: ALG 500 900 002
BIC: RZSTAT2G
IBAN: AT443800000000049510
Bank Code: 38.000
Bank Account: 49.510

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Before September 12, 2008, you may withdraw from the booking without charges. After September 12, 2008, a written notice prior to the scheduled start of the course has to be made to the course secretariat. A cancellation fee (50%) is due. In the event that for whatever reason a client fails to attend or withdraws without written notice to the course secretariat there is no refund. We reserve the right to change authors and tutors. In the event that we cancel the course, you will be entitled to a full refund of the course fee.

Virtual Course Venue

The e-learning diploma course will take place at the Virtual Medical Campus (VMC). The VMC is a learning and teaching system for students and teachers of the Medical University and for eventual partner institutions. The Virtual Medical Campus accompanies attendance classes and supports blended and virtual learning scenarios and provides information concerning teaching and studies for the public.

All participants will get a username and a password for entering the VMC.

Minimum system requirements

To work at the VMC no expensive high-end computers are needed. In fact, a standard computer is rather adequate to provide enough performance running the VMC.

As the VMC is an online system, there is no need for large hard disks or free disk space, either. We recommend using a broadband-internet connection, although theoretically you can work with a modem.

Furthermore we recommend using MS Windows XP - Service Pack 2. Please make sure that all available updates and service patches are installed!

If possible use MS Internet Explorer 6 when working at the VMC. The system is also designed for the use of Mozilla FireFox and Opera browsers, but IE6 provides the optimal performance in handling the VMC. Please make sure to use only one of these three standardized browsers - working with non-standard browsers (like an AOL- or a compuserver browsers) might lead to unexpected error messages.

On the VMC homepage (http://vmc.meduni-graz.at/default_en.htm ) under "First steps" all technical issues are described in detail.

As minimum requirement for performing module 10 (consultation on the job) a digital camera with a dermoscopy lens is necessary. All technical details how to perform a teleconsultation will be explained in detail by a personal tutor.

Course Coordinator

Dr. Andrea Hofmann
Department of Dermatology
Medical University of Graz
Graz, Austria
Tel.: +43 316 337 037
Fax: +43 316 385 2466
E-mail: idd@meduni-graz.at