We live and work within a broad, intertwined community
From the President
Dr. Olbricht served as Academy president from March 2018 to March 2019.
By Suzanne Olbricht, MD, August 1, 2018
It’s August, which means summer vacations, cookouts, and sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen. While the dog days of summer can be a great time to relax and catch up on the year’s top beach reads, it can also bring disruptive and devastating weather events to many parts of the country.
Nearly a year has passed since Harvey, Irma, and Maria touched ground, yet the destruction of these storms still affects the daily lives of many people. Some estimates indicate that the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was the most expensive season on record — with an estimated $200 billion in damages. While the devastation that these storms inflicted is heartbreaking, I have been comforted by the fact that so many of my colleagues were willing to step up and help.
The Academy’s Board of Directors initiated several programs to assist in hurricane relief efforts. The Academy’s fund-matching donation program allowed Academy staff and members to donate funds that were distributed to the American Red Cross, United Way, and local food banks, sites identified by our members who live in these communities. For every donation made via the Academy, the Academy matched these funds, up to $100,000. In total, 299 members and staff donated $89,319 and together we contributed $150,911 to the relief efforts. Additionally, for AAD members who were affected by the hurricanes, the Academy offered assistance in the form of low-interest loans for AAD-member licensed dermatologists and dermatology graduate members who sustained physical damage not covered by insurance.
The hurricane relief efforts represent a fraction of the philanthropic activities that we undertake in our communities together. Your Academy has initiated a number of essential programs and services that improve lives in the United States and around the world and garner respect for the specialty and the Academy. You will recognize programs such as the SPOT Skin Cancer™ program, Camp Discovery, shade structure grants, and international scholarship programs. We have a longstanding involvement in the Indian Health Service in Chinle, Arizona, supporting third-year residents to go there and see patients for a week as well as offering teledermatology consultations between visits. This year, you can also pay it forward by supporting the Academy’s Resident Education Grant, which earmarks funds to ensure that residents get off to a great start in their careers by helping them attend the Annual Meeting. There are many ways you can show your support for these programs and others that improve patient care and strengthen our specialty. The opportunities to give back abound.
The old adage says that charity begins at home. To me home is our big, broad, intertwined communities where dermatologists banded together can make a difference in the lives of fellow human beings. We can and do make the effort to assist when we can. I know that if the 2018 hurricane season attempts to outdo the destruction of the 2017 season, our specialty will be standing ready to assist. Thank you for all of your support.
