From the editor
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, March 1, 2018
Change is a recurring theme in this month’s Dermatology World. Change seems to be a given these days; perhaps it always was, but it’s hard to imagine a time in medicine in which so much has changed as quickly as has happened in the past few years. Not just the science on which we base our work, but the structure in which we practice our craft is fundamentally changing every day. How we cope with these changes is key, and our feature article “Embracing change” offers some very positive strategies that you may want to consider. Our incoming AAD President, Dr. Suzanne Olbricht, eloquently reminds us that the AAD offers many resources to help us navigate these potentially challenging times. We are not alone in this struggle, and the AAD has our back.
As I begin my tenure as physician editor, a good friend asked why I would want to take on yet another role in my arguably overscheduled life. Surely, I have enough going on without adding even more deadlines to meet...probably true, but I am incredibly honored be allowed to serve the Academy and its members in this role. This opportunity arose following unanticipated changes in my life (including a move to the beautiful Pacific Northwest). Some of these changes were good, others more challenging; however, as is often the case, with change comes new, and in this case, exciting, opportunities.
I will confess upfront to a strong bias; I am big fan of the AAD and I am an avid reader of DW. Over the years, DW has served as my primary resource for information about things relevant to practice management, health care policy, and patient care. I read JAAD to keep up on science; I read DW for pretty much everything else. DW highlights important clinical and scientific developments, but also goes beyond the scientific “what” to delve into the “how” and “why” about a variety of topics germane to our profession. I am not alone in appreciating the value of DW: a majority of our membership, including 75% of our members under age 40, identify DW as their go-to resource for practice management issues.
Why should you read DW? The simple answer is that it is written for you.
Our award-winning, monthly publication is the product of the collaborative efforts of our dedicated AAD staffers, professional writers, and fellow AAD members who identify and write about topics they feel are important to all dermatologists. Each month we offer several full-length feature articles, along with our informational columns that provide invaluable advice on all things legal, regulatory, and financial. My thanks to our colleagues including Drs. Alex Miller and Cliff Lober who regularly and freely contribute their time and expertise in these areas. We are also privileged to have a hard-working and wonderfully diverse Editorial Advisory Workgroup, which includes 12 of our colleagues who spend countless hours ensuring that DW is relevant, timely, and of benefit to our membership.
Under the thoughtful leadership of our outgoing editor Dr. Abby Van Voorhees, DW has grown significantly since 2011. The publication itself has morphed from a paper tabloid to a glossy, eye-catching monthly magazine, and the DW brand has expanded to include DW Weekly, the weekly electronic digest of timely and important news, which reaches all members, and DW Academy Insider, a weekly roundup of what the Academy has to offer you. We are fully digital, and yes, we have an app for that. Download it at staging.aad.org/members/aad-apps/dermatology-world. I have no crystal ball with which to predict what we will look like in a few years; however, be assured that we will always strive to be the best, most relevant, and hopefully the most readily accessed resource possible for our members.
Be happy. And read Dermatology World.
