When life gives you lemons
From the President
Dr. Thiers served as Academy president from March 2020 to March 2021.
By Bruce Thiers, MD, March 1, 2021
The last 12 months have been, inarguably, pretty sour. When I first assumed the office of Academy President we were embarking on a frightening journey into the unknown. COVID-19 took over the world and we had to scramble to keep our staff safe and employed, all while caring for our patients’ skin conditions. We were struggling to find personal protective equipment, navigating stay-at-home orders, and worrying about the health of our loved ones. Yet, we persevered. Before I close out this remarkable chapter of my presidency, I want to take the time to recognize how our specialty and the Academy staff stepped up during this particularly challenging year and made the most out of an incredibly difficult situation.
Shortly after the Academy Board of Directors made the wise, yet heart-wrenching, decision to cancel the 2020 Annual Meeting, we got to work on the challenges at hand with COVID-19. We established an Ad Hoc Task Force (AHTF) on the COVID-19 pandemic made up of dozens of staff and physician members, who — under the leadership of Past President Dr. George Hruza — developed a tome of COVID-19 resources. To this day, the AHTF still meets on a regular basis, poring over the latest clinical and practice recommendations and providing frequent updates to membership about items relevant to the coronavirus and its treatment. The work that Academy physician members and staff have done to help us through the chaos of the year makes them true heroes, and their efforts continue.
It’s hard to believe that we would be able to get anything done with COVID dominating our day-to-day priorities, but the AAD is a determined group. When we couldn’t meet in person, your Academy staff and our colleagues produced two extraordinary digital experiences: AAD VMX and the AADA Virtual Legislative Conference. The Academy’s ability to start from scratch and develop these remarkable events in such a short time is a testament to the tireless resolve that our specialty possesses.
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Meanwhile, the Academy continued to work as if it were a “normal” year. Our staff in Washington, D.C., tracked and advocated on legislation and regulations important to the specialty, such as scope of practice, truth in advertising, and physician payment. Regulatory relief and financial support were critical to keep our practices viable. The AAD’s education staff continued to offer the tried-and-true CME opportunities that we as physicians rely on to provide the best quality care to our patients. The Academy’s practice management team continued to refine invaluable tools such as the prior authorization toolkit and E/M coding resources. What I’ve listed here barely scratches the surface of what was accomplished this year. The Academy staff truly doubled its workload in the last 12 months, and for that I am enormously impressed and appreciative.
While this year has undoubtedly presented us with significant challenges, I can’t help but step away from my term as your Academy President with a great sense of pride and gratitude in the ability of our incredible dermatology colleagues and our tireless Academy staff to rise to the occasion with grace and tenacity. I am extremely humbled by this experience and I sincerely thank you for the unique opportunity to serve as your Academy President. Someday soon, I hope to thank you all in person. Until then, be safe and keep persevering.
