Travis Blalock, MD, FAAD

By Dean Monti, Managing Editor, Special Publications, October 1, 2022

In this new column, DermWorld highlights individual members who have gone above and beyond with their Academy contributions.

Travis W. Blalock, MD, FAAD, has had a lifelong commitment to philanthropy; now he’s continuing that passion through dermatology. A long-time AAD donor, Dr. Blalock has made noteworthy contributions to AAD programs consistently for the past eight years, including AAD’s Shade Structure program, Skin Cancer, Take a Hike!™ as well as participating in skin screenings, advocating for sun protection, educating regarding sun protection, and engaging with his community.

DermWorld: As a frequent AAD donor and someone who has been involved in so many of the Academy’s programs, how do you view the concept of service affecting positive change?

DermWorld: How is relationship building essential to progress?

Dr. Blalock: It’s important to establish relationships in order to help connect to your community and its needs. Furthermore, we cannot engage in progress if we don’t understand what those needs are. Our members do this in ways in and outside of the Academy — on school boards, not-for-profit organizations, and civic organizations. For example, I serve on the Druid Hills Civic Association — an organization that seeks to connect neighbors, foster civic engagement, and steward this historic Atlanta neighborhood’s beauty. Like serving in the Academy, this can take the form of a community service project (i.e., cleaning up a park), serving on a committee, or engaging in dialogue about how the community should respond to community challenges...all with the goal of progress.

I also serve as a volunteer on the guest services team at my local church. My job is to direct traffic and make sure people get into the service safely and efficiently. I love this small volunteer role where I can help foster community. Again, even what some would consider small volunteer efforts are valuable in this way of developing trusting relationships with the community so that progress can be made.

DermWorld: How does a multifaceted profession like dermatology enhance your efforts?

Dr. Blalock: Dermatology was, and still is, a profession that provides diversity of disease types and diversity to my daily routine. My job provides me with the unique ability to balance surgery, pathology, cosmetics, and complex medical dermatology, and, sometimes, do it all in one day. Finally, my favorite part of my job as a Mohs surgeon is that I get the privilege to perform surgery to remove cancers and simultaneously actively engage patients about their lives. To have a job that is intellectually engaging, while serving patients who trust their medical challenges and lives with you, has to be one of the most amazing honors.

DermWorld: What drove your passion for the AAD Shade Structure program, and what is its value — to dermatology and the public?

Dr. Blalock: It’s always easy to advocate and get involved with the things that you care about. What could be more emblematic than one’s own family and community? My wife and I looked around and saw that the local schools lacked places for kids to play outside with shade. Schools commonly struggle to obtain funding for even the most necessary resources, much less places to safely play. Therefore, it just made sense for me as a dermatologist to partner with the AAD and the local schools so that kids and their families don’t have to worry about sun safety while they run and play. I have now served as the dermatologist sponsor for two structures in our community.

DermWorld: What experiences did the AAD provide that helped finesse your vision of what dermatology should be?

Dr. Blalock: One of my first meaningful experiences with the Academy centered around the Leadership Institute. I not only learned some practical leadership lessons, but also worked with a group of wonderful leaders who invested in me with their knowledge, advice, and time. This gave me an opportunity to get to know what the Academy is about, what the mission is, and even help guide the strategic plan as the chair of the Young Physicians Committee. The great thing about the Leadership Institute is that it is for all dermatologists. We are all leaders with various leadership styles and needs depending on where we are in our careers. The Leadership Institute has resources for those early in their training all the way to later on in their careers. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of it.

DermWorld: In recent years, you’ve been involved in AAD’s Skin Cancer, Take a Hike! How was that experience significant in your life’s journey?

Dr. Blalock: Skin Cancer, Take a Hike! is a wonderful event that the Academy has developed over the recent years to bring our community together in a fun and engaging way. This past year, my eight-year-old and I climbed Blood Mountain with some of my dermatology colleagues, trainees, staff, and their families. The event raised funds and awareness of the AAD’s initiatives, but perhaps more importantly it provided an avenue for us to spend time together outside of a conference or clinical setting. For me, it also allowed me to show my family in a practical way that outreach requires partnership of numerous stakeholders to get a job done. As an added bonus, some of these places that we have hiked over the years were places I had never been to, giving me an opportunity to tangibly explore hidden gems in my own community.

DermWorld: You and your wife recently contributed to AAD’s Adopt a Shade. Why is the program meaningful for you?

Dr. Blalock: Additional funds were needed to construct a shade structure at our local elementary school in Georgia, so it was an easy decision for us. Our contribution to the program is emblematic of my desire to bring together various stakeholders who allow me to have the greatest job in the world. It conveys to my community that I am invested in their success and safety. It conveys to the mentors in the Academy my appreciation for their overall investment in me.

DermWorld: Why is it important to support AAD programs?

Dr. Blalock: Some say that it’s important to give back to honor those who have contributed to your success. I think it’s important to give forward in their honor so that their efforts continue in perpetuity. The community and the profession are better because of them and it’s important for us to invest so that tomorrow’s community and profession is better than today. And, personally, my wife and I want to convey to our children and future generations that investing in your community is an expression of your values.

DermWorld: Do you have a philosophy of giving and contributing to community?

Dr. Blalock: Someone once said to me that if you want to know where someone’s heart is, look where and how they affect the world with their treasures. The path to become a dermatologist is more challenging than ever, but we have so much to be thankful for — whether by hard work, some hand-ups, or just good fortune. And to those who have been given much, much is expected. Our patients know this and our communities know this. I believe this has been the currency of physicians for many years — the trust that we will impact the community in a positive way.

The Academy has allowed me to partner with them through skin screenings, advocating for sun protection, educating regarding sun protection, and engaging with my community. Participating in these activities creates an environment where our patients’ skin health is better and, hopefully, makes them healthy enough to live fulfilling lives.

The lifeblood of the Academy is this delicate balance of simultaneously advocating for patients and physicians with an understanding that if the patient wins, so does the profession. Getting involved allows each of us to unbox a ubiquitous desire to impact each of our communities so that we can maintain that trust with our patients and our responsibility as physicians.

But whether it’s time, money, or some other treasure, we have to bring our expertise to the community in diverse ways to make sure that our message lands — the message that skin health and the treatment of skin disease is essential.

Travis W. Blalock, MD, FAAD, is associate professor and director of dermatologic surgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Georgia.

Additional DermWorld Resources