A year in review!

By Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, December 1, 2024

2024 has certainly been one of the most important years of my entire career. As the year winds down, and we’re set to close the book on the first quarter of the 21st century, I’d like to take a moment to look back on the 2024 year and reflect on just how incredible it was for the Academy and its members.

January was when things started ramping up for me to take over as president. I visited the Rosemont offices to have high-level meetings with the Academy’s talented staff and began to execute the strategy for my year as president.

In February, I visited Washington, D.C., in preparation for advocating on your behalf. Advocacy is an extremely important role of the Academy, especially this year, when we made Medicare reimbursement our single legislative advocacy focus.

March was of course the month that I took the helm as your president. It was also when we held our Annual Meeting in San Diego, which turned out to be the highest-attended Annual Meeting in AAD history! It took us a bit to recover from the pandemic, but we have, and then some. Of course, this was also the month when I lost my beloved father just seven days into my presidency. I cannot thank you all enough for your words of support, outreach, guidance, and friendship that so many of you have offered me and my family during this family tragedy.

April was my first full month in office where I really began to implement the main goal I want to achieve during my year in office: UNITY. I believe a united specialty is a strong specialty, and my devotion to ensuring unity remains a priority for me every day.

May saw the Academy host its flagship Leadership Forum weekend. Developing leadership skills is a crucial component in ensuring the long-term success and stability of our specialty. When dermatologists can also stand out as strong leaders in the house of medicine, the result is a further strengthening of the foundation we have there. I also had the chance to visit several national and state dermatology meetings spreading the message that the Academy is always here to support our members.

June was busy! It was Vitiligo Awareness Month. As you may know, vitiligo is a condition that is personal to me. My brother has it, and I have dedicated a good portion of my career to treating it. That is why I’m so pleased the Academy has a robust public education strategy for Vitiligo Awareness Month, as well as a variety of other conditions. Public education is key to ensuring our patients are getting reliable information, and the Academy’s successful Your Dermatologist Knows consumer positioning strategy proves to the public that only board-certified dermatologists have the experience and expertise necessary to treat their skin, hair, and nail conditions. It was also when the AMA House of Delegates met in Chicago, and I attended that to represent the voice of dermatologists in the house of medicine. I also traveled internationally to Japan and Canada to spread word of the Academy’s many accomplishments. These trips joined ones I had made previously to Brazil, Spain, and China. I am extraordinarily proud of the work our organization does, and there is no distance that is too far for me to travel to broadcast what we’ve done and continue to do on a daily basis!

In July I visited the British Academy of Dermatology, continuing to spread news of the Academy’s accomplishments across the world. It was also an important month for advocacy, during which I went to Capitol Hill and met with several members of Congress, and even took a high-level meeting with the White House to discuss skin cancer.

In August, the AAD’s Innovation Academy, held in Seattle, once again showed off all the new and exciting ways we’re pushing dermatology into the future. We would not be able to survive as a specialty without constantly updating diagnostics, treatments, and more, and the Innovation Academy is a great way to see how that’s being done. I hope everyone can make it to next year’s in Chicago! I also had the opportunity to visit Camp Discovery, which was an amazing experience, especially because my daughter was able to go with me! Lastly, I had the opportunity to represent the Academy in India at our AAD Conclave, and being in my cultural homeland as the first AAD president of Indian origin in the history of the organization was truly spectacular.

September was the AADA’s Legislative Conference, which took place in Washington, D.C., and gave Academy members the opportunity to speak directly with lawmakers to advocate for our specialty. The Legislative Conference is crucial to the success of dermatology, and I encourage everyone to attend next year’s event.

October and November kept me busy providing Academy updates all across the country. We truly do accomplish some great things in this organization, and I want to make sure every dermatologist in the nation is aware of what the AAD is doing to support and boost them!

And finally, in December, we will be continuing our advocacy push for Medicare reform, and we will continue our relentless pursuit in support of our patients and our members. I’ll also be working on mapping out the Academy’s strategy for next year, and of course, spending some much-needed time with my family for the holidays.

As we look forward to 2025, let me just say how excited I am about the future of dermatology and the future of our Academy!

I hope everyone has a great holiday season full of love, happiness, and memories with your friends and family.

Until next year, let unity be our guiding principle!

All my best,
Seemal

Presidential spotlight

Every month I have the privilege of honoring one of our members who goes above and beyond in service of our specialty in multiple different ways.

It is therefore my pleasure this month to honor Daniel D. Bennett, MD, FAAD, as our AAD Presidential Spotlight.

Dan is a professor and vice chair of clinical affairs at the University of Wisconsin Madison. He is highly recognized for his expertise in the field of dermatopathology. Dr. Bennett is passionate about inspiring the next generation. He ensures that his students and mentees are exposed to the diverse opportunities within dermatology, just as he was supported and motivated during his own journey as a learner. Recognizing the impact dermatology can have on students, Dr. Bennett and his team strive to introduce trainees to the abundant possibilities within the field, spanning medical care, surgical care, pathology, health policy, and health care leadership. He has been a leader in multiple organizations, always willing to step up and offer more, and does not shy away from standing up for his beliefs.

For me personally, Dan has been a wise counselor, a steady guiding hand in Academy leadership, and has ALWAYS been there to support me. When you think about the AAD, our members hear from the president and see the president, but the secretary treasurer is always behind the scenes, working hard on our members’ behalf and helping to make challenging decisions often without members knowing the inordinate amount of work being done. That is why I feel it is so important to highlight Dan for his immense contributions to the AAD and to our specialty! He epitomizes the meaning of the words: ingenuity, visionary leadership, camaraderie, and integrity. To Dan: Thank you for everything you do and continue to do! You have my heartfelt thanks as a friend, and it is my honor to recognize you with this month’s AAD Presidential Spotlight.

Additional DermWorld Resources