Your Dermatologist Knows

By Matt Walsh, Specialist, Member Communications, December 1, 2025

2026 will be the fourth full year of the Academy’s revolutionary push to position board-certified dermatologists as the experts in skin, hair, and nail health. Since launching in October 2022, Your Dermatologist Knows has used a multifaceted approach to move the needle in a positive direction in regard to public perception of dermatology.

Roopal Kundu, MD, FAAD, is chair of the AAD’s Council on Communications, which played an integral role in the development and launch of Your Dermatologist Knows.

“One of the most consistent member concerns over the years has been scope expansion of non-physician clinicians, and more specifically, what efforts the Academy has taken to address this issue,” said Dr. Kundu. “Your Dermatologist Knows was developed in direct response to this concern. It is a broad, public-facing consumer positioning strategy with the goal of telling the public that we as board-certified dermatologists are the health care professionals with the knowledge, training, experience, and expertise to handle any issue of skin, hair, and nail health that may arise, and that when you’re making health care decisions for you and your family, partnering with an FAAD is the smart choice.”

Once the idea for the strategy was developed, it had to be implemented, which the Academy does in two key ways.

“One of the two main aspects of the Your Dermatologist Knows strategy is traditional media,” said Dr. Kundu. “Think of newspapers, news shows on TV, or internet news. The Academy has a Media Expert Team (MET) that consists of over 200 AAD members who are particularly media-savvy and have undergone AAD media training. The Academy’s media relations staff work to pitch stories to major outlets that feature MET members offering their expertise on a variety of topics. We also implement a process known as ‘newsjacking,’ where we swiftly respond to viral trends — many of which are often misleading or even flat out wrong — with the expertise that only a board-certified dermatologist can provide.”

Newsjacking

Shelby Homiston works as the Academy’s manager of media relations and is heavily involved in the newsjacking process.

“Newsjacking is an important approach allowing the Academy to be more proactive in our media outreach,” said Homiston. “It centers around identifying emerging topics on social media at the beginning of a news cycle, which is the period of time before a topic breaks and media outlets report on it. The length of a news cycle varies from topic to topic — anywhere between a day and a couple of weeks.”

“If a topic is at the beginning of a news cycle and starting to gain traction, we’ve learned that if we offer our expert board-certified dermatologists and Academy messages to reporters who are likely to cover the issue, we have a greater chance of being included in these emerging stories,” said Homiston. “This helps us shape the narrative and ensure that we can educate the public on these important skin, hair, and nail topics, and the importance of partnering with a board-certified dermatologist for expert care.”

“If we don’t newsjack, the stories will be reported anyway, but our point of view won’t be included. Ultimately, this approach allows us to capitalize on media opportunities and ensure our members’ voices are part of timely discussions.”

The AAD’s media relations team realized that developing a process like newsjacking would help elevate member voices in a way that wouldn’t be possible without it.

“The media world is moving faster than ever, and we want to make sure board-certified dermatologists remain front and center as the go-to experts for skin, hair, and nail health,” said Homiston. “Public relations best practices show us that to effectively engage the media, we have to function like a newsroom, which means we have a plan in place that allows us to move quickly, think like journalists, and create timely, engaging stories that capture attention. One part of this approach is newsjacking, and by working this way, we can make sure dermatologists’ voices are part of the story as it’s unfolding — not after the fact.”

“We also implement a process known as ‘newsjacking,’ where we swiftly respond to viral trends — many of which are often misleading or even flat out wrong — with the expertise that only a board-certified dermatologist can provide.”

“Three times per week, AAD staff meets to scan the media environment to see what’s trending in the news or if there are interesting new studies,” Homiston said. “We’ll even look at topics that Academy members have flagged for us. Then, the big question we ask is: Is this a story where the Academy should weigh in? If yes, then we’ll tap someone from our Media Expert Team who can best provide their individual professional opinions. From there, we identify the resources we already have on the topic, like patient education content on our website, and how we can frame the issue in a way that helps journalists make sense of it for the public.”

“Our goal in every situation is to make sure the dermatologist’s expertise is part of the conversation, giving the public clear, trusted information they can use to stay healthy and happy,” Homiston said.

The AAD has used newsjacking multiple times since it was developed, resulting in a multitude of high-profile media coverage on a variety of topics. Near the end of 2024, Good Morning America weatherman Sam Champion was diagnosed with skin cancer, and his dermatologist was Anthony Rossi, MD, FAAD, who is a member of the Academy’s MET. The AAD was able to successfully pitch his story to the media, generating coverage in Good Morning America, ABC, Parade, and Men’s Journal.

This year, the Academy has addressed topics such as intermittent tanning among teens (which is essentially a new trend in which young people consult the UV index on their phones for tanning purposes), the advanced melanoma diagnosis of reality TV personality Teddi Mellencamp, medspa safety concerns, and misinformation on vitamin A and Mpox.

Homiston says the AAD welcomes member input on interesting topics. “Let us know what’s happening in your practice. If you have several patients with an unusual issue, which can often be tied to social media or influencer trends, please let our team know by contacting us at mediarelations@aad.org. This helps us understand how these trends affect patients’ attitudes toward their skin, hair, and nail conditions.”

Social media

While the Academy’s media relations strategy is an extremely important aspect, it is only one half of the Your Dermatologist Knows strategy.

“Another key aspect of Your Dermatologist Knows is social media,” said Dr. Kundu. “We’ve implemented a robust strategy on social media that ensures our content is seen by crucial demographics more efficiently. Our main target is women aged 25-35, who are most likely to be the primary health care decision makers for their families. However, with the nature of social media, the reach of the content we create extends beyond this specific target.”

The bulk of the social media strategy involves working with the AAD’s Social Media Correspondents, partnering with social media ambassadors, and using paid placements. The four Social Media Correspondents are Preetha Agarwal, MD, FAAD, FACMS, Charlie Dunn, MD, FAAD, Samantha Karlin, MD, FAAD, and Amit Om, MD, FAAD. All four work with the Academy’s social media team to devise and produce the content that is ultimately seen by the public.

“We take a collaborative and intentional approach to content creation,” said Dr. Om. “Each month, our team meets to review what’s trending, what common questions patients are asking in clinic, and the timely dermatology topics the public might be hearing about in the news. From there, we take the content and share it in a way that will resonate most with everyday people, rather than being tailored toward physicians. That’s when the correspondents are allowed to put their own unique spin and share their personalities! My personal goal is to break down complex dermatology concepts so that anyone scrolling through social media will stop, understand my topic, relate to it, and ideally walk away with a practical takeaway for their own skin health.”

“Once topics are identified, and content is crafted, we focus on presenting information in a friendly, approachable, and engaging way,” said Dr. Dunn. “Our philosophy is that dermatology content should feel accessible — not intimidating. While we always ensure scientific accuracy and evidence-based messaging, our aim is to deliver it with a more conversational tone to connect with patients and the public. This balance — credible yet relatable — is what sets the AAD’s digital presence apart.”

This approach has led to the correspondents covering a wide range of topics, many of which they still fondly remember creating content about.

“The most memorable was when I talked about how to golf in a sun-safe way,” said Dr. Om. “It was a good excuse to get out on the course! I also enjoy content around viral trends and breaking news stories, since it ensures people hear the facts straight from dermatologists before misinformation spreads. Lastly, I really enjoyed the video explaining what Mohs surgery is while using Reese’s cups as a playful visual. It made the concept much more digestible — and tasty!”

“I am a year and a half into working with the AAD, so I have covered so many great topics at this point,” said Dr. Karlin. “Some of my favorites have been about postpartum hair loss (especially when I was going through this myself), systemic diseases that have skin manifestations, and covering urgent news that relates to dermatology, like when multiple people were hospitalized with possible botulism due to counterfeit botulinum toxin injections from unlicensed injectors. Working as a social media correspondent for the AAD truly has been so much fun. We want to appeal to everyone by making the information as clear as possible to understand, while also showing the public that we are all on the same team and just want to keep people healthy.”

“I have really enjoyed being a part of content that ‘pulls back the curtain’ and allows people to see behind the scenes of how dermatology is practiced, like how a biopsy is done, what a day in my life is like, etc.,” said Dr. Dunn. “One of the more meaningful series that has actually impacted my own practice has been content highlighting many things board-certified dermatologists know or are experts on, that people never even think to ask me about. I have had a patient come in and ask me about the color of her nails, because of a reel we did on that topic. She didn’t think to ask before seeing the reel! Another patient felt empowered through watching one of these videos to ask if the skin issues she had been struggling with but never mentioned for years because she thought they were normal, could be related to her thyroid. The answer was YES! And now she’s better! I love showing how much our specialty can help people in so many walks of life.”

“As a Mohs surgeon and dermatologist, one of the most impactful things we’ve done is raising awareness around skin cancer and showing how early detection can be lifesaving,” said Dr. Agarwal. “Each video is unique, and I truly enjoy the creative process of presenting accurate, visually engaging, and approachable content that resonates with a wide range of viewers.”

Your Dermatologist Knows: You’re the experts, we’re proving it to the public

Ultimately, the purpose of the Your Dermatologist Knows strategy is to make an impact on how board-certified dermatologists are viewed by the public. Dr. Kundu described how the strategy has affected the public’s perception of dermatology: “In short: very positively!”

“When we conducted the initial survey in 2022, only 77% of respondents thought dermatologists were medical doctors,” said Dr. Kundu. “In the most recent survey, that number has increased to 84%! Among the target demographic, the increase is from 75% to 82%. These data show two important findings.”

“First, and arguably most importantly, is that there is still work that needs to be done,” said Dr. Kundu. “It’s not great that 16% of respondents don’t know that dermatologists are medical doctors. However, that same survey showed that other medical doctors, like allergists — who treat some of the same conditions as dermatologists — are only thought of as medical doctors by 57% of respondents. This is clearly not an easy battle for some specialties, so all things considered, dermatology is doing quite well.”

“The second finding was overwhelming proof that the strategy is working,” said Dr Kundu. “There has been a significant increase in this crucial statistic, particularly with the target demographic. We know it works, and we have proof that it works, and that simply motivates us to try even harder to get that number as close to 100% as possible.”

Beyond a general increase in public perceptions, the 2025 survey additionally showed significant increases in many specific areas.

“The surveys also reveal key data about why the public seeks dermatologic care in the first place,” said Dr. Kundu. “When asked the reason for seeing a dermatologist, 63% answered ‘because dermatologists are the skin experts’ and 57% answered ‘because dermatologists can screen for serious conditions such as skin cancer.’ These are up from 52% and 46% from the previous survey, respectively. This clearly shows the needle has significant movement in a positive direction, with room for improvement in the coming years.”

Dr. Kundu continued: “A final key data point I’d like to highlight is the question: Who comes to mind first when considering skin, hair, and nail health? In the 2022 survey, 63% of respondents said dermatologists. That number is up to 77% in 2025, including 76% of the target demographic. It also showed that patients are more likely to see a dermatologist if they’ve seen Your Dermatologist Knows content. This is a clear indication that the efforts of Your Dermatologist Knows are driving patients into your practices at a significantly higher frequency than a few years ago. In other words: It’s working!”

Going forward

When it was launched in late 2022, Your Dermatologist Knows was intended to be a fundamental alteration to the way the Academy advocates for its members, board-certified dermatologists, and to the public they care for.

“Your Dermatologist Knows is entering its fourth year of implementation, and it does not look the same as it did when it first launched,” said Dr. Kundu. “Our team is constantly evaluating tactics, tweaking some to make them better, adding new ones to increase the impact, and even dropping some if that don’t seem to be doing what we’d like them to do.”

“That will continue. Your Dermatologist Knows is a constantly evolving strategy, and I am confident it will continue to drive success,” Dr. Kundu said.

Additional DermWorld Resources