New year, new horizons
From the President
By Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, January 1, 2025
First and foremost, I want to start off by simply wishing all of our members a happy New Year! I hope that you and your loved ones had a great holiday season full of love and happiness.
A new year brings new horizons, and with it, new opportunities for hope. Each and every one of us, in different ways, can find things difficult from time to time. I persevere through these times by remaining hopeful about what the future has in store. I am very hopeful about the upcoming year!
I am excited for what’s ahead for dermatology in 2025, and I am optimistic it will be a great year for our dynamic specialty. Dermatology is filled with some of the sharpest minds in all of medicine who are constantly working to better the field for the patients we serve. I am confident this dedicated drive toward progress and advancement will continue this year.
There is a litany of more specific things for which I am hopeful as well. For starters, I am hopeful that the AADA’s tireless and vigorous work advocating for dermatology in Washington, D.C., will result in meaningful, long-lasting changes, particularly when it comes to Medicare payment reform. That was our top legislative priority last year and will remain a top priority this year. If you’re interested in helping the Academy continue its robust advocacy program, consider attending the Legislative Conference Sept. 7-9. Registration will open this spring.
I am hopeful that the Academy and its members’ continued scientific research will result in new therapies and treatments for our patients. That is why we do this, after all, and I’m consistently proud of the work we do to ensure that our patients get the best care we can provide. And, thanks to the success of the AAD’s Your Dermatologist Knows consumer positioning strategy, public perception of dermatology is at an all-time high and only going up!
Finally, I am hopeful that the Academy will continue to flourish as the best and brightest organization in all of dermatology. We owe this in part to YOU, our members, who never fail to impress me with your passion and drive to always provide the best patient care, and to our staff, who work diligently day in and day out to ensure that our beloved Academy is always performing at the top of its game, to the benefit of members and patients.
I hope that you all have a wonderful year. Thank you for allowing me the honor of a lifetime to serve as your president. I remain at your service and will always be here to lead and inspire in any way I can!
Let unity be our guiding principle!
All my best,
Seemal
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