Relationships support our strength
From the President
By Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD, June 1, 2025
Taking care of dermatologists so that they can take care of their patients...and their practices
Dear members,
I am extraordinarily proud of how effectively the AAD takes care of our members so that they can take care of their patients. My goal is to continue strengthening that foundation throughout my entire time as your president. A vital component of this strength lies in the collaborative relationships we’ve built with other organizations across the house of medicine.
The Academy has great relationships with many local, state, regional, and national sister-dermatology organizations. While the AAD is the largest, all of these organizations, no matter the size, share the same common, simple goal: advancing and supporting our specialty. It is essential that we continually nurture our relationships with sister organizations, as the success of one organization contributes to the collective success of all dermatologists across the nation. We do not limit our relationships to only dermatology associations, and in fact, one of our most important relationships is with the American Medical Association. The AMA, as the leading medical organization in the nation, defines the framework of the house of medicine, making it essential for the AAD to maintain a presence within the AMA.
We were very fortunate to have board-certified dermatologist Jack S. Resneck Jr., MD, FAAD, serve as AMA president from 2022–2023. Dermatology was literally the face of the AMA during his presidency, and we continue to work to ensure dermatology is well represented with our Dermatology Section Council in the AMA’s House of Delegates. The Dermatology Section Council consists of many dermatology specialty organizations who work as a team to advocate for our needs.
Advocacy priorities
Learn about the Academy’s advocacy priorities and how to join efforts to protect your practice.
Advocacy is another key reason why maintaining a strong relationship with the AMA is so important. Medicare payment reform continues to be the sole federal legislative advocacy priority of the Academy in 2025 and maintaining a strong relationship with the AMA allows us to leverage their resources and influence to ensure that the voices of dermatologists are heard by members of Congress.
Of course, our strength is built on a variety of strong relationships, and we also have great relationships with many corporate partners. We recently concluded a very successful Industry Summit in Chicago. The Summit was an opportunity to update a variety of corporate partners on AAD strategic priorities and to find areas for collaboration. I will provide more information on the Summit in the future.
The AAD has also been able to use the relationships we’ve fostered with industry partners to develop additional ways to help dermatologists and our patients. The AAD Clinical Image Collection, which launched earlier this year and is available to you for free as a benefit of your membership, was developed with the support of Pfizer and the Skin of Color Society and is a great clinical and diagnostic resource that I would highly encourage all members to make use of.
Industry partners also support our skin cancer detection efforts. Last month was Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and I take the Academy’s mission of educating the public about the risks and dangers of skin cancer very seriously, so I am particularly proud of the Academy’s work in this area. As we keep building and strengthening these relationships, additional methods are sure to become available to help you help your patients.
I look forward to continuing to build the Academy’s relationships over the next year, and I hope you all will join me.
Until next time, all my best,
Susan
Clinical Image Collection
Check out the AAD’s newest member benefit, the AAD Clinical Image Collection.
