Voting members of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) recently elected five new leaders to the second largest professional medical specialty society for dermatology in North America.

Their terms began recently during the 2020 virtual Annual Membership Meeting, when President Marc Brown, MD, discussed highlights from this unusual year and passed the virtual gavel to 2020-21 ASDS President Mathew Avram, MD, JD.

The 2020-21 officers are:

  • Mathew Avram, MD, JD, President
  • Sue Ellen Cox, MD, President-Elect
  • Vince Bertucci, MD, FRCPC, Vice President
  • Kavita Mariwalla, MD, Secretary
  • Dee Anna Glaser, MD, Treasurer
  • Marc Brown, MD, Immediate Past President
  • Rhoda Narins, MD, Historian / Parliamentarian

Vice President: Vince Bertucci, MD, FRCPC
Dr. Bertucci will ascend to President-Elect in 2021-22 and President in 2022-23. “Member education is arguably the most important of ASDS benefits. I am keen to put into place enhanced educational offerings with courses that draw on global speakers and experiences, modern and user-friendly online educational materials, expanded mentorship opportunities and more. While dermatologic surgery faces many challenges, I remain very optimistic about our future. I strongly believe that there is no better way for our organization to guarantee its success than through engagement of early-career dermatologists. Further development of programs directed to this group will ensure that both the next generation of dermatologic surgeons and the ASDS will flourish.”

Board Member: Anna A. Bar, MD
“I am a passionate advocate for advancing the national reputation of our organization and its members. The long term security of our specialty must be our top priority. I support continued emphasis on marketing dermatologic surgeons’ skills so that the public will seek out an ASDS member as THE expert in all skin procedures. We need to continue educating the public, media and regulators that board certified dermatologists are the gold standard to diagnose and treat skin problems and perform aesthetic procedures.”

Board Member: Nazanin Saedi, MD
“Even prior to COVID-19, nationwide changes in health care administration were increasingly discussed. Rather than avoid this change, we need to be active participants of the conversation, helping to ensure we can continue to provide the highest level of care and services for our patients. These conversations are all the more relevant, as the current pandemic has dramatically altered the landscape of dermatologic services now, and probably will have a lasting effect for the future.”

Board Member: Divya Srivastava, MD
“As more non-physicians and non-core physicians advertise themselves as dermatologists, we must ensure that our patients are safe from laser injury, filler complications and delayed diagnoses of skin cancer. We must continue to be vigilant at the state and federal level to support the physician as the leader in team-based medicine and oppose independent practice of medicine by non-physicians.”

Nominating Committee: Terrence Allan Cronin, Jr., MD
“There really isn’t any other society like ASDS that looks out for our specialty and provides the leading educational experience in dermatologic surgery for our members. The leadership of our organization is on record when it comes to the education of the public, our members and policy-makers. In order for this to continue, it is imperative that we elect leaders that are aware of the many threats that face our specialty but are also grounded in the rich history of the dermatologists who came before us.”

2020-22 Resident Representative: Elizabeth H. Cusick, MD
The Resident Representative to the ASDS and ASDSA Boards of Directors holds a two-year term providing input and guidance to the Society and Association in their efforts to expand outreach and services to dermatology residents. Dr. Cusick is a Chief Resident in dermatology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. She received her undergraduate degree at Brooklyn College and attended medical school at SUNY Stony Brook. Her interests include medical and integrative dermatology.

[Source(s): American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, PRWeb]