Message from the President

Dear ACDS Member,

It is my honor to serve such a strong, committed group of physicians and providers. As we head into the spring season, I am excited and looking forward to new goals and initiatives for the society. In the coming months, we will be rolling out the long-awaited CAMP 2.0, which will be a phenomenal asset to our members and patients thanks to the extraordinary leadership of our CAMP Director, Dr. Margo Reeder. In the education sphere, we are excited to announce that, in addition to being a Key Collaborating Organization of the American Board of Dermatology, the ACDS has now gained representation in the Med Derm CertLink Content Advisory Group, so that we will have more direct input into maintenance of certification activities. We are also nearing completion of the Sulzberger grant-funded CME-eligible contact dermatitis educational series created as a partnership between the ACDS and AAD.

In the coming year, we will also be rolling out new initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and, in collaboration with the Women's Dermatologic Society, to support women in dermatology. In addition to the wonderful work by Dr. Bruce Brod and Dr. James Taylor as ACDS delegates to the AMA, we have also been working to increase collaborative efforts with the AADA, the Personal Care Products Council, and the CDC. Please be sure to check out the ACDS contribution to the CDC’s blog on World Hand Hygiene Day on May 5^th.  Finally, stay tuned for new initiatives to increase interaction with international sister organizations, starting with an ACDS symposium on Sept 4th at this fall’s ESCD meeting in Dresden, Germany, led by Dr. Jeff Yu. Please consider registering here.

I would like to express gratitude to our outgoing board members: Drs. Brandon Adler, Alison Ehrlich, and Alex Flamm. We are indebted to their dedicated service and leadership. In addition, we are excited to welcome our new Board members, Drs. Rosemary DeShazo, Lisa Maier, and Sonia Molin. For a complete list of the ACDS Executive Board and Board of Directors, please click here.

I would also like to give a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing CAMP Director, Dr. Margo Reeder. CAMP 2.0 is a testament to her incredible leadership and dedication, and words cannot express how grateful we are to her for all she has done in shaping and guiding CAMP and providing us with such a solid foundation. If you are interested in the opportunity to be involved in shaping CAMP, please consider applying for the position of CAMP Director by clicking here.

Meetings and Events

We were fortunate to host the ACDS 35^th Annual Meeting in person on Thursday, March 7 in San Diego. We had an action-packed live event full of great speakers and high-yield topics, as summarized in the Annual Meeting Highlights below. We had 227 attendees join us in person, with an additional 42 people registered to access on-demand content virtually. Access to the on-demand content continues to be available through 12/31/2024; and offers up to 7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM for physicians. If you have not yet registered, you can do so by clicking here. Please also extend a huge congratulations to all of our award winners associated with the Annual Meeting as listed below.

It is my hope that you, our members, have had every opportunity to stay healthy and happy this year.

If you have member news or information you would like highlighted in a future ACDS Newsletter, please email it to info@contactderm.org.

Sincerely,

Jennifer K. Chen, MD
ACDS President

American Contact Dermatitis Society
555 E. Wells Street, Suite 1100
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 918-9805
Fax: (414) 276-3349
Email: info@contactderm.org
www.contactderm.org

Inside this Issue

President's Message

New Leadership

2024 Spring Awards

CAMP Update

Report from ACDS Health Policy Committee and AMA Delegate

Dermatitis Update

35^th Annual Meeting

Highlights

CME On-Demand Access: Now Available!

2024 Annual Meeting Surveys

35^th Annual Meeting Award Recipients

Presidential Citations

Sponsors

Save the Date: 36^th Annual Meeting

Social Media

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ACDS 2024 Leadership Updates

We are excited to announce the results of the 2024 Board of Directors election. Congratulations to the below board members who have taken their position effective March 8, 2024. Please join us in congratulating them on this great honor!

2024 Board of Directors

Rosemary DeShazo, MD Salt Lake City, UT

Lisa Maier, MD Seattle, WA

Sonja Molin, MD Kingston, ON, Canada

Thank you to the following for their leadership over the past few years. We appreciate your service!

Brandon Adler, MD Los Angeles, CA

Alexandra Flamm, MD New York, MY

Alison Ehrlich, MD, MHS Washington, DC

For a complete list of the Board of Directors, please click here.

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The American Contact Dermatitis Society is committed to advancing the care and understanding of dermatology and allergy through the promotion of education, research and advocacy. As part of this initiative, ACDS offers the following educational awards to help encourage research in these areas:

Clinical Research Award

The American Contact Dermatitis Society offers awards for the purpose of relevant clinical studies directed toward the subject of contact dermatitis. Studies that focus on clinical problems or have applications to clinical problems will receive preferential consideration. These awards will not exceed $5,000 each and will favor those in the $3,000 to $5,000 range.

Click here to see a list of past Clinical Research Award recipients.

Mentoring Award

ACDS Mentoring Awards are granted for the purpose of assisting young dermatologists including dermatology residents, dermatology fellows, or dermatologist up to 5 years out of residency to become leaders/experts in the field of contact dermatitis by acquiring additional academic skills which may not be available at their training institutions.

Click here to see a list of past Mentoring Award recipients.

Mid-Career Award

The ACDS Mid-Career Development Award provides financial support for ACDS members to defray the cost of acquiring specific skills and knowledge to enhance their professional development in some aspect of contact dermatitis and/or occupational dermatology.

Click here to see a list of past Mid-Career Award recipients.

For more information on any of these opportunities,
please visit our website here.

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CAMP Update

Spring greetings, ACDS members!

We are busy preparing for the summer launch of CAMP 2.0. In the new version of CAMP, there will be over 80,000 products! Users will have the ability to review and purchase products, access educational resources and track quality of life over time. To help with the transition to CAMP 2.0, we've created educational resources and handouts for you and your patients. Resources and handouts will be on the ACDS website. The CAMP app will also feature a tutorial for users.

At the Annual Meeting, I provided a detailed update on CAMP that you can access here.

As always, we are interested in your feedback. If you would like to sign up to test the new CAMP, please email info@contactderm.org.

Applications for the next CAMP Director are open until April 15th. I encourage you to consider applying for this unique and rewarding opportunity! Interested members should click here to apply.

Finally, a few words of appreciation. A big THANK YOU to all ACDS members for promoting and sharing CAMP with your patients. We are committed to bringing you the best possible resource to help patients manage contact dermatitis. With your support, we are confident CAMP 2.0 will be a success!

In appreciation,
Margo Reeder, MD
CAMP Director

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Update from the ACDS Health Policy Committee and AMA Delegation

Augmented Intelligence

Following the meeting of the House of Delegates in November 2023, the AMA Board of Trustees approved a detailed 8 page advocacy document AMA Principles for Augmented Intelligence Development, Deployment, and Use which emphasizes the ethical, equitable and responsible use of artificial intelligence in health care for both device and non-device use. Augmented intelligence(AI) is the AMA preferred term, emphasizing the critical role of enhancing rather than replacing human intelligence. Six areas are discussed: 1) Health care AI oversight; 2) When and what to disclose to advance AI transparency; 3) Generative AI policies and governance 4) Physician liability for use of AI-enabled technologies; 5) AI data privacy and cybersecurity; and 6) Payor use of AI and automated decision-making systems. Payors and insurers are increasingly using AI to determine coverage limits, benefits design and to make claim determinations, including prior authorization! In this and for all uses of AI, the AMA emphasizes the need for transparency to both physicians and patients.

Medicare Payment Reform

Medicare Payment Reform continues to be a key priority of both the AMA and the AAD. Fix Medicare Now is a superb toolkit for what you and your patients can do to help fix the flawed Medicare payment system. These include: 1) The ability to take action by emailing your members of Congress; 2) A “share your story” feature; 3) Toolkits on how to be a more effective advocate on social media; 4) An interactive timeline 5) A patient reception-area flyer with a QR code where patients can take action; and 6) A robust resources page with background information, charts, advocates’ letters to Congress, etc. AAD has also been working tirelessly on this effort, especially Bruce Brod the outgoing chair of the Government Affairs and Health Policy Council. Please join the joint efforts of the AMA and AAD. Perseverance and your advocacy are keys to success.

Submitted by:
Bruce A. Brod, MD, MHCI, FAAD
Alex Flamm, MD, FAAD, Chair, ACDS Health Policy Committee
James S. Taylor, MD, FAAD

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On March 8, 2024, the Editorial Board of Dermatitis convened its annual board meeting. This was a hybrid live and virtual meeting (via Zoom). We thank our editorial board members, ACDS representatives and our publishing partners at Mary Anne Liebert for their participation in this very productive meeting. This update will highlight some significant developments that arose during this important meeting that will affect upcoming issues of Dermatitis.

New Features in Dermatitis

Our newest domain of interest of the journal is Environmental Dermatitis. This sphere of interest was added to the journal in 2022, and the submissions in this category of interest are gradually increasing. Because of the great success of Allergen of the Year in focusing the attention on specific allergens, the editorial board discussed a new initiative: “Environmental Toxin of the Year”. The idea here is to focus attention on how environmental change, such as climate change, specific pollutants, toxins, and environmental allergens can interact with both healthy and diseased skin across the five domains of interest of our journal. Thus, the “Environmental Toxin of the Year”, will be a mid-year initiative that will become a regular part of the journal. The authors will be recruited experts who will author a state-of-the-art manuscript related to the Environmental Toxin of the Year. This would be separate from the annual Allergen of the Year, which is typically published in the January/February issue of Dermatitis. The proposal was discussed and confirmed by the editorial board. Dr. Paul Bigliardi will take the lead on this initiative. We anticipate rolling out this new feature late in 2024, or at the latest mid-year 2025.

We discussed introducing a new article type tentatively named "Practical Advice" or "Ask the Expert". Dr. Amber Atwater graciously agreed to lead this initiative. This article type aims to offer practical guidance and insights on various dermatological procedures such as skin prick testing, photo-patch testing, intradermal challenges for injectable allergens and novel developments and methods in patch testing. Thus, this new feature will enhance the Journal's utility for both clinicians and researchers. We will be issuing a “Call for Submissions” soon.

Additionally, there will be an upcoming Special Issue focusing on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, including ‘Skin of Color’. This special issue could potentially reoccur annually, providing a platform to highlight important research and clinical insights related to this under-served area of dermatology as relates to our five domains of interest (Contact, Atopic, Occupational, Drug, Environmental). Many thanks to Deputy Editor Dr. Marjorie Montanez-Wiscovich, who will lead this effort, collaborating with other members of the ACDS committee dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We will be issuing a “Call for Submissions” for articles to be included in this special issue focusing on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

A Reminder to Take Advantage of Opportunities for Continuing Medical Education Credit Offered by Dermatitis

In an era when documentation of Continuing Medical Education (CME) has become critical for supporting applications for state medical licensing, as well as credentialling for staff privileges at regional or University Hospitals, opportunities for CME are critical. With the assistance of our publishers at Mary Ann Liebert, Dermatitis has identified a sponsor for CME credit (University of California Irvine) for taking the self-assessment quiz that is published monthly in our journal. The self-assessment quiz may be accessed on the journal website.

All members of the ACDS are encouraged to take advantage of this new feature of the journal. Up to 6 hours of Category 1 CME can be obtained per year. This represents one hour of Category 1 CME for each quiz associated with each of the six regular issues that are published annually. The same CME quiz will be associated with any themed, “Bonus Issues” published by Dermatitis.

We have been monitoring the use of the self-assessment quiz for CME by our membership, and very few ACDS members have taken advantage of this feature since its initiation this summer. We encourage our membership to utilize this feature to test your knowledge and support your continuing medical education.

Another opportunity for CME is our ‘reviewer rewards’ program. We offer 1 hour of category 1 CME credit for each initial manuscript critique of either a study or review article (up to 5 hours of category 1 CME credit per year). This feature is now operational. When a potential reviewer accepts the task of reviewing an initial submission of a study or review article for Dermatitis, he/she will be asked if they are interested in receiving CME credit for the applicable review. If the reviewer then indicates “Yes”, he/she will be eligible for CME credit. After the completed review is received, the Associate, Deputy Editor or Editor-in-Chief will score the review for its quality and timeliness. Reviews that score at least a 70 out of 100, will receive 1 hour of CME credit, and receive an email with a link that will pose questions about the learning points related to the manuscript review. After this is completed, a certificate indicating 1 hour of category 1 CME will be issued. We encourage our reviewers to take advantage of this feature.

Membership Survey

The ACDS has recently distributed a membership survey via email related to opinions about Dermatitis, its features and whether it meets the needs of our membership. Responses are slowly arriving. We encourage our membership to complete this survey, as this feedback is critical for shaping the features of the journal. We will be sharing the results of this membership survey in our next newsletter.

Submitted by:
Anthony Gaspari, MD
Dermatitis Editor-in-Chief

Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and led by Anthony Gaspari, MD, Dermatitis® is the leading peer-reviewed scientific journal in contact dermatitis, and the only journal in its field that publishes leading research in atopic, contact, occupational, environmental, and drug dermatitis.

The journal is an essential resource for dermatologists, allergists, immunologists, and toxicologists and is now available only from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. - make sure you and your colleagues don't miss an issue!

Click here to request access from your institutional library now.

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ACDS 35^th Annual Meeting Highlights

The 35^th Annual Meeting of the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS) was held on March 7^th in San Diego. The meeting featured several outstanding speakers and engaging topics. The planning committee included Chair Dr. Kari Martin along with members Drs. Alison Ehrlich, Walter Liszewski, Alexandra Flamm, Jake Turrentine, Clifford Bassett, Salma de la Feld, Ama Alexis, Nicole Burkemper, and Austin Cox.

The meeting began with Dr. Jenny Murase speaking during the Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. sponsored morning session on the topic of Understanding Atopic Dermatitis of the Hand and Foot. Our ACDS President, Dr. Jennifer Chen, then gave the opening remarks. Next, Dr. Kari Martin, the meeting chair, gave a warm welcome to the attendees and introduced Dr. Don Belsito who announced sulfites as the 2024 ACDS Allergen of the Year.

Following this, the first of our Hot Topic sessions were presented: Coding and Billing in Contact Dermatitis, from Dr. Alexandra Flamm, Updates on the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), from Dr. Linda Katz, then Alopecia Update from Drs. Maria Hordinsky and Paul Bigliardi. All Fisher presentations followed with speakers discussing wide-ranging topics within the fields of atopic, contact, and occupational dermatitis. The first of our General Sessions rounded out the morning.

During the lunch session, sponsored by Dormer Laboratories, Inc. / Chemotechnique Diagnostics, Dr. Chen convened the ACDS Annual Business Meeting, acknowledging meeting sponsors and outgoing board members, recognizing current board members, and welcoming new board members. Dr. Chen then presented the presidential citations noted below, and Dr. Kal Watsky provided the ACDS Secretary-Treasurer's report. Dr. Margo Reeder presented a CAMP update and Dr. Tony Gaspari, Dermatitis Editor-in-Chief, gave a Journal update.

Lunch was followed by the Alexander Fisher Lecturer, Dr. Susan Nedorost, who presented Embracing the Complexities of Dermatitis. This insightful lecture reviewed just how complicated the immune system interactions causing dermatitis can be and highlighted some of the important research leading to these developments.   

This was followed by the remaining General Session lectures, then the Hot Topic Panel Discussion on Challenges, Controversies, and Overlaps between Contact and Atopic Dermatitis led by Drs. Peggy Wu, JiaDe “Jeff” Yu, and Jenny Murase. After the afternoon networking break, the remaining Hot Topics were presented: Contact Urticaria Patch Testing, from Dr. Andrew Scheman, The Basics of Photopatch Testing, from Dr. Brandon Adler, Occupational Dermatitis Dilemmas: Navigating Causation, Disability, and Impairment, from Dr. Jerald Cook, and Immunology and Clinical Update on Alpha-Gal Syndrome, from Drs. Alison Ehrlish and Paul Bigliardi.

Dr. Walter Liszewski then presented the Fisher Resident and Poster awards. Congratulations to all our winners who are listed below. The meeting concluded with the Contact Allergen Bee, moderated by Drs. Nicole Burkemper and Jeff Yu, and the cocktail reception.

As a reminder, if you were unable to attend the meeting in person, all Annual Meeting presentations are available online through December 31, 2024. You may register for access here. Thank you for attending this year’s meeting and we look forward to seeing everyone next year for the 36^th Annual Meeting, which will take place March 6, 2025, in Orlando, FL.

Submitted by:
Kari Martin, MD
35^th Annual Meeting Committee Chair

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On-Demand Access: Now Available!

All content from the ACDS 35^th Annual Meeting is available now through the end of 2024. This includes the following educational lectures and poster presentations:

• Alexander Fisher Lecture
• Fisher Presentations
• General Session Presentations
• Hot Topics

Access is available to all those who registered for the ACDS 35^th Annual Meeting as an in-person or virtual attendee. Click here or below to access virtual content; you must be signed in to access online content.

Not able to join us in San Diego? No Worries!

You can still register for access to above CME eligible content through the end of 2024. Click here or below to register!

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Complete the Surveys!

We encourage all attendees to provide feedback by completing the conference survey by clicking here.

Have an idea that you would like to see presented at the next Annual Meeting? Be sure to share your input by emailing us at info@contactderm.org or by completing the survey.

Thank you for completing this survey; this feedback helps us make improvements to future events.

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Congratulations to all Award Recipients!

2024 Alexander A. Fisher Resident Award

The Alexander A. Fisher Resident Award is presented to the best oral presentation by a resident or medical student at the Scientific Session of the ACDS Annual Meeting.

• Gold: Rhea Ahuja, MD - Effect of a Shorter Occlusion Time and Controlled Wetting on Patch Test Positivity: A Prospective Comparative Study
• Silver: Nicholas Battis, BS - Formaldehyde and Methylisothiazolinone Detected in Blowing Bubble Solutions: Chromotropic Acid and Mass Spectrometric Analysis
• Bronze: Sarah Behbahani, MD - Characterizing Inpatient Allergic Contact Dermatitis: A National Perspective
   

2024 Fran Storrs Poster Award

The Fran Storrs Poster Award is presented to the top three research/review posters at the Scientific Session of the ACDS Annual Meeting.

• Gold: Yul W. Yang, MD, PhD - All for One, and One for All? The Fragrance/Botanical Monolith: Evaluating Copositivity Patterns in Fragrance/Botanical Patch Testing Through Hierarchical Clustering and Network Analysis
• Silver: Christian Bryan De Guzman - Improved ACD-11 and Dermatology Life Quality Index Scores After Patch Testing in Dermatitis Patients
• Bronze: Kathyana P. Santiago Mangual, BA - The Ethics of Offering Diagnostic vs. Therapeutic Options for Patients with Dermatitis: Assessing Trends in Medicare Expenditure in Patch Testing vs. Dupilumab
   

2024 Howard I. Maibach Travel Award

The Howard I. Maibach Travel Award provides travel grants to the American Contact Dermatitis Society's Annual Meeting for the presentation of work (either an oral presentation or poster presentation) by investigators outside of the U.S. and Canada.

• Rhea Ahuja, MD (India)
   

2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Travel Award

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Travel Award provides travel grants to the American Contact Dermatitis Society's Annual Meeting for the presentation of work (either an oral presentation or poster presentation) which focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, or healthcare disparities within dermatitis.

• Kathyana P. Santiago Mangual, BA - The Ethics of Offering Diagnostic vs. Therapeutic Options for Patients with Dermatitis: Assessing Trends in Medicare Expenditure in Patch Testing vs. Dupilumab
   

2024 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Healthcare Disparities Poster Award

In recognition of a new initiative surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion, The American Contact Dermatitis Society is pleased to announce the availability of the new DEI Poster Award. This award will recognize work focused around diversity, equity, inclusion and health disparities within dermatitis.

• Yuanyuan Xu - Global Burden, Trends, and Inequalities of Contact Dermatitis from 1990 to 2019: An Analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
   

2024 Contact Allergen Bee Winners

All ACDS Annual Meeting resident attendees had an opportunity to participate in the popular Contact Allergen Bee sponsored by the ACDS Dermatitis Journal. Congrats to our winners!

• First Prize
  • Jamie Schlarbaum, MD
• Honorable Mentions
  • Leanna Hansen, MD
  • Aubrey Montebello
  • Somaira Nowsheen, MD

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The following members/entities were recognized at the ACDS 35^th Annual Meeting for their various contributions within/to ACDS:

Chair of 2024 Annual Meeting Committee

• Kari Martin, MD
   

AAD Collaborating Organization Initiative

• Salma de la Feld, MD
   

CAMP

• Margo Reeder, MD
   

Alexander A. Fisher Lecture Award

• Susan Nedorost, MD
   

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ACDS wishes to thank the following sponsors for their support of the ACDS 35^th Annual Meeting:

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