American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS)

Message from the President

Dear ACDS Member:

It is hard to believe that it's already August. We have many exciting updates for you. We appreciate your patience with the much anticipated CAMP 2.0; Thank you to all who have participated in the soft rollout; your comments have been invaluable. Stay tuned for more information!

We would like to express our utmost gratitude to Dr. Margo Reeder, who will be stepping down as CAMP Director at the end of August, although she has generously agreed to stay on for an additional period to ensure a smooth rollout. Dr. Reeder has worked tirelessly over the last 5 years to create a version of CAMP that encompasses a massive number of new features, including an increased amount of products, barcode scanning, quality of life tracking measures, direct purchasing links, and more. This will be a phenomenal resource for patients and providers, and we are so grateful to Dr. Reeder for her incredible vision and contributions.

We are delighted to announce our new CAMP Director, Dr. Amber Atwater. Dr. Atwater is a member of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group, a previous President of the ACDS, and Founder of Distinctive Dermatology in Vienna, VA (opening Fall 2024). She brings to the table extensive knowledge and experience with allergens, clinical care, medical education, and the history and development of CAMP. We are thrilled to welcome her into this new role as we enter the next phase of CAMP 2.0.

A few other updates:

ACDS Membership Renewal

ACDS membership for 2025 will be opening in October. Additional emails will be sent once the renewal portal is available. Watch for a paper invoice in the mail the first part of November. Please log in to your member portal to ensure that the correct email and mailing addresses are on file, to prevent losing access to CAMP and the Dermatitis Journal.

Technology Upgrade

Note that the ACDS Executive Office will undertake a technology upgrade Tuesday, September 10th through Monday September 16th. This change will benefit ACDS members with more modern and user-friendly member profile/directories, dues renewal processes, and meeting registration. Watch for more information coming out soon on what to expect.

Dermatitis Updates

The American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS) is pleased to announce that new journal rankings are out, and the Dermatitis journal has remained a top-ranked journal, currently ranked 13 out of 94 Dermatology Journals (top 15%) with an impact factor of 4.0. Congratulations to the Dermatitis team. You can access the Dermatitis journal here.

Meetings and Events

The ACDS is currently working on new initiatives to increase interaction with international sister organizations, starting with an ACDS symposium on September 4th at this fall’s ESCD meeting in Dresden, Germany, led by Dr. Jeff Yu. Please consider registering here. You can view the agenda here.

We are also starting to look ahead to the World Congress of Dermatology meeting in 2027 in Guadalajara, where we will also plan to have an ACDS symposium, led by Dr. Kalman Watsky. Please stay tuned for more information.

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

2024 Fall Awards

AAD Leadership Development Opportunities

Report from ACDS Health Policy Committee and ACDS/AMA Delegation

Columbia University Opportunity

Dermatitis Update

Congress of the ESCD 2024

Board of Directors - Call for Nominations

2025 Annual Meeting

35^thAnnual Meeting: CME Available!

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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.

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.

Outcomes Research Award

The ACDS Outcomes Research Award provides financial support for study of outcomes of dermatitis evaluation and management.

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

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Healthcare Disparities Award

The ACDS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Healthcare Disparities Award provides financial support for studies dedicated to the study of diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and healthcare disparities within dermatitis.

Click here to see a list of past Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Healthcare Disparities Award recipients.

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

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Leadership Development
Opportunities

The American Academy of Dermatology would like to make you aware of some exciting leadership development opportunities: the 2025 Leadership Forum (LF), Advanced Leadership Forum (ALF), and Academic Dermatology Leadership Program (ADLP).

They are also pleased to offer the Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) Leadership Development Program, which is included for URiM dermatologists attending the LF, ALF, and ADLP.

Below you will find descriptions of each program and a link to the online application.

The 2025 Leadership Forum

Designed specifically for dermatologists, the Leadership Forum is a highly interactive and enriching weekend that provides an opportunity to advance your leadership and communication skills while networking with colleagues and Academy leaders. Topics include communicating effectively, increasing self-awareness, conflict management and resolution and change management. If selected, the Academy will cover travel expenses, accommodation, and provide meals on site for this event. The 2025 Leadership Forum will be held May 30 – June 1, 2025, in Itasca, IL.

The 2025 Advanced Leadership Forum

Designed specifically for mid-career level dermatologists, the Advanced Leadership Forum is a highly interactive and enriching weekend that provides an opportunity to advance leadership and communication skills while networking with colleagues and Academy leaders. Topics include self-awareness, managing teams, building coalitions and Advocacy. If selected, the Academy will cover travel expenses, accommodation, and provide meals on site for this event. The 2025 Advanced Leadership Forum will be held May 30 – June 1, 2025, in Itasca, IL.

Academic Dermatology Leadership Program

The ADLP is an exciting and intense program designed to provide additional resources to help meet the unique challenges of a career in academic dermatology. The ADLP includes informative onsite sessions at the Annual and Innovation Academy meetings; participation in the 2025 Leadership Forum in Itasca, IL; partnering with a mentor and much more. This is an intensive program which requires a full-year commitment of approximately 5-8 hours per month in addition to the three onsite sessions.

The Underrepresented in Medicine Leadership Development Program

Launched in 2022, the URiM program is a year-long program for dermatologists from Black, Hispanic, or Latino, and Indigenous (American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander) backgrounds attending the Leadership Forum and Advanced Leadership Forum. This program offers sessions focused on addressing challenges specific to URiM dermatologists and supporting professional development. If selected for the LF, or ALF, requires arrival on Thursday, May 29, 2025, for same-day session. The Academy will cover travel expenses, accommodation, and provide meals on site for this event.

To apply, log on at https://aad.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/1317/home no later than September 1^st.

If you have any questions about the Leadership Forum programs or the Academic Dermatology Leadership Program, please contact Natalie Kirykowicz at nkirykowicz@aad.org.

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Report from ACDS Health Policy Committee and ACDS/AMA Delegation

ACDS had full Representation at the American Medical Association (AMA) 2024 Annual Meeting.

ACDS members Bruce Brod, MD, MHCI, FAAD and James Taylor, MD, FAAD served as the ACDS delegate and alternate delegate respectively to the AMA. The meeting was held at the Chicago Hyatt Regency from June 7 - 13, 2024. Dr. Brod served the AMA Dermatology Section Council as Lead for Reference Committee A resolutions pertaining to the AMA Council on Medical Service. Dr. Brod testified in reference committees on several resolutions and Dr Taylor testified in the House of Delegates on an AI resolution.

Drs. Brod and Taylor are members of the AMA Dermatology Caucus also known as the Dermatology Section Council (DSC). Marta Van Beek, MD and Klint Peebles, MD are the DSC Chair and Deputy Chair respectively.

Key resolutions from the AMA Meeting:

Medicare Advantage Reform

At the recent AMA meeting, a policy was adopted to reform Medicare Advantage (MA) payment policies in response to the increasing preference for Medicare Advantage plans among Medicare patients, projected to reach 70% soon. The adopted resolution aims to address disparities where Medicare Advantage plans receive $88 billion more than traditional Medicare for equivalent patient numbers, diverting funds away from direct patient care into activities like private profits and executive compensation. The AMA's new policy seeks to revise risk-adjustment formulas used by MA plans to better reflect actual care costs, enhance educational resources to level the playing field for traditional Medicare, and advocate for protections ensuring beneficiaries can switch freely between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare plans. These reforms aim to strengthen traditional Medicare and empower patients to make informed healthcare choices aligned with their needs.

Scope of Practice

A resolution to protect patients from inappropriate expansion of practice by dentists and dental hygienists, authored by the DSC and co-sponsored by the ACDS, was adopted into AMA policy. It emphasizes patient safety by opposing the expansion of dentist and dental hygienist scopes of practice beyond their education and training levels. Dentists and dental hygienists have been promoting legislation that would allow their use of facial fillers and toxins for cosmetic treatment of patients. The resolution directs AMA advocacy to actively oppose regulatory and legislative measures enabling such expansions to ensure patient safety.

Resolution to Continue Telehealth

A resolution to extend telehealth was adopted by the AMA House of Delegates. It emphasizes the critical role of telemedicine in delivering accessible and high-quality care, especially as nearly 70% of physicians express a desire to continue offering telemedicine services. The resolution urges the AMA to advocate for the removal of the December 31, 2024 "sunset" date that would cease Medicare reimbursement for telemedicine services. This policy aims to ensure ongoing reimbursement for telemedicine services indefinitely.

Fragrance Regulation

A resolution was introduced by the Medical Student Section Council proposing that the AMA recognize fragrance sensitivity as a disability, advocate for fragrance-free policies in medical settings, support better labeling of fragrance-containing products, and promote research on hazardous chemicals in fragrances. Despite amendments recommended by the DSC, with extensive guidance from our ACDS delegate, alternate delegate, and health policy committee, concerns over ambiguous language, practical implementation challenges of broad policy mandates, and alignment with existing regulatory frameworks led to mixed testimony prompting its referral.

Augmented and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

A comprehensive AMA Board of Trustees (BOT) report on AI which was extensively vetted by both internal and external organizations along with two other resolutions, were referred back to the BOT for further study and refinement with a report due at this November’s House of Delegate’s meeting. Testimony in reference committee recommended additional policy on development of AI in scientific literature and in disclosure and transparency without adding burden to physician’s time.

Another resolution on screening for image manipulation in scientific publications was also referred for further review.

Detailed information on AI in health care for physicians can be found in the AMA’s 2023 comprehensive 29-page document: Future of Health, The Emerging landscape of Augmented Intelligence in Medicine https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/future-health-augmented-intelligence-health-care.pdf

CMS releases 2025 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently unveiled the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule. In the rule there is a proposed 2.8% reduction in the conversion factor to $32.3562, driven by the expiration of a 2024 payment increase and a budget neutrality adjustment. CMS projections suggest no overall payment change for dermatologists, however, there is concern among physician specialty organizations that it will negatively impact reimbursement for many of the codes used in dermatology. Multiple medical specialty organizations including the AAD/A strongly opposed these changes.

In the PFS is also the introduction of a new MIPS Value Pathway (MVP) for dermatology, named "Dermatological Care". This was introduced despite objections from the AADA. The MVP proposes to utilize the cost measure for melanoma with the quality metrics for psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases. Additionally, CMS plans to maintain the MIPS performance threshold at 75 for the 2025 performance year and proposes new quality measures while removing others for future reporting periods.

Meanwhile, despite the AMA CPT and RUC's proposal of 17 telehealth codes, in the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, only the virtual triage code was adopted leaving the other proposed codes currently in limbo. Congress is expected to temporarily extend the current telehealth flexibilities afforded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act in the lame duck session of Congress this year.

ACDS Delegate: Dr Bruce Brod is a member of the AAD/A Board of Directors
ACDS Alternate Delegate: Dr. James Taylor is a former Vice-president of the AAD/A and Professor Emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic
ACDS Health Policy Chair: Dr Alex Flamm also serves as a member of the AMA/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC).

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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Assistant / Associate / Professor of Dermatology

Columbia University Irving Medical Center
New York, NY

Description

The Department of Dermatology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center invites applicants for a full-time faculty position at our ColumbiaDoctors site located on our main campus in Washington Heights, with potential for practice in midtown Manhattan or the future Westchester campus. The ideal candidate will have a medical practice encompassing general and medical dermatology and will be supported to build and lead an occupational and contact dermatitis program.

Qualifications

Rank will be commensurate with experience and accomplishments. Successful candidates will be joining a program with national reputation for research, patient care, and teaching. Candidates must be eligible for or certified by the American Board of Dermatology and have an excellent record of clinical, educational, and/or research activity. Candidates must have a New York State medical license and DEA license prior to appointment. The position offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits.

Application Instructions

Interested candidates should apply online at: https://academic.careers.columbia.edu/#!/128910 and email your curriculum vitae and cover letter indicating your interests to: lm2302@cumc.columbia.edu and asp2261@cumc.columbia.edu.

Pay Transparency Disclosure

Full Time Clinical Base Salary: $365,000-$395,000 plus bonus

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible base compensation at the time of posting.

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Celebrating the Accomplishments of Women in Science, Medicine and Dermatology!

Summertime presents a wonderful opportunity to celebrate national holidays, vacations, time away from work to spend with family and friends. As we are in the middle of the Summer of 2024, a new reason for celebration has been bestowed upon the American Contact Dermatitis Society, its members and its flagship journal, Dermatitis®.

Here is some historical background:

On July 25, 1920, Rosalind Franklin was born. This year would be her 104^th birthday if she were still alive today. Alas, she died in 1958. Rosalind was a British PhD chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite. Her contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely unrecognized during her life. She has been described as ”The dark lady of DNA” and the “Forgotten heroine”, because her seminal work on the structure of DNA was fundamental to the subsequent work of Watson and Crick, whose fame was related to their discovery of the DNA double helix.

What does this under-recognized scientist have to do with ACDS and Dermatitis®?

Our publisher, Mary Ann Liebert Inc., in partnership with the Rosalind Franklin Society (RFS, a national organization, www.rosalindfranklinsociety.org), again is hosting its prestigious annual award for the best paper by a woman in science or underrepresented minority in each of the publisher’s 100 peer-reviewed journals. The Award is known as the RFS Award in Science. We believe this is an important way to highlight the important contributions of these scientists and provide role models and mentors for younger scientists following in their footsteps.

The Award was launched 3 years ago in all of the Liebert journals in science, medicine, and biotechnology. Each winner receives $1,000 and a personalized certificate. All Award winners will be announced in July 2024 in honor of Rosalind Franklin’s birthday, and the RFS Society will again publish an anthology of their abstracts. In addition, the winners will be featured in interviews, speaking opportunities, and press releases.

Since 2024 represents our second full year of partnership with Liebert publishing house, Dermatitis® was invited as an “Editor’s Choice” to nominate an ACDS member who published an article in our journal in 2023. In collaboration with the ACDS publication committee, we selected our ACDS candidate for this prestigious award. Our unanimous nominee was Dr. Erin Warshaw, whose article “Patch Testing to Paraphenylenediamine: The North American Contact Dermatitis Group Experience (1994–2018)” was selected as the recipient for the 2024 award. Erin rose to the top of elite competition of women in science, biotechnology and medicine in the universe of Liebert journal publications to win this year’s award!

Erin is well-known to the ACDS, but I have attached her brief biographic sketch for your reference:

“Erin Warshaw, MD, MS was born in Japan and spent her formative years in Asia. She received her undergraduate degree from Newcomb College. Following graduation, she studied alternative medicine for a year in India and England on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Her medical school training was supported by a Robert J. Woodruff Fellowship to Emory University School of Medicine where she also completed dermatology residency.

Dr. Warshaw joined the staff at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center in 1996, serving as Chief, 1997-2013. She completed a 3-year VA career development award with a master’s degree in clinical research from the University of Minnesota in 2004.

Dr. Warshaw is immediate past director of the Park Nicollet Contact Dermatitis Clinic. She has received a number of VA and investigator-initiated grants in the areas of teledermatology, cutaneous fungal diseases, skin cancer, and allergic contact dermatitis. Dr. Warshaw has mentored over 100 medical students, residents, research fellows and junior faculty.

Dr. Warshaw served as President of the American Contact Dermatitis Society from 2007-2009 and has been a member of the North American Contact Dermatitis Group since 2004. She has authored over 320 peer-reviewed publications.

Her passions include running and everything related to dogs.”

The publication committee agreed with me that this award is a combination of article of the year and career achievement. Erin, you nailed both components and represent the ACDS and Dermatitis® so well on the national RFS stage! Congratulations for being selected the FIRST RFS award winner representing the ACDS and Dermatitis®!

Call for Manuscripts: Dermatitis® invites manuscripts for a special issue focused on Skin of Color and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives

Dermatitis® is seeking articles that focus on Skin of Color and the optimization of care for all patients by highlighting diversity, equity, inclusion efforts and/or healthcare disparities in patients with contact, atopic, occupational, drug, or environmental dermatitis. Articles should fall into one of these categories: studies, reviews, letters, Pearls & Zebras, and Images.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is recognizing that there is a significant gap in our understanding of the role of race and ethnicity in the diagnosis and treatment of dermatitis and striving to define that gap and fill it with efforts that promote the study of dermatitis in diverse populations such as racial, ethnic and gender-identifying minorities. DEI also seeks to reduce healthcare disparities and expand access to compassionate, socially-conscious, culturally appropriate medical care.

We encourage the submission of research studies or review articles that utilize a DEI approach to expand the knowledge in any of our 5 domain areas: contact, atopic, occupational, drug or environmental dermatitis. We will consider studies, letters, Pearls & Zebras, and Images. We also encourage submission of papers that have been published in conference proceedings, with the requirement that the authors have made significant extensions as compared to the already published version of the study.

Please contact either the Deputy Editor, Marjorie Montanez Wiscovich or the Editor-in-Chief, Anthony Gaspari (aagaspari@gmail.com) with any questions related to journal submissions for this special initiative.

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

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Congress of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis 2024: ACDS Symposium

The Congress of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) 2024 will take place September 4 - 7, 2024, at the Conference Centre DGUV Congress in Dresden, Germany.

The American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS) will be participating in a symposium on Wednesday, September 4, from 2:00pm - 4:45pm prior to the official start of the Congress. Registration is for the whole event and includes the ability to attend any symposiums, including the ACDS symposium. Read more about the congress, program, and register online here. See who is presenting from ACDS and the ACDS symposium schedule below:

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Congress of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis 2024

ACDS Symposium

Conference Centre DGUV Congress in Dresden, Germany
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 from 2:00pm - 4:45pm

	2:00pm Introduction JiaDe Yu, MD			3:25pm Improving the Patient Experience: Contact Allergy Management Program (CAMP) 2.0 Margo Reeder, MD
	2:05pm Updates in Implant Dermatitis from the North American Contact Dermatitis Group Amber Atwater, MD			3:45pm Hot New Social Media Influenced Trends in Contact Dermatitis Marjorie Montanez-Wiscovitch, MD, PhD
	2:25pm Important Allergens and Considerations in Children Kari Martin, MD			4:05pm Patch Testing on Immunosuppressants: Cases and New NACDG Consensus Guidelines JiaDe Yu, MD
	2:45pm Allergic Contact Dermatitis in the Atopic Dermatitis Patient: Patch Testing Considerations and Important Allergens Jennifer Chen, MD

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Nominate a Future Leader Today!

The ACDS Board of Directors is the fiduciary body, responsible for governance of the ACDS and stewardship of its assets. It is empowered to act on behalf of the membership within the framework of the organization's bylaws and is legally, ethically, and morally responsible for performing its functions.

ACDS is now accepting nominations for THREE Board of Director positions and the President-Elect position. The ACDS Nominating Committee will select two candidates for each position to appear on the official voting ballot.

Directors
The three candidates with the majority of the votes will be appointed to the three open Board of Director positions. Each Director will serve for a three year term.

President-Elect
The candidate with the majority of votes for the President-Elect position will be appointed to the President-Elect position with the runner-up being appointed as the Vice President. Both positions will serve for a two year term.

All positions will become effective March 7, 2025, following the ACDS 36^th Annual Meeting.

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Who is Eligible to Serve?

Directors
Any Fellow member of the American Contact Dermatitis Society who is board certified or board eligible in dermatology is eligible to serve on the ACDS Board of Directors.

President-Elect
Nominees for the President-Elect position must have served at least one year on the ACDS Board of Directors.

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Submit a Nomination

All ACDS members are encouraged to nominate a Fellow member of the Society for election to the Board of Directors. Self nominations are allowed and encouraged!

Please contact info@contactderm.org or call (414) 918-9805 with any questions.

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Claim Your CME!

All content from the ACDS 35^th Annual Meeting is available now through December 31, 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.