Women's Dermatologic Society

Service Spotlight: 2024 Volunteer of the Year Award   Dr. Nada Elbuluk has been selected as the Women’s Dermatologic Society’s prestigious Volunteer of the Year for 2024. Dr. Nada Elbuluk is an Associate Professor at USC Keck School of Medicine. She is also the founder of the Skin of Color Center and Pigmentary Disorders Clinic as well as the Director of Dermatology Diversity and Inclusion Program. We had the opportunity to ask Dr. Elbuluk a few questions regarding her success in balancing her prolific professional and personal life while so generously giving back to her community:   1) What first inspired you to become involved in community service and what continues to inspire you? I was first inspired to be involved in community service by my parents. My parents were very involved in giving back to our local community where I grew up as well as to their communities where they grew up overseas. They instilled in my siblings and I the importance of giving back and helping others re

  Applying for Dermatopathology Fellowship: Tips from 3 Fellowship Directors Special thanks to Drs. Emily Chu, Tammie Ferringer, and Michi Shinohara for providing tips, resources, and guidance on the best way to prepare and apply for a dermatopathology fellowship! Drs. Chu, Ferringer, and Shinohara currently serve as dermatopathology fellowship directors at the University of Pennsylvania, Geisenger Medical Center, and the University of Washington, respectively.   

  WDS Young Physician Spotlight Interview – Leah Swanson, M.D. Interviewed by Stephanie Florez-Pollack, M.D. Dr. Leah Swanson is a double board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology of Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Swanson has built an expertise in comprehensive dermatologic care for women, including vulvar and breast dermatoses. In addition to her clinical activities, Dr. Swanson serves as a member of multiple dermatologic societies and is active in the education and mentorship of medical students and resident physicians. Dr. Swanson has previously served in the WDS Young Physicians Committee and continues to be an active member of the WDS. 1.)      How did you become involved in the WDS and what benefits do you think WDS membership provides for residents/young physicians? One of my mentors from residency highly valued the inspiration and support she received from involvement in the WDS.

  From Dr. Shawna Flanagan Getting involved with industry can be an easy transition if you have an area of interest and you want to speak on their behalf. Letting local sales representatives know you are interested in doing speaking programs for their company is a great start. They are the key contact people up the chain to getting more speaking engagements or becoming a trainer for certain companies. If you get interested in doing clinical trials and setting up a clinical trials unit as part of your office, it often just starts as letting the company know you are interested. With the upcoming AAD meeting in San Diego there will be an opportunity for networking with companies that you may be interested in working with in the future.   With any side gigs you take on, just remember that everything you do may take away from your main practice time as well as your personal time so make sure you have that extra time available, so you do not get overextended and regret yo

  Women’s History Month: Recognizing contributions to dermatology by women (you may not have heard of!)  By Randie Kim, MD March is here again – that means daylight savings time, the start of spring, the annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting, and… Women’s History Month! This year’s Women’s History Month theme is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion”. In honor of this year’s theme, here are some unsung heroines who have impacted our field. Madam C.J. Walker was an African American entrepreneur, activist, and philanthropist who became the first American self-made female millionaire. Born in 1867 as Sarah Breedlove, she was orphaned at the age of 7 and became a domestic worker at 10 years old. She suffered from a number of scalp conditions, including seborrheic dermatitis and alopecia. After consulting with her brothers, all of whom were barbers, she began experimenting and developing her own hair care products. In 1907, Walker launched “Madam W

  Compassion and Medicine Sara Hylwa-Deufel, MD As we all know, February is the month dedicated to love. And while we may not always feel love for our jobs, colleagues, patients, or even ourselves, offering compassion is a prerequisite for being a physician. Compassion entails recognizing the suffering of others and being motivated to help. Compassion has both feeling and acting components, distinguishing it from similar feelings like sympathy, empathy, and concern (1). While compassion is foundational for the physician, little research has been conducted on the subject. However, a recent study from 2022 attempted to address this gap by asking patients what actions physicians take to make them feel cared for. The study found 7 behavioral themes: listening and paying attention (far and beyond the most important behavior in this survey with a whopping 71% of responses), following-up and running tests (11%), continuity and holistic care (8%), respecting preferences (4%), genuine understa

    From Dr. Shawna Flanagan My office staff and I bring joy and fun to the workplace by having fun office dress up events. We love a group Halloween theme and do random themes throughout the year (pajama day, sports team day, Taylor Swift day). Not only does this create a bond with the staff but our patients love our fun energy as well.  Sometimes it’s just little things that bring a joyful boost to the workplace. From Dr. Una Miniter To cultivate joy in the workplace, my office has a potluck celebration for each person‘s birthday. Additionally, four times a year we have a craft night as we have a lot of talented crafters on staff. Lastly, we have numerous patients that come in telling jokes at each of their visits. We all informally compete to see who has heard the best one.   From Dr. Catherine Tchanqu é -Fossuo Creating Joy & Fun at Work is not always easy, bu