Women's Dermatologic Society

By Dr. Cather McKay   Our specialty continues to advance despite the pandemic, thanks to the hard work and dedication of researchers and leaders in the field. Here is a summary of some of the biggest news from the last year. COVID-19 COVID-19 still affects our daily lives despite widely available and effective vaccines. As dermatologists, we are tasked with counseling our patients who are treated with disease-modifying drugs. Data published this year suggests that those on methotrexate are more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than those on biologics 1 , apremilast (Otezla®) does not increase the risk of COVID-19 infection 2 , and dupilumab (Dupixent®) is associated with milder infection 3 . At this time, the National Psoriasis Foundation COVID-19 Task Force recommends vaccination and a booster for psoriasis patients. In general, psoriasis treatment should be continued. Those on methotrexate may consider stopping medication for 2 weeks ...

   By the WDS Practice Advisory Committee   From Dr. Shawna Flanagan: I think cross training your team in very important. My office is like a fine dining experience where all the servers and staff can answer your questions and they work as a team to create the best experience. You will never hear in my office “that’s not in my job description” or “I don’t know.” If one of my staff doesn’t know the answer to something, we politely address the issue and immediately get someone who does know. The patients appreciate the effort and the confidence in this big team approach. Frequent training and retraining sessions as well as lunch and learn meetings are an important part of creating an effective team. My team members love hearing about new procedures and protocols. This also creates an environment where everyone is willing to help each other out. Letting staff experience new procedures while others watch and learn is also a great team activity. The old adage “one bad appl...