Women's Dermatologic Society

By Dr. Alyx Rosen Aigen - WDS Social Media Committee August is national breastfeeding awareness month. We want to take this time to highlight a few key facts regarding breastfeeding. There are numerous benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and baby. Breast milk can provide the ideal nutrition for infants. It contains antibodies that help babies fight infections and has been shown to lower a baby’s risk of having asthma or allergies. There are also benefits for the breastfeeding mother including helping the uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size, decease risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and it may lower the risk of osteoporosis. Every baby is unique and each mother’s experience with breastfeeding will have it’s own challenges but always remember that fed is best!  As dermatologists, we are often encountered with questions from the pregnant or lactating patient about the safety of common dermatologic topical and systemic (oral/IV) medications. In 2013, WDS member and Co-Ed...

WDS Board member Dr. Alison Ehrlich has collaborated with colleagues to create a report on trends in the workforce in the field of Dermatology. The full article, titled Trends in dermatology practices and the implications for the workforce can be read in the JAAD , but some quick stats are below:  Fewer dermatologists are going into solo practices (44% in 2005 vs 35% in 2014) The ratio of female to male dermatologists has increased from 30% in 2002 to 45% in 2014, and more women than men are applying to residency programs 34% of dermatologists work in more than one office Employment of physician extenders (physician assistants or nurse practitioners) increased from 28% in 2005 to 46% in 2014 For those in private practice, 2014 results showed that overhead cost to the practice increased for 72%, hours spent in the office increased for 61%, and the number of patients seen decreased for 46% of the respondents. With the world of dermatology, and specifically private pract...