19th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium

19th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium:
Where Science, Innovation & Inclusion Meet

The 19th Annual Skin of Color Scientific Symposium, Where Science, Innovation & Inclusion Meet, took place in New Orleans, LA at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, Grand Salon CD, on Thursday, March 16, 2023 in conjunction with the 2023 AAD Annual Meeting.

We were pleased to present an exciting and well-rounded scientific program, addressing important topics in skin of color dermatology—ranging from JAK inhibitors, skin cancer, and CCCA to health disparities, dismantling racism and more. 

Nationally and globally recognized experts and future dermatology leaders shared their insights with us through an exciting line-up of invited speaker presentations, moderated panels, oral abstracts and iPosters. 

This year’s Symposium continued our SOCS tradition of showcasing the latest skin of color dermatology scientific research and insights from emerging and highly respected experts and researchers from around the US and many countries around the world.

Thank you from joining us in New Orleans, LA!

Date & Location

Thursday, March 16, 2023
9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel
Two Poydras St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Room: Grand Salon CD
+1-504-561-0500

Schedule Overview

March 9-13, 2023
Online – iPoster Chat and Video Hours | Scientific & Industry iPosters

March 16, 2023

Grand Salon CD, Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel | New Orleans, LA

9:00-10:30 AM | Annual General Business Meeting (members only)

10:30-11:30 AM | Brunch

12:00-5:30 PM | 19th Annual Skin of Color Society Scientific Symposium and Research Award Presentation

5:30-6:00 PM | Featured iPoster Viewing & Q&A

6:00-8:00 | Networking Reception

Registration Fees

Registration for this meeting is now closed.

SOCS members, submit your 2023 Dues to benefit from the reduced member rate. 

Category Fee
SOCS MemberFellow & Associate$100.00
 Research Fellow, Resident, Student$25.00
   
SOCS Pending MemberFellow & Associate$100.00
 Research Fellow, Resident, Student$25.00
   
Non-MemberPhysician & Associate$150.00
 Research Fellow, Resident, Student$50.00

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President Emeritus of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County) served as president from 1992 to 2022. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. He chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the 2011 report, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. He was named in 2012 by President Obama to chair the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. His 2013 TED talk highlights the “Four Pillars of College Success in Science.”  In 2022, Dr. Hrabowski was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and he was also named the inaugural ACE Centennial Fellow, to be served upon his retirement from UMBC. In Addition, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) also launched the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program ($1.5 billion) to help build a scientific workforce that more fully reflects our increasingly diverse country. In October 2022, he was named the inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture Speaker by Harvard.

Invited Speakers

Avery H. LaChance, MD, MPH, FAAD
Director, Connective Tissue Diseases Clinic
Director, Health Policy and Advocacy
Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Dermatology
Assistant Professor in Dermatology, Harvard Medical School
Advocacy for Patients with Skin of Color

Junko Takeshita, MD, MSCE
Assistant Professor
Department of Dermatology
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Health Disparities in Dermatology

Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD
Bernett L. Johnson Endowed Professor
Director, Skin of Color Research Fellowship
Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Department of Dermatology
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Past Vice-President American Academy of Dermatology (2020-2021)
Founder, Skin of Color Society
Leadership in Medicine and Dermatology

2019 Skin of Color Society Research Grant Recipient Presentation

Crystal U. Aguh, MD, FAAD
Associate Professor
Director, Ethnic Skin Program
Director, Ethnic Skin Fellowship
Department of Dermatology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Molecular Insights Into Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia

Skin Cancer Updates in Skin of Color

Ashley Wysong, MD, MS, FAAD
Professor and Founding Chair, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Panel Moderator

DiAnne S. Davis, MD, FAAD
Board-Certified Fellowship-Trained Medical & Cosmetic Dermatologist
Dallas, TX

Nkanyezi N. Ferguson, MD, FAAD
Clinical Associate Professor
Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery Clinic Director
Department of Dermatology
University of Missouri Health Care

Rebecca Vasquez, MD, FAAD
Assistant Chief of Service, Parkland Dermatology
Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

JAK Inhibitors in SOC beyond Atopic Dermatitis

Brett Andrew King, MD, PhD, FAAD
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Yale School of Medicine
Panel Moderator

William Damsky, MD, PhD, FAAD
Assistant Professor in Dermatology and Pathology Yale School of Medicine

John E. Harris, MD, PhDFAAD
Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology
Founding Director, Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center
Founding Director, Autoimmune Therapeutics Institute

Dismantling Racism in Dermatology

E. Nikki Pritchett, MD, FAAD
Associate Professor
Department of Dermatology
Howard University College of Medicine
Panel Moderator

Candrice R. Heath, MD,FAAD
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Pediatric & Adult Dermatologist
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Temple University

Olayemi (Yemi) Sokumbi, MD, FAAD
Associate Professor of Dermatology and Laboratory Medicine & Pathology
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Associate Medical Director, Department of Business Development, Mayo Clinic
Director Clinical Practice, Department of Dermatology
Associate Residency Program Director, Department of Dermatology
Chair MCASOM Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council

Michael Waul, MD, FAAD
Assistant Professor
Associate Residency Program Director
Department of Dermatology
University of California, San Francisco

Abstract Presentations

Defining the Barriers of Knowledge and Participation in Dermatological Clinical Trials for Hispanic Minority Research Participants: A KAP Survey 
Luis Andrade, BS | Medical Student (3th year), University of Miami

Fitzpatrick Skin Type Self-Reporting Versus Provider Reporting: The OU Dermatology Experience
Jamaljé Bassue, BS | Medical Student (4th year), University of Oklahoma, College of Medicine

HLA DRB5*01:01 Is Associated With Pruritus in Individuals With Fitzpatrick Skin Type IV-VI
Anusha Kambala, BS | Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Disparities in Kaposi Sarcoma Hospitalization Rates Based on US Hospital Discharge Data
Roy Mendoza, BS | Medical Student (2nd year), University of California, Riverside School of Medicine

Racial Disparities in the Management of Psoriasis: A National Ambulatory Medical Care 
Survey Analysis, 2012–2018

Sara D. Ragi, MS | Medical Student (3nd year), The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Become a Corporate Sponsor!

We greatly value the engagement of our industry allies in support of our education, research, mentorship and leadership efforts.

Our Sponsors

The 19th Annual Skin of Color Society Scientific Symposium is made possible with thanks to the support of the following sponsors:

CHAMPION

Abbvie | Janssen/Johnson & Johnson | Sanofi-GenzymeRegeneron

ALLY

Bristol Myers Squibb | Eli Lilly and Company | Incyte Dermatology | Unilever/Dove/Vaseline

PARTNER

Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc

FRIEND

AVITA Medical | Beiersdorf | Dermavant Sciences | Evolus | SENTÉ | STRATA Skin Sciences | UCB

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

EltaMD | Google, LLC | L’Oréal | Pfizer | SkinCeuticals

2022-2023 SOCS Scientific Committee

Victoria Barbosa, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAD | Co-Chair
Ginette A. Okoye, MD, FAAD | Co-Chair

Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH, FAAD
Gary J. Brauner, MD, FAAD
Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD
Michelle F. Henry, MD
Shawn Kwatra, MD, FAAD
Nayoung Lee, MD, FAAD
Wilson Liao, MD
Chere R. Lucas Anthony, MD, FAAD
Lynn J. McKinley-Grant, MD
Amy J. McMichael, MD, FAAD
Vineet Mishra, MD, FAAD
Stavonnie Patterson, MD, FAAD
Zakiya Pressley Rice, MD, FAAD
Hema A. Sundaram, MD, FAAD
Cesar A. Virgen, MD, PhD, FAAD
Carmen M. Williams, MD

Victoria Barbosa MD, MPH, MBA, FAAD
Co-Chair, SOCS Scientific Committee
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago Medicine

Ginette A. Okoye, MD, FAAD
Co-Chair, SOCS Scientific Committee
Professor of Dermatology, Department Chair,
Howard University

2022-2023 SOCS President & Scientific Committee Co-Chairs

Valerie M. Harvey, MD, MPH, FAAD
Skin of Color Society President (2022-2023)
Clinical Director, Hampton Roads Center for Dermatology

Victoria Barbosa MD, MPH, MBA, FAAD
Co-Chair, SOCS Scientific Committee
Associate Professor of Dermatology
University of Chicago Medicine

Ginette A. Okoye, MD, FAAD
Co-Chair, SOCS Scientific Committee
Professor of Dermatology, Department Chair,
Howard University

A Message from the Scientific Committee Co-Chairs

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