2020 ASDS/A Annual Report

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ASDS/A 2020 Annual Report

LookingAhead

trending in the media by offering guidance recommendations and reassuring the public that having fillers should not prevent them from being vaccinated or vice versa. These efforts reflect patient safety is foremost in the practice of dermatology and board certified dermatologists take adverse effects seriously. ASDSA will continue to create a unified voice in the policy and practice affairs arenas on behalf of dermatologic surgery, working to develop and support policies that are in the best interest of the specialty, our members and our patients. We will continue to offer pandemic recovery resources including the latest guidance for reopening your practice, financial resources and keeping members plugged in on the continually changing regulations and various practice management issues. Virtual education and digital tools will continue to connect our membership in 2021. ASDS Learn, the Society’s virtual learning system, will expand its offering of leading educational content. Highlighted courses include the Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery (MDS) Exam Review Course, preparing participants for the new MDS exam, and the upcoming Premier Annual Resident Cosmetic Symposium, which will launch in a new virtual format to provide unmatched resident education in a COVID-free environment. An expert faculty will discuss the science, treatment indications, available therapies and complication management. We also hope in-person events return this fall to host our top-rated Advanced Injection Techniques course in New York and our 2021 ASDS Annual Meeting, presented in a hybrid format offering both an in-person experience in Chicago and a virtual meeting option.

In challenging times, opportunities arise. Now is the time of opportunity for our Society and our specialty as we overcome the challenges of the pandemic and lead the way with a shared vision of the future. Our foundation was based in scientific discovery and inspired by a pioneering spirit and commitment to education. These ideals still hold true today, guiding our Society and the hearts of our membership. As we look ahead, we will reaffirm these educational and scientific components of our history and make them integral to our broader messaging in both the medical discipline and public audiences. There continues to be widespread misinformation proliferated by non-dermatologists and non-physicians. Much of this false information is spreading through social media and digital platforms. As dermatologic surgeons, we are the foremost experts, and our members are the great minds behind technologies and techniques that have transformed our ability to treat skin cancers, skin health and skin beauty. As we closed out 2020, ASDS launched the “Own Your Expertise” social media campaign, sharing content that reinforces board certified dermatologists’ place as the TRUE skin health and beauty experts. All members should take part incorporating this content in their personal social platforms. By combining our voices with a unified message, we will create a powerful statement that can reach millions. Our specialty continues to show thought leadership, publishing the Soft-tissue Fillers Guideline in the February 2021 issue of Dermatologic Surgery . The guideline was created with a multispecialty task force producing evidence-based recommendations for physicians performing injectable filler procedures. Additionally, our membership reacted quickly to COVID vaccine and filler adverse effect concerns

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