Highlights from the 20th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium and Celebration:
A Rich and Rewarding Experience Befitting the 20-year Milestone!
Over 500 attendees from 11 countries joined us for a highly successful and well-rounded 20th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium and SOCS at 20 Celebration on Thursday, March 7 in San Diego, CA. We were thrilled to have such a fantastic turnout for this important milestone program and celebration, and we thank all of you who participated!
With tremendous appreciation, we extend thanks to SOCS Scientific Committee Co-chairs Dr. Nada Elbuluk and Dr. Chere Lucas Anthony and their dedicated committee members for creating such an outstanding program that was filled with thought-provoking ideas, insights and inspiring remarks.
The Symposium featured a powerful keynote address by Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, Chief Equity Officer and Senior Vice President of the American Medical Association, followed by several excellent Invited Speakers, panel discussions, oral and iPoster presentations, as well as meaningful opening remarks from Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH, FAAD (SOCS President 2023-2024) and inspirational closing remarks from Victoria Barbosa, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAD (SOCS President 2024-2025).
All of these presentations will be available for viewing in the SOCS Dermatology E-learning + Equity Platform (DEEP) in the near future.
Photographs from the Symposium and SOCS Celebration are now available for viewing and downloading! You may access them by clicking below and using the password: SOCS24.
Credits to Cali Griebel Photography
Click a tab below for more info:
- Keynote Speaker
- Agenda Overview
- Faculty
- Scientific Committee
- Hotel Information
- Our Sponsors
- SOCS at 20: Past, Present & Future
- Abstracts & iPosters Galleries
- Final Program
Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH
Chief Health Equity Officer, SVP
American Medical Association
Keynote Speaker – Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH
Dr. Aletha Maybank is a pediatrician and preventive medicine physician, a public health professional, and a Senior Vice President within the American Medical Association. As Chief Health Equity Officer, she is the founding leader for the AMA’s Center for Health Equity, and a recognized speaker, writer, and expert on health equity and racial justice. In these capacities, she is influencing the embedding of equity throughout the AMA Enterprise and across the healthcare ecosystem.
Dr. Maybank uses her platform to make injustice visible across our health systems and country, with emphasis upon solutions that honor the legacy of our ancestors while reserving our desires for rest and joy. She has won numerous awards for her groundbreaking efforts.
Agenda – March 7, 2024
SOCS & SOCS Foundation Annual General Business Meeting
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Badge Pick-up/Check-in |
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | SOCS & SOCS Foundation Annual General Business Meeting (box lunch for members attending) |
Scientific Program: Pathways to Equity: Advancing Advocacy, Research, and Clinical Excellence
12:45 PM – 12:47 PM | Welcome Remarks -Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH, FAAD |
12:47 PM – 12:49 PM | Industry Champion Sponsor videos |
12:49 PM – 12:50 PM | Co-chair Introductions |
12:50 PM – 1:30 PM | Advancing Equity in Health Care -Keynote Speaker: Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH |
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Molecular Basis of Itch in African Americans -Invited Speaker: Shawn Kwatra, MD, FAAD |
2:00 PM – 2:07 PM | Racial Differences in Plasma Cytokine Profiles in Atopic Dermatitis and Association With Itch Intensity -Abstract Presentation: Emily Ma, BA |
2:07 PM – 2:27 PM | Break 1 – iPoster Session 1 of 2 |
2:27 PM – 2:32 PM | Thimble Health: Alleviating Needle Pain and Fear -Manju Dawkins, MD |
2:32 PM – 2:37 PM | Determining the Efficacy of Xanthochrome® Enriched Sunscreens Against Visible Light and Long Wavelength Ultraviolet-A1 Induced Pigmentation -Camille Martin, PhD |
2:37 PM – 3:07 PM | Challenging Clinical Cases Panel - Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, Amy J. McMichael, MD, FAAD, Jorge Ocampo Candiani, Sr., MD, PhD, IFAAD, Jennifer Soung, MD, FAAD, Neelam Vashi, MD, FAAD |
3:07 PM – 3:37 PM | Melanocyte Transplantation Plus Topical JAK Inhibitor or Tacrolimus for Treatment of Vitiligo: A Randomized Comparative Study -Invited Speaker: Maggi Ahmed, MD, PhD |
3:37 PM – 3:57 PM | Break 2 – iPoster Session 2 of 2 |
3:57 PM – 4:42 PM | Art and Medicine: The Intersection of Science and Humanity - Lynn J. McKinley-Grant, MD, Rick Guidotti, Byron Kim |
4:42 PM – 4:49 PM | Plasma Cytokine Analysis Reveals Blood Eosinophil and Race-Based Endotypes in Prurigo Nodularis Patients -Abstract Presentation: Jaya Manjunath, BS |
4:49 PM – 4:56 PM | Comorbidities of Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia: A Retrospective Multisite Cross-Sectional Study -Abstract Presentation: Carolina Mora Hurtado, BS |
4:56 PM – 5:26 PM | Elucidating the Role of Autoantibodies in Hidradenitis Suppurativa -Invited Speaker: Angel S. Byrd, MD, PhD |
5:26 PM – 5:41 PM |
SOCS Turns 20: Honoring Our Past, Imagining Our Future -Victoria Holloway Barbosa, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAD |
5:41 PM – 5:44 PM | Scientific Program Closing Remarks |
Reception: Celebrating SOCS at 20: Past, Present & Future
5:45 PM – 6:15 PM | Awards |
6:15 PM – 7:15 PM | Live music from Jeremy Green |
7:15 PM – 9:00 PM | DJ |
Faculty
Maggi Ahmed, MD, PhD
Dermatology Resident
Department of Dermatology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Victoria Barbosa, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAD
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago Medicine
President-Elect, Skin of Color Society
Angel S. Byrd, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Dermatology
Howard University College of Medicine
Shawn Kwatra, MD, FAAD
Associate Professor of Dermatology and Oncology
Director, Johns Hopkins Itch Center
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Department of Dermatology
Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD
President, Medical Director,
Innovative Dermatology
Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology,
UT Southwestern
MODERATOR
Amy J. McMichael, MD, FAAD
Professor of Dermatology
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
United States
Neelam Vashi, MD, FAAD
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Boston University School of Medicine
Founder and Director, Center for Ethnic Skin
Director, Cosmetic and Laser Center
Jennifer Soung, MD, FAAD
Director of Clinical Research, Southern California Dermatology Santa Ana, CA
Clinical Professor at Harbor University of California, Los Angeles
Jorge Ocampo Candiani, Sr., MD, PhD, IFAAD
Chairman, Dermatology Department, University of Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico
President World Congress of Dermatology WCD Guadalajara 2027
Mexico
Lynn J. McKinley-Grant, MD
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Howard University College of Medicine
Former Vice Chair of Diversity and Community Engagement in Dermatology
Duke University School of Medicine
Rick Guidotti
Founder and Director
Positive Exposure
Byron Kim
Senior Critic
Yale School of Art
Emily Ma, BA
“Racial Differences in Plasma Cytokine Profiles in Atopic Dermatitis and Association With Itch Intensity”
Dermatology Research Fellow
Department of Dermatology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Jaya Manjunath, BS
“Plasma Cytokine Analysis Reveals Blood Eosinophil and Race-Based Endotypes in Prurigo Nodularis Patients”
Dermatology Research Fellow
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Department of Dermatology
Carolina Mora Hurtado, BS
“Comorbidities of Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia: A Retrospective Multisite Cross-Sectional Study”
Dermatology Research Fellow
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
2023-2024 SOCS Scientific Committee
Co-Chairs:
Nada Elbuluk, MD, MSc, FAAD
Chere R. Lucas Anthony, MD, FAAD
Members:
Hye Jin Leah Chung, MD, FAAD
Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD
Daniel B Eisen, MD, FAAD
Michelle F. Henry, MD, FAAD
Diane Jackson-Richards, MD, FAAD
Nayoung Lee, MD, FAAD
Lynn J. McKinley-Grant, MD
Amy McMichael, MD, FAAD
Ginette A. Okoye, MD, FAAD
Stavonnie Sheri Patterson, MD, FAAD
Babar K. Rao, MD, FAAD
Zakiya Pressley Rice, MD, FAAD
Trilokraj Tejasvi, MD, FAAD
Cesar Antonio Virgen, MD, PhD, FAAD
Carmen Myrie Williams, MD
Nada Elbuluk MD, MSc, FAAD
Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology, University of Southern California
Director, Skin of Color Program & Pigmentary Disorders Clinic
Director, Dermatology Diversity & Inclusion Program
Director of Curriculum Equity, Keck School of Medicine
Chere Lucas Anthony, MD, FAAD
Rendon Center for Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine
Voluntary Faculty University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Hotel Information
Marriott Marquis San Diego
333 W Harbor Dr.
San Diego, CA 92101
Room: Marriott Grand Ballroom 8-13
Thank you to our sponsors!
CHAMPION
AbbVie | Johnson & Johnson | Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
ALLY
Bristol Myers Squibb | Eli Lilly, Inc. | Incyte Corporation | Vaseline
PARTNER
Arcutis Biotherapeutics | Clinique | UCB, Inc.
FRIEND
AVITA Medical | Beiersdorf | Dermavant Sciences | Novartis | Ortho Dermatologics
Celebrating SOCS at 20: Past, Present & Future
Immediately following this rich scientific program, we transitioned to a very special Awards Presentation and Celebration, highlighted by the following:
Announcement of the SOCS Innovation Grant Winners, awarded to both finalists, Manju Dawkins, MD, for "Thimble Health: Alleviating Needle Pain and Fear" and Camille Martin, PhD, for "Determining the Efficacy of Xanthochrome® Enriched Sunscreens Against Visible Light and Long Wavelength Ultraviolet-A1 Induced Pigmentation". These awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of SOCS leader Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, FAAD and EltaMD.
Presentation of the first-ever Sanofi and Regeneron Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mid-Career Award to Donald A. Glass II, MD, PhD, FAAD.
Recognition of past administration of SOCS, with appreciation to original SOCS administrator, Michelle Hepburn, RN, MSN, APRN, followed by recognition of current administration with the SOCS team.
Grateful recognition to SOCS Past Presidents and Founding Members, many of whom were present to enjoy this milestone celebration.
Special remarks from SOCS Founding Member Vincent A. DeLeo, MD, FAAD, who shared his stories from the early days of skin of color dermatology with the nation’s first Skin of Color Center and the formation of SOCS.
Unforgettable closing comments from SOCS Founder Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD, who shared her perspective on the evolution of SOCS from its initial vision to its remarkable evolution over the last two decades and future promise.
Following these stirring presentations, the celebration continued with a beautiful cake festooned with our new logo, a photographic montage of members from over the years, and a gorgeous electric violin performance by Jeremy Green that captured everyone’s rapt attention! Amidst delicious foods, beverages, the sounds of lively conversation and great dance music from DJ Shammy Dee, a wonderful time was had by all!
Abstract Presentations & iPoster Galleries
iPoster Online Live Sessions: March 1 – March 5, 2024
The Call for Abstracts closed on October 2nd. Selected abstracts will be invited to present at the Scientific Symposium with either an oral abstract presentation or a digital iPoster via iPoster Sessions. Industry partners* will have an opportunity to also create interactive iPoster with various content, including high-resolution images, videos, audio, and more. The Scientific and Industry iPoster Galleries will be accessible from March 1, 2024, and will remain available for one year after the event.
Participants can engage with the content and leave messages. Authors will have the flexibility to select the iPoster Online Live Session dates and times within the iPoster platform.
Important Information:
- iPoster Upload: Starts on November 21, 2023, and ends on December 11, 2023
- iPoster Online Live Sessions: March 1 – March 5, 2024
- iPosters will be reviewed and rated in December and January, with the top 10 iPosters selected as featured iPosters at the Symposium on March 7th. Notifications will be sent out in early February.
- Please note that abstract changes are not permitted for submitted and accepted abstracts.
- The platform supports interactive multimedia content, and attendees can engage with you virtually during live session chat hours.
Technical Support:
For tutorials, guides, samples, and additional information, please visit the iPosterSessions Resources page for assistance. If you have any questions, please contact the iPoster Support Desk at support@ipostersessions.com with Conference Code: SOCS2024.
*Based on sponsorship level.
View iPoster Galleries
President and Scientific Committee Co-chairs
Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH, FAAD
Vice-Chair for Diversity and Inclusion
Department of Dermatology
Professor of Clinical Dermatology
Weill Cornell Medical College
President, Skin of Color Society (2023-2024)
Nada Elbuluk MD, MSc, FAAD
Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology, University of Southern California
Director, Skin of Color Program & Pigmentary Disorders Clinic
Director, Dermatology Diversity & Inclusion Program
Director of Curriculum Equity, Keck School of Medicine
Chere Lucas Anthony, MD, FAAD
Rendon Center for Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine
Voluntary Faculty University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
2023 – 19th Annual Scientific Symposium
2022 – 18th Annual Scientific Symposium
2021 – 17th Annual Scientific Symposium
2020 – 16th Annual Scientific Symposium
2019 – 15th Annual Scientific Symposium
2018 – 14th Annual Scientific Symposium
2017 – 13th Annual Scientific Symposium
2016 – 12th Annual Scientific Symposium
2015 – 11th Annual Scientific Symposium
2014 – 10th Annual Scientific Symposium