WDS President's Message January 2006 | News & Information of the Women's Dermatologic Society

By Jean Bolognia, MD

n reflecting on a year that has gone by rather quickly, I am very proud of the activities of the WDS. We have spread our wings while staying true to our mission of mentoring and networking. My initial President’s message outlined three goals for the coming year —growth of community service, enhancing international cooperation and greater member involvement at the local level.

In the past year, the “Families Play Safe in the Sun” campaign has literally rolled across the United States, from Boston to Minneapolis to Los Angeles, gaining momentum in the process. I again thank Suzanne Connelly, MD, and her Service Committee for all their hard work, persistence and outstanding organization. Wendy Roberts, MD, and her Task Force have also had a successful year with two well-received LPGA educational events in Georgia and Oregon. In addition, during the past year, the WDS became a member of the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention and fittingly, Sandra Read MD, represented our organization at the Sun Safety Summit for Skin Cancer Prevention in September 2005. (see article on page 7 of our Jan 2006 Newsletter).

In the area of international cooperation, two bylaws changes are being introduced at the upcoming annual meeting—one to establish an electronic membership for international members and the other to offer a joint membership in the WDS and European WDS. I want to thank Maggie Parsons, MD, and her Bylaws Committee as well as the International Committee, headed by Boni E. Elewski, MD, for bringing these ideas to fruition so quickly and so thoughtfully. Our networking events at an international level are continuing to grow (see article page 11) and this past fall, the WDS was accepted as a member organization in the International League of Dermatological Societies. I invite everyone to mark your calendar and come to the International WDS Meeting scheduled for September 30, 2007 in Buenos Aires.

With regard to greater member involvement, I am pleased to announce an all-time record for the number of local networking events—35 have been held across the country and abroad over the past year! Thanks to Hilary Baldwin, MD, and Pearl Grimes, MD, for streamlining the application process and encouraging members to participate. Without the Communications Committee, so skillfully headed by the pro Wilma Bergfeld, MD, our messages, from networking invitations to press releases would not be so professionally done and “on point.” Both Wilma and Wendy were instrumental in making our first Media Day in New York City so successful. Indeed, it is in the area of communications where the WDS has advanced—in leaps and bounds.

As we continue to invest our energies into mentoring and building relationships, I want to thank those who care so much about the organization—Marianne O’Donoghue, MD, for chairing the Mentorship Committee, Mary Spellman, MD, for chairing the Career Development Committee, and Dick Odom, MD, for chairing the Medical Student Awareness Program. Elizabeth McBurney, MD, the incoming President of the WDS, and her Long-Range Planning Committee have been working diligently to organize a Leadership Retreat that ensures a bright future for the WDS, while Anne Burdick, MD, and her Task Force have done a great job in planning the 2006 Renewal Retreat, both to be held in Colorado in June 2006. So please try to join us for a weekend of camaraderie and good times.

As is obvious from accompanying articles in this issue of the Newsletter, the Annual Meeting Committee, chaired by the dynamic duo from the City by the Bay, Peggy Crawford, MD, and Pat Engasser, MD, has put together an exciting program, emphasizing our need to look beyond our borders and extend a helping hand. It is also my pleasure to thank the following committees and their chairs for a job well done this past year: the Audit Committee, chaired by Barbara Mathes, MD, which kept a watchful eye on our finances; the Awards Committee, chaired by Maria Hordinsky, MD, which carefully chose outstanding individuals to honor; the Membership Committee, chaired by Ginat Mirowski, DMD, MD, which strove to increase our membership to 1,300 —a record—over the past year; and the Nominating Committee, chaired by Susan Weinkle, MD (see article page 12). The latter committee has taken its charge quite seriously, knowing very well the impact its choices make on the future of the WDS.

Without the Fundraising Committee and our corporate partners, many of the projects sponsored by the WDS would never have advanced past the idea stage and I want to thank this committee for all its hard work and in particular its co-chairs, Lenore Kakita, MD, and Janet Hickman, MD. This is Lenore’s last year on the committee but given her amazing skills, including securing funding for a three-year Career Development Award in the area of Women’s Health as well as funding for research projects performed by residents and young dermatologists (see article page 3), she is being asked to continue on as an advisor. Janet’s dream was to have a WDS Foundation in order to ensure that the organization could live long into the future and as President of the WDS Foundation, she is clearly achieving this goal.

Lastly, I have to extend a special thanks to the entire WDS Staff located in the San Francisco headquarters office who have taken the WDS to the next level and continue to ensure, by example, that we remain professional and caring in our day-to-day activities. The WDS Board of Directors, and especially its Executive Committee, has earned my utmost respect and gratitude for a year of investing time and energy into the WDS.

Jean Bolognia, MD
WDS President

Current Message from Our President HERE

Past Messages from Our President: