New York City-based dermatologist and dermatopathologist Amy Spizuoco, DO, FAOCD is the fifth female president of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) in 62 years, the founder and owner of True Dermatology, an instructor in the department of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, and the New York regional medical director for LaserAway. Despite her busy schedule, Dr. Spizuoco found time to sit down with Practical Dermatology® magazine and chat about her upcoming year in office and all of the new treatments and technologies in the pipeline that will help dermatologists better care for their patients.
What are the goals for your AOCD presidency?
Amy Spizuoco, DO: As President of the AOCD, I hope to increase membership. The AOCD was once the governing body of all osteopathic dermatologists, but since the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) merger, many osteopathic dermatologists have dropped membership. My goal is to remind all dermatologists of the benefits of membership, which are excellent conferences, more opportunity for continuing medical education, camaraderie, and collegiality among colleagues.
What will 2022 herald in dermatology?
Dr. Spizuoco: 2022 in dermatology will be the year of artificial or augmented intelligence. Many new technologies are being developed using artificial intelligence, such as gene expression profiling to better aid in diagnosis and prognosis of all types of skin cancers and inflammatory lesions on the skin as well as to create personalized skincare products and agents for patients.
What are some of the new drugs/technologies in the pipeline that you are excited about?
Dr. Spizuoco: I’m excited about new indications for therapies previously used in other fields, such as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for the treatment of alopecia and vitiligo, in which our existing treatments aren’t sufficient.
What were some of the biggest dermatological advances in recent years?
Dr. Spizuoco: Some of the biggest advances in recent years are the more targeted and specific agents to treat psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Research has allowed for newer medications to more accurately affect certain points of these inflammatory cascades, thus proving better efficacy, better tolerability, and less potential for adverse events .
What tools have changed the way you practice dermatology in recent years?
Dr. Spizuoco: With the pandemic, we New Yorkers were hit extremely hard as we were the epicenter. Patients fled the city in droves and wanted appointments via FaceTime, Skype, Instagram direct messages, etc. I opened telederm in my practice, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere anytime soon.
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