Incoming AAD President Dr. Taylor Pledges to 'Take Care of Dermatologists'

The theme of the next American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) presidency will be taking care of dermatologists so that they can take care of their patients, incoming president Susan C. Taylor, MD, FAAD, said in an address at the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

“Just as we treat life-altering conditions and life-threatening diseases, we must be supported by our largest, most resourceful, capable, and influential organization, the American Academy of Dermatology,” Dr. Taylor said. “Now, this theme is supported by five pillars: advocacy, education, practice support, leadership development, and resources for wellbeing. This is work that the academy already does, but we aim to refine it, advance it, innovate in it, and make the work more transparent.”

The singular federal advocacy focus that outgoing president Seemal Desai, MD, FAAD, established of securing annual inflation-based updates to Medicare physician payment will continue, Dr. Taylor said.

“We have made progress under the leadership of president Desai, who in 2024 testified before the House Ways and Means Committee,” Dr. Taylor said. “This year, we will explore new strategies for success. The academy staff has been working with doctors in Congress to bring forward new legislation, HR 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2025, to prevent cuts and to ensure inflation-based reimbursement updates. I want to thank our members who have participated in grassroots advocacy. Keep that pressure up. Your voices are critical, and so are those of your patients. We need to commit our time, energy, creativity, and innovation to winning this fight. I will go to Washington to fight on your behalf and I encourage you to join me.”

Dr. Taylor also pledged to continue the progress that has been made in the AAD’s continuing education offerings.

“Our in-person Annual and Innovation Academy meetings are foundational and we continue to expand our digital educational offerings with new courses on skin cancer diagnosis, wound care with augmented intelligence, teledermatology, and more,” she said.

Dr. Taylor thanked the five women who have served as AAD presidents before her, and she pledged to work to continue nurturing women leaders in the field.

“Something very interesting happened last year when I attended the Leadership Forum,” she said, “and it really surprised me: I asked a group of very accomplished mid-career women what they were planning to do next. Were they thinking about becoming department chairs? All of them said no, and I took that to heart. Now, this year at the Leadership Forum, we have a new session called ‘Charting the Course: Empowering Women in Leadership Roles.’”

Dr. Taylor acknowledged the challenges faced in 2025 not only by the specialty but by the nation in general, and she promised to work diligently to overcome those challenges.

“As I embark upon this exciting chapter of my career, I know that there are many mountains to climb and many rivers to cross so that you can take care of your practices and your patients,” she said. “But with a mission-centered approach, shared action, resilience, and motivated by our collective desire to heal, we will overcome the challenges we face in 2025. As your president, my commitment to you is I will work every day to take care of dermatologists so that they can take care of their practices and their patients.”