ASDS Elects New Board at Annual Membership Meeting

Dr. Seth Matarasso will focus on education and patient safety.

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) has announced its newly elected leaders, coinciding with its annual conference, whose terms will commence following the ASDS membership meeting on Friday, Nov. 3. The transition is being led and overseen by current ASDS/A President Vince Bertucci, MD, FRCPC.

The 2023-24 Officers include:

• President — Seth L. Matarasso, MD
  Dr. Mastrasso's vision for the upcoming year, which is centered on educating the public, medical peers and legislators on the scope of dermatologic surgeons’ expertise; providing state of the art education opportunities to ASDS members; and proactively reinforcing patient safety with those in a position to determine policy on the practice of medicine.
• President-Elect — Kavita Mariwalla, MD
  Dr. Mariwalla will proceed in succession from Vice President to President-Elect and assume the role of President for the 2024-25 term. Her focus will be on guiding and using technology to augment dermatologists’ diagnostic capabilities and improve patient care; creating an environment for meaningful exchange of ideas between industry, the financial sector and physicians; and keeping ASDS members up to date on global beauty trends and cultural considerations for injectables.
• Vice President —M. Laurin Council, MD, MBA
  Dr. Council will serve as the 2023-24 Vice President, ascend to President-Elect in 2024-25 and President in 2025-26.  Some of the issues he plans to focus on include fair reimbursement, the national lidocaine shortage and patient safety issues resulting from scope of practice creep. 
• Secretary — Anthony Rossi, MD
  Dr. Rossi will serve the second of his three-year term as Secretary for which he was appointed by the Board of Directors in 2022.
• Treasurer — Deirdre Hooper, MD
  Dr. Hooper will present the 2023 financial report at the Annual Membership Meeting and serve her final year as the Society’s Treasurer in 2023-24.
• Immediate Past President — Vince Bertucci, MD, FRCPC
  Dr. Bertucci will remain on the Executive Committee to offer support that ensures a smooth transition to the organization’s next strategic plan and onboarding of the Society’s new Executive Director.
• Historian / Parliamentarian — Susan Weinkle, MD
  Dr. Weinkle began her role as Historian in 2021 after being appointed by the Board of Directors and will serve her final term year in 2023-24. She contributes expert historical knowledge and parliamentary guidance during Board meetings.
• Resident Representative — Sydney Proffer, MD, MS
  Dr. Proffer, who will serve in this role through 2025, is a resident physician at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Education in Rochester, Minnesota. She received her Master of Science from Arizona State University in 2020, spent a year in internal medicine prior to her dermatology residency and is currently applying to Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology (Mohs) fellowship training programs.

The new members of the Board of Directors will serve a three-year term from 2023-26.

• Catherine M. DiGiorgio, MD — “As a Board member, I will provide critical and thoughtful contributions of new ideas and solutions to support dermatologic surgeons in their practice of medicine and develop innovative concepts to provide cutting-edge educational tools to ASDS members. I will continue to elevate our specialty, promote dermatologic surgeons as THE skin experts and uphold the values of the Society and its members with the utmost integrity and dedication.”
• Mark D. Kaufmann, MD — “Through education and advocacy, ASDS improves our procedural skills, and ASDSA helps us navigate the ever-changing regulatory environment. Issues such as Scope of Practice and Truth in Advertising are critical issues. The need for quality surgical proficiency by dermatologists is infinite, and our surgical procedures and devices will continue to evolve through innovation. I will make sure we fight where needed and help better shape our future to benefit all of our patients.”
• David M. Ozog, MD — “To maintain and further improve the Society’s standing in the house of medicine, we must focus on several critical areas: Promoting history and continued innovation; scope of practice / advanced practice providers (APPs), putting the safety of patients front and center; the always challenging reimbursement environment; ensuring continued educational excellence and content creation; and leveraging the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence for education, practice efficiency, patient education and improved outcomes.”

 The individuals elected to serve the Society will also serve in the same position for the same tenure with the Society’s advocacy arm, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association (ASDSA). The complete Board of Directors can be viewed at asds.net/Board-of-Directors.