Dallas-based board-certified dermatologist Seemal R. Desai, MD, will begin his one-year term as president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) at the close of the annual meeting.
Dr. Desai will also hold the same position for the American Academy of Dermatology Association, a sister organization focused on government affairs, health policy, and practice information.
“I am honored to begin serving as the youngest person to ever be elected President of the AAD,” Dr. Desai says in a news release. “Every dermatologist has helped change the life of a patient who is suffering from a severe skin disease, and with the privilege of caring for patients comes the gift of being able to restore hope and joy to these individuals. It is imperative that we as physicians remain united as we address the challenges facing dermatology and all of medicine head-on. This unity will be instrumental in helping us advance our beloved dermatology specialty to even greater heights as we continue to transform the lives of millions of people here in the United States and around the world.”
Dr. Desai completed his undergraduate studies at Emory University, earned his medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and completed his dermatology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he served as chief resident. He serves as the Founder and Medical Director of Innovative Dermatology and as clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Desai is an expert in dermatologic disease in skin of color, with a focus on pigmentary disorders. He previously served on the AAD’s Board of Directors, as chair of the AAD’s Leadership Development Steering Committee, on the SkinPAC Board of Advisors, and as chair of the AADA Compounding Workgroup. In addition, Dr. Desai was appointed to the United States Food and Drug Administration, where he currently serves on the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee. Dr. Desai is the past president of the Skin of Color Society, past president of the DFW Dermatological Society and past president of the Texas Dermatological Society.
Cyndi J. Yag-Howard, MD, will hold the office of vice president for one year. She is in private practice in Naples, Florida, and is an affiliate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.
AAD Installs New Officers, Board Members
Board Members
Each individual listed below will serve a four-year term on the American Academy of Dermatology’s Board of Directors.
Laurin Council, MD, MBA, is the director of dermatologic surgery at Washington University in St. Louis.
Carrie L. Davis, MD, is in private practice in Bloomington, Indiana.
Howard W. Rogers, MD, PhD, is a dermatologist in private practice in Norwich, Connecticut.
Alexander S. Gross, MD, is in private practice in Cumming, Georgia, and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology and of community and family health at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta.
Amy Derick, MD, will assume the chair of the Advisory Board and serve a four-year term on the AAD Board of Directors. Dr. Derick is in private practice in the Chicago and Tampa Bay areas, clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern University, voluntary assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and an academic associate member at the University of Chicago Section of Dermatology, Biological Sciences Division at the Pritzker School of Medicine.
