The Skin of Color Society’s (SOCS) 20th year heralded a slate of new initiatives aimed at advancing knowledge and excellence in the specialty through research, education, mentorship, and advocacy.

Establishment of the SOCS Center for Leadership (CFL)

Inspired and led by SOCS President Victoria Barbosa, MD, a dermatologist in Chicago, IL. the Society introduced the SOCS Center for Leadership (CFL), an educational program designed to develop leaders who will drive the dermatology field forward.

The CFL offers leadership education and development through a health equity lens. The curriculum includes live and on-demand online programming, as well as a more structured cohort experience blending webinars and online communities with an immersive, in-person program tailored to individual needs and aspirations, planned for 2025.

Two insightful webinars were presented this year, both moderated by Dr. Barbosa, including, “Social Media Masterclass” with Corey L. Hartman, MD, a dermatologist in Birmingham, AL and Suchismita (Tia) Paul, MD, a dermatologist in Newport Beach, CA,

and “Developing Your National Leadership Potential,” with  Glenn Dale, MD-based dermatologist Valerie D. Callender, MD and Seemal R. Desai, MD,  a dermatologist in Dermatologist in Plano, TX. A third webinar will be presented in February 2025.

My Best Winter Skin Campaign (MBWS)

Now in its second year since the SOCS Foundation created an international health awareness holiday known as My Best Winter Skin Day, the annual MBWS campaign has more than doubled in terms of member participation, public engagement, and support.

Built around education, volunteerism, and giving, this year’s campaign expanded to include 26 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Canada. More than 200 residents, medical students and Fellow members have committed to volunteer for MBWS outreach events at universities, hospitals, and community venues, with a planned distribution of 10,000 gift bags with tips for managing winter skin and free moisturizing products generously provided by campaign sponsor, Clinique. Additional valuable support for this year’s campaign was provided by Eli Lilly and Company.

While educating the public about the common and often bothersome condition known as winter skin, which affects people of all ages, skin types and tones, funds raised through this campaign go to the SOCS Foundation to help support innovative research, education, mentorship and advocacy in skin of color dermatology.

7th Annual SOCS Media Day Educational Video Series

At mid-year, as part of the 7th Annual SOCS Media Day initiative, the Society released a wide-ranging educational video series addressing dermatologic conditions and diseases of importance to people of color. Participants included Dr.  Barbosa; Andrew F. Alexis,  MD, Immediate Past President and dermatologist in New York, NY; Shawn Kwatra, MD, Secretary/Treasurer and a dermatologist in Baltimore, MD; Janiene Luke, MD, Board Member and Media Day Co-chair and a  dermatologist in Loma Linda, CA; Nkem Ugonabo, MD, Media Day Co-chair and dermatologist in New York, NY; Prince Adotama, MD, Board Member and dermatologist in New York, NY, and Nada Elbuluk, MD President-Elect and dermatologist in Los Angeles, CA.

Augmenting the Society’s existing collection of educational resources, the latest series includes the following:

• Ask the SOCS Expertvideos
  • “Psoriasis in Skin of Color” with Drs. Alexis and Kwatra
  • “Seborrheic Dermatitis in Skin of Color” with Drs. Adotama and Luke
  • “A Fresh Look at Aging” with Drs. Luke and Ugonabo
  • “Skincare as a Ritual, Not a Chore” with Drs. Luke and Ugonabo
  • “Sunscreen and Skin of Color” with Drs. Adotama and Ugonabo
• MelanatED videos (Augmenting the 2023 series of public education videos)
  • “Hair Styles, Health, and Care” with Drs. Barbosa and Luke
  • “Acne in Skin of Color” with Drs. Adotama and Kwatra
  • “Social Media Misinformation” with Drs. Adotama, Elbuluk, Luke, and Ugonabo

Additional leadership-themed videos will be released in early 2025.

20th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium and SOCS at 20 Celebration

The 20th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium, “Pathways to Equity: Advancing Advocacy, Research, and Clinical Excellence,” took place on Thursday, March 7, 2024, in San Diego, California and was co-chaired by Drs. Elbuluk and Chere Lucas Anthony,  a dermatologist in Boca Raton, FL.

SOCS Early Career Innovations Awards were awarded to both finalists who presented during the symposium: Manju Dawkins, MD, a dermatologist  in Redondo Beach, CA, for “Thimble Health: Alleviating Needle Pain and Fear,” and Camille Martin, PhD, for “Determining the Efficacy of Xanthochrome^® Enriched Sunscreens Against Visible Light and Long Wavelength Ultraviolet-A1 Induced Pigmentation.” These awards were made possible thanks to the generous support of SOCS leader New York City-based dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, and EltaMD.

The first-ever Sanofi and Regeneron Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mid-Career Award was presented to SOCS Past President Donald A. Glass II, MD, a dermatologist in Dallas, TX, to support his research into “Genetics, Comorbidities and their Association with Keloids.”

The following scientific poster presentations received recognition:
2024 Best Poster Presentation Award, Advancing Skin of Color Dermatology, for the poster presentation, “Evaluating Color Match of Universal Tinted Sunscreens across Skin Type,” by Redina Bardhi, MD, a dermatology resident in Detroit, MI.

2024 Best Abstract Presentation Award, Advancing Skin of Color Dermatology, for the oral abstract presentation, “Radical Differences in Plasma Cytokine Profiles in Atopic Dermatitis and Association with Itch Intensity,” presented by Emily Ma, BA, an MD Candidate at University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

2024 Crowd Favorite Poster Presentation Award, abstract presentation, “Assessment of Agreement Between Self-Reported and Objective Colorimeter-Determined Fitzpatrick Skin Type: A Survey of Dermatology Professionals,” by Dr. Jennifer Parker, a dermatologist in Philadelphoa, PA,

Following the scientific program, the audience enjoyed a special milestone presentation, “Celebrating SOCS at 20: Past, Present and Future”, which featured recognition for those who have contributed to the outstanding evolution of the Society, including SOCS past presidents and founding members, past and current SOCS administration, followed by remarks from Founding Member Dr. Vincent DeLeo, a New York, NY-based dermatologist and closing address by Founder Dr. Susan C. Taylor, a dermatologist in Philadelphia, PA.

The 20th Annual SOCS Scientific Symposium was generously supported by the following sponsors: AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Champion); Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Inc., Incyte Corporation, and Vaseline (Ally); Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Clinique, and UCB, Inc. (Partner); AVITA Medical, Beiersdorf, Dermavant Sciences, Novartis, and Ortho Dermatologics (Friend); L’Oréal, Pfizer, P & G, SkinCeuticals, EltaMD, Google Health, Dr. Dhaval G. Bhanusali, and L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty (Special acknowledgement).

Diversity in Clinical Research Mentorship
In a continuation of the groundbreaking collaboration with SOCS and the National Medical Association Dermatology Section, the Diversity in Clinical Research Mentorship program held its second in-person training on August 2, 2024 in New York City, culminating a multi-phase mentorship program designed to enhance diversity in clinical research initiatives.

Supported by Johnson & Johnson, the program develops the skills of future dermatology investigators, offers support to underrepresented minority (URM) investigators, propels the career development of mentees, provides an experience that mirrors conducting industry-sponsored research, and imparts the knowledge needed to successfully run a high-quality research program.

The SOCS President’s Book Club
A new initiative known as the SOCS President’s Book Club rolled out this year, which aims to enrich the education of dermatology residents by facilitating free access to seminal literature recommended by the SOCS President. This year’s book selection was Drs. Taylor and Elbuluk’s Color Atlas and Synopsis for Skin of Color.

Redesigned website
In commemoration of the Society’s 20th anniversary, SOCS underwent a major website redesign, which was completed in early 2024. The modernized website offers many enhanced features improving aesthetics, functionality, and user experience, including an expanded public education section, Find-a-Doctor tool, and a recently released members-only section.

Advocacy
In a deepened commitment to advocacy in the specialty and the house of medicine, SOCS recently formed an Advocacy Committee. Co-chaired by Drs. Adotama and Chicago, IL-based dermatologist Elizabeth A. Kiracofe, MD, this committee provides strategic guidance and recommendations to the Board of Directors, with a focus on advancing high-quality dermatologic care for individuals with skin of color. The committee addresses current and emerging public policy issues that impact the delivery of care and works to promote the interests of skin of color dermatology in legislative and regulatory arenas. Through active advocacy, the committee aims to guide SOCS on policies that support physicians, ensure equitable access to care for patients with skin of color, and advance the field of dermatology in both public and professional settings.

2024 By the Numbers: SOCS Signature Programs and Activities

• Three Research Grantswere awarded to the following recipients:
  • Danyelle Dawes (University of Miami) for the research project,“Evaluating the microbiome in central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia”
  • Jun Kang (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) for the research project, “Single-cell Proling of NETting Neutrophils and B- cells in Refractory Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus”
  • Oluwakemi Onajin(University of Chicago) for the research project, “Proling the immune microenvironment of lymphocytic scarring alopecias.”

This award program is supported by Bristol Myers Squibb, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, and Pfizer.

• One SOCS Career Development Grantwas awarded to  Jessica Shiu (University of California Irvine) for the research project, “Elucidating Racial Differences in Vitiligo Presentation & Treatment Response.” This award program is supported by Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer.
• TwoSOCS Early Career Innovations Awards given (noted above), supported by SOCS member Dr.Dhaval Bhanusali and EltaMD.
• Four Institutional Research Fellowshipswere awarded to the following institutions: Henry Ford Health System, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, UMass Medical School, and Wake Forest University Health Sciences. Each institution received funds to support a researcher who is underrepresented in medicine and has interest in skin of color dermatologic research. To date, this impactful program has distributed nearly $1.45 million dollars to support institution-based research, supported by AbbVie, Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb.
• Seventy-one SOCS Mentor-Mentee pairings in the SOCS Mentorship programwere facilitated.
• ElevenObservership Grants were awarded, supported by EltaMD, Google Health, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, and many SOCS members who have made voluntary contributions through the SOCS Foundation.
• Two hundred and forty two SOCS members and dermatology colleagues participated in SOCS Regional Networking & Educational Symposiaheld in New York City, NY, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, Englewood, CO, Las Vegas, NV, and Columbia Gorge, WA. These events were supported by Pfizer.
• Four hundred and forty onenew members joined the Society in 2024, expanding our global reach to 30 countries and enriching our worldwide impact.

“This has been a phenomenal year of innovation and progress in fulfilling our vital mission-driven work and poising us for continued global growth in our next decade. We are grateful to our many leaders, members, supporters, and collaborators who share our commitment to advancing skin of color dermatology to achieve health equity and excellence in patient care, “says Dr. Barbosa in a news release.

PHOTO CAPTION: SOCS Presidents through the years, assembled from left: Drs. Andrew F. Alexis, Rebat Halder, Valerie M. Harvey, Valerie D. Callender, Susan C. Taylor (Founder), Amy McMichael, Lynn J. McKinley-Grant, Seemal R. Desai, and Victoria Barbosa. Not pictured: Drs. Donald A. Glass II, and Marta I. Rendon, (deceased).